Julie Bykowicz
@bykowicz.bsky.social
Business and Enterprise Editor
The Baltimore Banner
Local news lover
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/
The Baltimore Banner
Local news lover
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Homicides in Chicago hit 60 year low. Yes, even fewer would be better but this is a huge accomplishment
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
Chicago sees 30% drop in homicides in 2025, with fewest murders in a year since 1965
As overall crime continued to drop in Chicago in 2025, the city ended the year with the fewest homicides in 60 years.
www.cbsnews.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:38 AM
Homicides in Chicago hit 60 year low. Yes, even fewer would be better but this is a huge accomplishment
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
President Trump tells the Wall Street Journal that the large dose of aspirin he chooses to take daily has caused him to bruise easily. www.wsj.com/us-news/as-signs-...
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:13 PM
President Trump tells the Wall Street Journal that the large dose of aspirin he chooses to take daily has caused him to bruise easily. www.wsj.com/us-news/as-signs-...
This is so real
Verde owner Ed Bosco points to a plethora of issues that have caused the delays. “We designed a restaurant we couldn’t afford.”
Verde owner Ed Bosco points to a plethora of issues that have caused the delays. “We designed a restaurant we couldn’t afford.”
These restaurants were supposed to open in 2025. We’re still waiting.
These restaurants were supposed to open in 2025. We're still waiting.
The Fishmonger's Daughter, Candela and Armada are just a few of the restaurants we hope to see open in 2026.
buff.ly
January 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM
This is so real
Verde owner Ed Bosco points to a plethora of issues that have caused the delays. “We designed a restaurant we couldn’t afford.”
Verde owner Ed Bosco points to a plethora of issues that have caused the delays. “We designed a restaurant we couldn’t afford.”
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
I take no leave of you, 2025. I send no compliments to your mother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased.
December 31, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I take no leave of you, 2025. I send no compliments to your mother. You deserve no such attention. I am most seriously displeased.
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
The Banner’s favorite illustrations from 2025
The Banner’s favorite illustrations from 2025
This year, The Banner worked with illustrators from our Maryland community to tackle stories big and small.
buff.ly
December 31, 2025 at 3:21 PM
The Banner’s favorite illustrations from 2025
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
RIP 2025
2025-2025
2025-2025
December 31, 2025 at 2:26 PM
RIP 2025
2025-2025
2025-2025
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Underground Baltimore keeps catching on fire, and a consultant's report on a particularly bad 2024 fire on Charles Street found the cause was a buildup of gasses in a conduit that was overcrowded with cables and wires.
Perhaps my last byline for 2025:
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Perhaps my last byline for 2025:
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Underground Charles Street fire caused by gas buildup in crowded conduit
The report listed a slew of recommendations to prevent future explosions and fires in the city’s underground conduits.
www.thebanner.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Underground Baltimore keeps catching on fire, and a consultant's report on a particularly bad 2024 fire on Charles Street found the cause was a buildup of gasses in a conduit that was overcrowded with cables and wires.
Perhaps my last byline for 2025:
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Perhaps my last byline for 2025:
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
The Banner’s favorite photos of 2025
The Banner’s favorite photos of 2025
From sports to culture, we captured so many moments in photos. Here are The Baltimore Banner’s favorite photos of 2025.
buff.ly
December 30, 2025 at 11:00 AM
The Banner’s favorite photos of 2025
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
After years of covering 300+ homicides, I tried to take stock of what it means for Baltimore to finally see fewer than 150 victims this year. But people kept getting killed.
2 things are true: we’ve seen historic declines, and still too many ppl are dying www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
2 things are true: we’ve seen historic declines, and still too many ppl are dying www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
December 29, 2025 at 3:39 PM
After years of covering 300+ homicides, I tried to take stock of what it means for Baltimore to finally see fewer than 150 victims this year. But people kept getting killed.
2 things are true: we’ve seen historic declines, and still too many ppl are dying www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
2 things are true: we’ve seen historic declines, and still too many ppl are dying www.thebanner.com/community/cr...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
I wrote this column about the aggressive pushback our reporters have received for doing their jobs.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment, they’ve found their efforts to do so are more likely to be vilified than appreciated.
www.propublica.org
December 29, 2025 at 2:23 PM
I wrote this column about the aggressive pushback our reporters have received for doing their jobs.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
“But since 2023 Baltimore has seen the number of victims fall below 300, then below 200 and now below 150.”
Thoughtful and well-written piece by @justinfenton.bsky.social
Thoughtful and well-written piece by @justinfenton.bsky.social
Analysis: Baltimore homicides declined furthest, fastest in the country as killings could reach a 48-year low
Analysis: Baltimore homicides declined furthest, fastest in the country, could reach a 48-year low
Baltimore is on track to end 2025 with its lowest homicide total in 48 years, with fewer than 150 killings expected, marking a significant decline since 2022.
buff.ly
December 29, 2025 at 12:42 PM
“But since 2023 Baltimore has seen the number of victims fall below 300, then below 200 and now below 150.”
Thoughtful and well-written piece by @justinfenton.bsky.social
Thoughtful and well-written piece by @justinfenton.bsky.social
I love this
Did you really just spend 3 hours cheering for the Browns?
For three hours on Sunday, Ravens fans found themselves cheering for a team they hated (the Browns) to beat a team they detested (the Steelers) so a team that gives them ulcers (the Ravens) could have...
www.thebanner.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:00 AM
I love this
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
How a ‘ghost highway’ destroyed a prosperous Black neighborhood
How a ‘ghost highway’ destroyed a prosperous Black neighborhood
“Road to Nowhere,” a new book by historian Emily Lieb, sheds light on what happened to Rosemont, a neighborhood in West Baltimore that was set to be demolished for a highway.
buff.ly
December 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM
How a ‘ghost highway’ destroyed a prosperous Black neighborhood
Of 40 businesses listed in a lawsuit, fewer than 10 are still operated by their original owners, according to a tally compiled by The Banner. Great reporting by @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social
Violence hit these Baltimore businesses after Freddie Gray’s death. Few have stuck around.
Violence hit these Baltimore businesses after Freddie Gray’s death. Then many left.
What happened to the Baltimore business owners who sued the city in 2017 after the unrest following Freddie Gray's death.
buff.ly
December 23, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Of 40 businesses listed in a lawsuit, fewer than 10 are still operated by their original owners, according to a tally compiled by The Banner. Great reporting by @jasminevaughnhall.bsky.social
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Family of slain arabber protests after Baltimore Police cleared in shooting
Family of slain arabber protests after Baltimore Police cleared in shooting
The family of Bilal “BJ” Abdullah, an arabber killed by Baltimore police this summer, are condemning the findings of state investigators who cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.
buff.ly
December 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Family of slain arabber protests after Baltimore Police cleared in shooting
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
NYT shows how Bari Weiss really screwed this up.
She didn't attend any of the 5 screenings of the story, which began on Dec. 12.
She only first weighed in on Thursday, and the show incorporated her suggestions.
She then waited until weekend to ask for more edits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...
She didn't attend any of the 5 screenings of the story, which began on Dec. 12.
She only first weighed in on Thursday, and the show incorporated her suggestions.
She then waited until weekend to ask for more edits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...
Turmoil at CBS News After Bari Weiss Pulls a ‘60 Minutes’ Segment
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM
NYT shows how Bari Weiss really screwed this up.
She didn't attend any of the 5 screenings of the story, which began on Dec. 12.
She only first weighed in on Thursday, and the show incorporated her suggestions.
She then waited until weekend to ask for more edits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...
She didn't attend any of the 5 screenings of the story, which began on Dec. 12.
She only first weighed in on Thursday, and the show incorporated her suggestions.
She then waited until weekend to ask for more edits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...
A fantastic set of @thebaltimorebanner.com must-reads about one aspect of the criminal justice system that has truly gone off the rails. ⚖️
In Maryland, anyone can apply for criminal charges on their own with no input from police or prosecutors.
I found the system can be easily abused and wreak havoc on people’s lives. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
I found the system can be easily abused and wreak havoc on people’s lives. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)
Maryland lets anyone file for criminal charges — and innocent people pay the price
Maryland’s district court commissioner system allows people to file criminal charges with little oversight, a Banner investigation found. The process can be abused and upend lives.
www.thebanner.com
December 23, 2025 at 2:02 PM
A fantastic set of @thebaltimorebanner.com must-reads about one aspect of the criminal justice system that has truly gone off the rails. ⚖️
December 22, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
NEW | As Under Armour ascended last decade, Kevin Plank received public support for his Baltimore Peninsula vision. But his company faltered, he narrowed his empire, and now won't be further developing the area.
UA, though, is still poised for a comeback, he says.
www.thebanner.com/economy/unde...
UA, though, is still poised for a comeback, he says.
www.thebanner.com/economy/unde...
Under Armour’s Kevin Plank built an empire. Now Rome is burning.
After years of regularly being profitable, Under Armour lost $200 million last year and is expected to operate at a loss, though a smaller one, this fiscal year, too.
www.thebanner.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:27 PM
NEW | As Under Armour ascended last decade, Kevin Plank received public support for his Baltimore Peninsula vision. But his company faltered, he narrowed his empire, and now won't be further developing the area.
UA, though, is still poised for a comeback, he says.
www.thebanner.com/economy/unde...
UA, though, is still poised for a comeback, he says.
www.thebanner.com/economy/unde...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
December 22, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
James Ransone, who played Ziggy Sobotka on “The Wire,” has died. He was 46.
“He committed not only to the work but to the camaraderie that turns every good film production into something familial and caring,” said David Simon, the show’s creator. www.thebanner.com/culture/film...
“He committed not only to the work but to the camaraderie that turns every good film production into something familial and caring,” said David Simon, the show’s creator. www.thebanner.com/culture/film...
James Ransone, who played Ziggy on “The Wire,” dead at 46
James Ransone "committed not only to the work but to the camaraderie that turns every good film production into something familial and caring,” said David Simon, creator of "The Wire."
www.thebanner.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:16 PM
James Ransone, who played Ziggy Sobotka on “The Wire,” has died. He was 46.
“He committed not only to the work but to the camaraderie that turns every good film production into something familial and caring,” said David Simon, the show’s creator. www.thebanner.com/culture/film...
“He committed not only to the work but to the camaraderie that turns every good film production into something familial and caring,” said David Simon, the show’s creator. www.thebanner.com/culture/film...
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
legitimately love this guy.
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.
🧵 1 of 9
🧵 1 of 9
December 21, 2025 at 12:19 PM
legitimately love this guy.
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Winter solstice 2025 arrives at 10:03 a.m. Sunday, the moment when this wobbly old Earth shifts Annapolis and me to our farthest point from the sun. The night rolls on through a world too often filled with violence and hate.
www.thebanner.com/opinion/colu...
www.thebanner.com/opinion/colu...
Hutzell: On your darkest days, remember there will be light again
COLUMN: There’s a reason we light our nighttime hours, sing and dance around the winter solstice. Yes, it’s Christmas. Yes, it’s Hanukkah. It’s Kwanzaa, Dongzhi and Yalda, too. But we do it to ward of...
www.thebanner.com
December 21, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Winter solstice 2025 arrives at 10:03 a.m. Sunday, the moment when this wobbly old Earth shifts Annapolis and me to our farthest point from the sun. The night rolls on through a world too often filled with violence and hate.
www.thebanner.com/opinion/colu...
www.thebanner.com/opinion/colu...
NEW via @halliemiller.bsky.social
What Kevin Plank’s exit from Baltimore Peninsula means for the project’s public subsidies
What Plank’s exit from Baltimore Peninsula means for its public subsidies
With Baltimore Peninsula’s visionary, Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank, walking away from future development, what happens to the public money that Baltimore agreed to front?
buff.ly
December 19, 2025 at 10:42 PM
NEW via @halliemiller.bsky.social
Reposted by Julie Bykowicz
Dan Snyder’s former Potomac mansion sells for $13 million at auction
Dan Snyder’s former Potomac mansion sells for $13 million at auction
The Potomac mansion that once belonged to former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder sold at auction for $13.26 million on Thursday.
buff.ly
December 19, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Dan Snyder’s former Potomac mansion sells for $13 million at auction