iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Hayes Gardner

@hayesgardner.bsky.social

419 followers 115 following 262 posts

Writing for The Baltimore Banner. Poynter once described a sentence I wrote as "not an especially graceful one." Past: Baltimore Sun, Louisville Courier Journal, Ames Tribune | AmeriCorps | Grinnell College alum

Posts Replies Media

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Adam Willis @adampwillis.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Not long ago, it looked like Sparrows Point would be a cradle for US offshore wind. Political winds have turned since then, and this week Trump visited the shipyard to herald replacement of wind turbine manufacturing with nuclear subs. w @hayesgardner.bsky.social: www.thebanner.com/economy/spar...

Once slated for wind energy, shipyard will instead build submarine parts

Five years after a section of southeastern Baltimore County was identified as a cradle of wind turbines, that land will be used for a massive weapons manufacturing facility.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The move highlights a stark reversal of fortune for Maryland’s offshore wind industry, a favorite of the state’s Democratic leadership but a longtime punching bag for Republican President Donald Trump. w/ @adampwillis.bsky.social: www.thebanner.com/economy/spar...

Once slated for wind energy, shipyard will instead build submarine parts

Five years after a section of southeastern Baltimore County was identified as a cradle of wind turbines, that land will be used for a massive weapons manufacturing facility.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Wind turbines are out. Submarines are in. Five years after a historic Sparrows Point shipyard was identified as a cradle of wind energy, that land will instead be used for an even bigger weapons manufacturing facility, creating 3,100 jobs.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Here’s an image, provided by Anduril, of what the attack submarine facility is expected to look like. It will be 2 million square feet and make components, such as torpedo tubes and sterns.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

NEW | Anduril will spend $3.7 billion on a southeastern Baltimore County facility expected to directly create 3,100 jobs. The facility at Tradepoint Atlantic is slated to begin operations in 2030 and will construct submarine parts for the U.S. Navy. www.thebanner.com/economy/andu...

Submarine facility coming to Tradepoint expected to create 3,100 jobs

Anduril Industries plans to build a $3.7B submarine parts facility at Tradepoint Atlantic, creating 3,100 jobs in Baltimore County. The plant is expected to open in 2030.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Baltimore Banner @thebaltimorebanner.com · 03/10/2026

Trump plans to make Tuesday visit to Baltimore County’s Tradepoint Atlantic

Trump plans to make Tuesday visit to Baltimore County’s Tradepoint Atlantic

Anduril Industries had been in talks with Tradepoint Atlantic to build drone boats at the former Bethlehem Steel site.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Baltimore Banner @thebaltimorebanner.com · 01/10/2026

Amid AI boom and aided by Amazon, Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant to be upgraded

Amid AI boom and aided by Amazon, Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant to be upgraded

Amazon partners with Constellation to upgrade Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Southern Maryland.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

NEW | The Maryland Stadium Authority will remove 2,000 seats from Oriole Park's left field upper deck and add a gathering space, open to all ticketed fans. www.thebanner.com/sports/oriol...

Oriole Park’s left field upper deck to be converted into social space

The state of Maryland is set to remove 2,000 seats from Camden Yards this offseason to make way for a gathering space in left field.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Those still in town did fill bars and restaurants, though. The Scottish singer KT Tunstall looked up nearby establishments and called Buxy's Salty Dog Saloon. That night, she played two packed shows on an improvised stage at the sports bar.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

After a slower-than-usual summer, Ocean City could've used a boost from the Ocean's Calling rock festival. Instead, a nor'easter washed it away. www.thebanner.com/economy/ocea...

Ocean City could have used bump from Oceans Calling after slower summer

Oceans Calling Festival annually attracts more than 50,000 people per day. This year’s cancellation came after a slower-than-usual summer for Ocean City.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Some fans will attend both the Ravens and Orioles games today in downtown Baltimore. Among them is Ravens diehard Timothy Bess, who drove 9 hours from Kentucky yesterday and will go to his first-ever MLB game. www.thebanner.com/sports/raven...

These Ravens fans’ first MLB game will be a Baltimore doubleheader

Timothy Bess, a Ravens diehard who lives in Kentucky, has never been to an MLB game. And he’s certainly never been to a football-plus-baseball doubleheader. That will change Sunday in Baltimore.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

NEW | For the first time, the Ravens and Orioles will host games in downtown Baltimore on the same day. Their stadium leases try to avoid this exact scenario, but it's happening anyway. Expect 100,000 people and maybe even *grid-flocked* traffic Sunday. www.thebanner.com/community/tr...

Rare Ravens-Orioles doubleheader sets up Sunday grid-flock downtown

Roughly 100,000 people are expected to descend on the Camden Yards Sports Complex on Sunday for a rarity: a Ravens and Orioles home doubleheader.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

NEW | Orioles owner David Rubenstein has engaged sports real estate firm Seregh and begun “the multiyear effort to try to redevelop the immediate area around Camden Yards." www.thebanner.com/economy/rube...

David Rubenstein takes step toward redeveloping land near ballpark

Orioles ownership has engaged a real estate firm to begin a multiyear effort to develop land next to Camden Yards, David Rubenstein wrote in a new book.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Frances Tiafoe — the prince of the U.S. Open and the Prince George’s County native — plays perhaps the biggest match of his life tonight. www.thebanner.com/sports/franc...

The prince of the U.S. Open is from Prince George’s County

Frances Tiafoe, a Prince George’s County native, has reached the U.S. Open semifinals as a fan favorite.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Baltimore Banner @thebaltimorebanner.com · 09/09/2026

McCormick readies to become area’s second-largest public company

McCormick readies to become area’s second-largest public company

Baltimore’s largest pantry built itself up through a series of deliberate acquisitions, adding a spice here, a sauce there, but McCormick & Co.’s massive deal with Unilever is by far its most ambitious...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The stage is set, literally, for the Key Bridge rebuild, as crews have built wooden platforms that will act as workspaces. The bridge is to be completed as “near to Dec. 31, 2030 as practicable” — which seems to leave the door open to a later date. www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

The Key Bridge rebuild gets a new workspace — and a squishier deadline

Crews have largely completed the installation of trestles — overwater wooden platforms that jut over the Patapsco River — to use during the construction of the actual bridge.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

After two rabid beaver attacks this summer led to a nearly monthlong closure, Cunningham Falls State Park has fully reopened. “Extensive monitoring found no evidence of rabid beavers." www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Cunningham Falls State Park fully reopens after no more rabid beavers found

There have been three separate beaver attacks at state parks in Maryland this summer. Two happened at Cunningham Falls State Park, but “extensive monitoring found no evidence” of additional rabid beav...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

From 2022 to 2025, ~900 animals tested positive for rabies in Maryland, but none of them were beavers. That's changed this summer. www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

A tug and a ‘furry object’: Report details beaver bite

A police report reveals details behind a beaver attack on a 10-year-old girl last week in Montgomery County. Over the past four years, 900 animals tested positive for rabies in Maryland, but none of t...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

A 10-year-old girl was swimming when she felt a "furry object" last week, according to a police report. That fur turned out to be a beaver, which bit her three times, improbably marking the third beaver attack at a Maryland state park this summer.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Adam Willis @adampwillis.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

In a Western Maryland community, water costs have climbed so high under private utility ownership that many are rationing, single shower weeks are commonplace & the county is attempting a government takeover of the water system. For @thebaltimorebanner.com: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Water in this Western Maryland community is so expensive that residents put off bathing

In Allegany County, water rationing is driving a government takeover of a corporate-owned utility.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

M&T Bank Stadium will host 17 full-capacity events this year — its most ever. Ravens president Sashi Brown: We "want to do our part to bring downtown back to life. Part of that was making sure this building is activated more than 10, 12 times a year.” www.thebanner.com/culture/musi...

R&B singers Chris Brown and Usher to perform at M&T Bank Stadium

M&T Bank Stadium will host at least 17 full-capacity events this year — the most in its nearly 30-year history.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Fox signed with UA’s Curry Brand in 2023. Curry might be gone, but Fox is still with UA as the de facto face of its men’s basketball business. “For me, just because he left didn’t mean I was going to.” Fox has a deal with the company through next year.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Steph Curry is no longer with Under Armour, but the brand still flexed its basketball footprint Saturday in Baltimore. Top high schoolers from across the country played in all-star games — coached by De’Aaron Fox and Derik Queen. www.thebanner.com/sports/under...

Under Armour’s top high school basketball players put on show at St. Frances

Coached by NBA players De’Aaron Fox and Derik Queen, top high school players put on a show in the City Classic.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

NEW | A third beaver has attacked a visitor to a Maryland state park. The first two happened in Frederick County. Yesterday, a beaver attacked a 10-year-old girl in a canoe in Montgomery County. Local authorities are pursuing the beaver. www.thebanner.com/western-mary...

Another beaver attacks a park visitor, this time in Montgomery County

A beaver attacked a 10-year-old girl who was canoeing at Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County on Thursday.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

NEW | The first rabid beaver attack sent a screaming 13-year-old to the hospital in a helicopter. The second prompted the lake’s closure. There would not be a third, officials hoped. My dispatch from a hunt for rabid beavers: www.thebanner.com/community/pu...

Inside the hunt for Maryland’s rabid beavers

Maryland state wildlife workers are on a Bigfoot-style pursuit following two bizarre beaver attacks.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Kyle Goon @kylegoon.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Big announcements last week showed just how fractured and ruthless the horse racing business has become. By changing the Preakness date, Maryland racing has adapted to the rules of engagement— following its self-interest to survive: www.thebanner.com/sports/horse...

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Baltimore Banner Sports @sports.thebaltimorebanner.com · 06/08/2026

Less than three weeks after scoring the game-winning goal in the men’s World Cup final, Spain’s Ferran Torres visited Under Armour’s Baltimore headquarters for the first time.

Ferran Torres pays Baltimore a visit after World Cup heroics

Less than three weeks after scoring the game-winning goal in the men’s World Cup final, Spain’s Ferran Torres visited Under Armour’s Baltimore headquarters for the first time.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Dylan Segelbaum @dylansegelbaum.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Can this long-awaited concert venue fill a gap in Baltimore’s music scene? @hayesgardner.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

Can this concert venue fill a gap in Baltimore’s music scene?

After a start-and-stop construction process, The Paramount, an $86 million venue hosting up to 4,000 concertgoers, is expected to open soon near M&T Bank Stadium.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

The Paramount Baltimore was initially pegged to open in 2021, but got delayed by the pandemic and financial troubles. It’s now expected to open later this year — and fill a gap in Baltimore’s live music scene. www.thebanner.com/economy/grow...

Can this concert venue fill a gap in Baltimore’s music scene?

After a start-and-stop construction process, The Paramount, an $86 million venue hosting up to 4,000 concertgoers, is expected to open soon near M&T Bank Stadium.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The Mexico and Columbia men's soccer teams will play in Baltimore in September. By my count, there will be 17 large-scale events — Ravens games, other sporting events, concerts — at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026, the most ever. www.thebanner.com/sports/mexic...

Mexican, Colombian men’s soccer teams to meet in September friendly in Baltimore

The Mexican and Colombian men’s national soccer teams will meet in a September friendly in Baltimore, the teams announced Thursday.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The Maryland Stadium Authority's new executive director will be Lindsey V. Parker, the former chief of staff to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

Maryland Stadium Authority picks DC mayor’s adviser as executive director

It’s been a period of change for the authority. In addition to Michael Frenz’s retirement, longtime executive Terry Hasseltine, who spearheaded the state’s sports tourism arm, exited his position in D...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

This is now official: Maryland has closed a deal with 1/ST Racing to buy the Preakness intellectual property for $85 million. www.thebanner.com/sports/horse...

Maryland closes deal with 1/ST Racing to buy Preakness name

The purchase comes six weeks after Gov. Wes Moore’s administration first sought to buy the branding — exercising its first right of refusal in matching an offer that racing industry giant Churchill Do...

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Baltimore Banner @thebaltimorebanner.com · 28/07/2026

Baltimore to scrap controversial deal that let BGE profit from city utility system

Baltimore to end BGE agreement that drew criticism over utility profits

Baltimore plans to end a controversial deal that let BGE profit from upgrades to the city-owned conduit system and resume collecting rental fees.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

That 2038 date aligns closely with the Ravens' lease at M&T Bank Stadium, which runs through the 2037 season. (Both leases have renewal options.)

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The Ravens extended the lease at their Baltimore County practice facility through at least 2038. There will also be upgrades: • $70 million from Ravens • $25 million from county • Potential $25 million from state From Jonas Shaffer: www.thebanner.com/sports/raven...

Ravens renewing Under Armour Performance Center lease with Baltimore County

The deal means the Ravens will be in Owings Mills through at least 2037.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Pamela Wood @pwoodreporter.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore reiterated the goal of having the Key Bridge rebuilt by 2030, as he took members of Congress on a boat tour of the site today. ✍️: @hayesgardner.bsky.social 📸: @jphotoj.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/tr...

Wes Moore tours Key Bridge rebuild with Republican members of Congress

Whether or not the federal government foots 100% of the bill for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild is ultimately up to members of Congress. Gov. Wes Moore took several of them on a construction tou...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Congress has agreed to entirely fund the Key Bridge rebuild, but it could always change its mind. To that end, Gov. Wes Moore took some lawmakers — including Republicans — on a field trip Monday to the overwater construction site. www.thebanner.com/community/tr...

Wes Moore tours Key Bridge rebuild with Republican members of Congress

Whether or not the federal government foots 100% of the bill for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild is ultimately up to members of Congress. Gov. Wes Moore took several of them on a construction tou...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

T. Rowe Price opened a sleek headquarters for 2,000 employees last year at Harbor Point. A year in, it’s rearranging the furniture. The firm is swapping out some flexible work areas for more permanent desks, mirroring a national trend. www.thebanner.com/economy/t-ro...

T. Rowe Price joins national trend away from ‘hot desking’

T. Rowe Price opened a sleek headquarters for 2,000 employees last year at Harbor Point. A year in, it’s rearranging its furniture.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

NEW | It's been 33 years since Camden Yards last saw an All-Star Game. But Baltimore could host again, perhaps as soon as 2029. w/ @afkostka.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/economy/orio...

The Orioles want to host an All-Star Game. Landing one is a different story.

Baltimore’s unsuccessful World Cup application, a 55-page document submitted in 2017 and obtained by The Banner in an open records request, offers information that could be relevant for any large spor...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The event, held in 2022, 2023 and 2025, had been operated by a state-created nonprofit, but that entity faced financial difficulties and folded late last year. A $2 million state bailout paid debts owed to employees and vendors.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Exclusive: The Maryland Cycling Classic isn't happening in 2026, but organizers hope it will return in 2027. www.thebanner.com/sports/maryl...

Maryland Cycling Classic is canceled this year, might return in 2027

The Maryland Cycling Classic faced bumpy roads — including the pandemic and the Key Bridge collapse — as it grew, but after financial problems resulted in a state bailout, the race won’t happen at all...

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Adam Willis @adampwillis.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Last fall, an energy mogul begged Wes Moore to back his data center complex. It worked. Records offer a rare window into how a wealthy & politically connected businessman won the governor’s endorsement for his controversial foray into Maryland data centers: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

A data center developer wanted a power plant. He needed Moore’s help.

Emails obtained by The Baltimore Banner offer a new window into Gov. Wes Moore’s approach to an emerging data center industry. His decision to back a controversial development in southern Maryland rai...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

This ship was able to unload in Baltimore due to the suspension of the Jones Act, a foundational, century-old maritime law. Now, Rep. Andy Harris is among dozens of Republicans urging President Donald Trump to let the Jones Act waiver expire in mid-August.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

NEW | A ship arrived in Baltimore yesterday carrying asphalt, a Chinese flag — and a heated national debate on maritime policy. www.thebanner.com/economy/balt...

A Chinese ship in Baltimore is unloading asphalt and outraging mariners

A 479-foot ship snaked its way through a canal bound for Baltimore on Monday afternoon. It carried asphalt, a Chinese flag — and a heated national debate on maritime policy.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Port of Baltimore director Jonathan Daniels is heading south. Daniels, who spent the bulk of his tenure restoring shipping commerce after the Key Bridge collapse, is bound for Miami, the nation's top cruise port. www.thebanner.com/community/lo...

Jonathan Daniels, Baltimore’s port director, leaving for Miami

Just as the Port of Baltimore is climbing back after the Key Bridge collapse, its top leader is heading south. Jonathan Daniels, who has been the Maryland Port Administration’s executive director sinc...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Swarms of Scottish soccer supporters drinking their way through Natty Bohs sure would’ve been a spectacle. But as other cities have learned, hosting World Cup matches put on by revenue-hungry FIFA is not for the faint of heart. www.thebanner.com/sports/world...

Baltimore isn’t hosting World Cup matches. Maybe that’s for the best.

When M&T Bank Stadium missed out on hosting World Cup matches, Baltimore missed out on a boom of foreign visitors. But as other cities have learned, the economics of hosting doesn't always make sense.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

SCOOP: The state of Maryland will match Churchill Downs' $85 million offer for the Preakness Stakes intellectual property, meaning the state will own, not rent, the Preakness brand. w/ @leeosanderlin.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/sports/horse...

Maryland matches Churchill Downs’ $85 million offer for Preakness IP

Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement that his administration has made “historic investments” to ensure the future of Maryland’s racing industry, and that the $85 million decision will secure a “vital as...

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Also: The Key Bridge criminal trial is set for October 2027.

Hayes Gardner @hayesgardner.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

The federal government and a massive shipping company are locked in a legal tug-of-war. In the middle are a dozen cargo ship crew members. Those seafarers "effectively are detained" in Baltimore and have been since the Key Bridge collapse in March 2024. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Despite legal push, Dali crew members unable to go home yet

The operator of the container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge demanded its crew members be allowed to return home after more than two years “marooned” in the United States.

Reposted by Hayes Gardner

Justin Fenton @justinfenton.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

New: Dali’s chief engineer latest to face criminal charges in Key Bridge disaster; prosecutors say they’ve agreed to “deferred prosecution agreement” www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Dali’s chief engineer latest to face criminal charges in Key Bridge disaster

Federal prosecutors have filed additional criminal charges in the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster, adding as a defendant the chief engineer of the Dali container ship.