AT&T will be the lead sponsor of the state’s three-year commemoration of the War of 1812, Gov. Martin O’Malley announced Monday.

The deal is for three years and more than $1 million. Discussions began in the fall after AT&T sponsored a September preview of the PBS documentary “The War of 1812″, according to Ann Beegle, executive director of Star-Spangled 200 Inc., the nonprofit fundraising affiliate of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.

That $10,000 sponsorship “opened up the dialogue to talk about bigger opportunities,” Beegle said.

Said J. Michael Schweder, president of AT&T Mid-Atlantic: “We are excited to work closely with the state of Maryland and the 1812 stakeholders during the next three years to commemorate the legacy of the Star-Spangled Banner and this important period in our nation’s history.”

AT&T is the second corporate sponsor of Maryland’s War of 1812 bicentennial; the first was Papa John’s, which signed up in January.

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At least Gov. Martin O’Malley hasn’t lost his sense of humor about things.

After the General Assembly ended with leftover business and a “doomsday” budget with $500 million in cuts to state services and programs, the governor suggested he may call a special session once leaders can craft a deal that would pass both the Senate and the House of Delegates.

He might be able to get some help from Martin Resnick, founder of Martin’s Caterers. The governor spoke Friday at an awards luncheon for small businesses, which was held at Martin’s West in Woodlawn.

“My goodness, you look at all the elected officials here, he really has a way of calling us together, doesn’t he?” said O’Malley, who was joined at the luncheon by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, Reps. Steny Hoyer and John Sarabanes and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

“So, we’re going to ask Marty if he can call a special session immediately following this luncheon,” O’Malley said to a room filled with laughter and applause.

Noting the especially energetic applause from representatives of the Department of Business and Economic Development, which had its $ 8 million biotechnology investment tax credit cut this session, O’Malley said, “We will get that back on track.”

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Racking up “likes” on Facebook or Twitter followers could help a group of University of Maryland students win $5,000 toward a cause of their choice and a private jet to Atlanta for courtside seats at an NBA game.

The two prizes are part of a contest announced at last Saturday’s men’s basketball game, when the Terps got a video message from actor Kevin Bacon.

The university has teamed up with the film star for the “Do Good Challenge,” aimed at encouraging students to engage in philanthropy.

“What we’re trying to do here is get a lot of people out doing good, and to promote giving and make a difference at the same time,” said Robert Grimm, who is directing the challenge and also directs the University’s Philanthropy and Nonprofit Management program.

Eleven groups registered in the first 48 hours, Grimm said.

Students can start their own projects, work with an existing student group, or work with a nonprofit.

“I want to see how you can use your creativity to encourage social change,” Bacon said in his video message.

Students have until March 26 to submit a statement explaining the impact they’ve had and what they’ve learned.

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To tax? To build? To reprioritize? Regardless the answer, all of the state leaders who gathered Monday morning for the Greater Baltimore Committee’s legislative forum wanted to talk transportation.

The debate sparked after Paul Kelly, chairman of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, said that the proposed gas tax, coupled with proposed increases in registration fees, meant “[the legislature’s] just driving business away from Maryland.”

The panel, headed by Donald C. Fry, president and CEO of the GBC, consisted of E.J Pipkin, Senate minority leader; Edward J. Kasemeyer, chairman of the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee; Anthony J. O’Donnell, House minority leader; and Michael E. Busch, speaker of the House.

Pipkin, who staunchly opposes the proposed tax, said the real need was to re-prioritize funds, adding that, “If it’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs, we should be working to improve our road networks, not building mass transit.”

The proposed tax would help fund a Purple Line from Bethesda to New Carrollton and a Red Line in Baltimore.

Fry, though agreeing maintenance and repair is important, said that a growing population needs new transportation.

The Red Line, which would provide access to about 175 job sites along its route “would also help spur economic growth around the various stops,” Fry said. The line would connect Baltimore’s light rail and metro line.

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Two big personalities on Maryland’s business landscape — William Donald Schaefer and Edwin F. Hale Sr. — dominated the news this week, and that’s reflected in the top 5 staff-written stories by The Daily Record’s business reporting team.

1. William Donald Schaefer: 1921 – 2011 – by Melody Simmons and C. Fraser Smith
William Donald Schaefer, the mercurial, demanding leader who reshaped Baltimore in four terms as mayor before serving two terms each as governor and comptroller of Maryland, died Monday at the age of 89.

2. First Mariner Chairman Hale to step down – by Rachel Bernstein
1st Mariner Bank founder Edwin F. Hale Sr., will step down as chairman and CEO as part of a New York investment company’s plan to take a stake in the struggling Baltimore banking company.

3. After 61 years, iconic Werner’s restaurant closes its doors – by Rachel Bernstein
The future tenant of the old Werner’s spot will need to appeal to downtown Baltimore’s business district without becoming another upscale restaurant out of reach for the luncheonette’s former regulars.

4. First Mariner founder Edwin Hale ready to look for new challenges – by Rachel Bernstein
First Mariner Bancorp CEO Edwin F. Hale Sr. isn’t happy that he will be leaving the company he founded, but he said Wednesday he plans to keep his hand in development and Baltimore’s business community.

5. Local group acquiring Pikesville retirement community – by Rachel Bernstein
A local group of physicians, clergy and investors is buying a continuing care retirement community to bring what it says will be a more personal and local touch than that of its out-of-state owners.

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This weekend, Baltimore will commemorate 150 years since the Pratt Street Riot in 1861.

Friday will kick off with a symposium by the Maryland Historical Society titled, “Land of the Free? The Fate of Civil Liberties in Baltimore in 1861.” It’s free to the public.

Exhibitions at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum and Sports Legends at Historic Camden Station open this weekend focused on President Abraham Lincoln’s arrival to Camden Station and the sites’ significance in the Civil War.

Saturday’s celebration will feature a rededication of President Street Station as a city landmark and events at Fort McHenry that reflect the events of 1861. (Yes, there will be cannon firings.) A grand procession will start at 11 a.m. commemorating the Pratt Street Riot and first bloodshed of the war, complete with fife and drum corps. Events will be going on through the entire weekend, so check out the itinerary online.

While you’re downtown, the Baltimore Convention Center is hopping with the third annual Baltimore Fine Furnishings and Fine Craft Show this weekend. About 50 exhibitors from the mid-Atlantic will show off their best designed and handcrafted furniture, accessories, fine art and crafts.

And! Don’t forget to support your local record store this Saturday, on Record Store Day. The holiday’s website features a list of participating stores in Maryland, of which there are about 20. So go find one near you and pick up a big ten inch record.

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Responding to a rising chorus of complaints about rush-hour crowding and service breakdowns on the MARC Penn Line, the Maryland Transit Administration unveiled a plan to group the trains into six- and seven-car sets — compared with six, eight or nine cars — and run them more often.

The result would be about 1,000 additional seats per rush hour, MTA officials said. And given the negative fallout from the “hell train” incident last summer — when a Penn Line train broke down en route to Baltimore, trapping about 1,200 passengers aboard MARC 538 as temperatures approached 90 degrees — you could see where the MTA would be anxious to get the word out.

An e-mail hit my inbox Monday at 9:41 a.m. about a “significant Penn Line schedule change” effective March 14, pending approval by the Maryland Board of Public Works. At 10:09 a.m., I got another e-mail — this one about the MTA website “operating very slowly or not responding at all” thanks to heavy traffic to the site sparked by the Penn Line announcement.

Sure enough, #marcfail tweets filled Twitter in short order. “#MARCfail = not making prior arrangement for extra server capacity for the @MTAmaryland website prior to a major schedule change email,” wrote @insidecharmcity, a persistent MARC critic.

A tweet by @mtamaryland at 10:16 a.m. informed followers — and @insidecharmcity specifically — that the site was back up and running.

Sometimes the Maryland Transit Administration must feel like it can’t catch a break.

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With lots of news in Maryland’s slots and horse racing industries this week, stories from The Daily Record’s government reporter Nicholas Sohr dominated our staff business content. The Daily Record also made news as our publisher, Chris Eddings, was promoted within the Dolan Company and our associate publisher, Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, was selected to take his place.

1. Racing panel rejects Maryland Jockey Club plan by Nicholas Sohr

The state rejected on Monday a “stop-gap” plan for Maryland thoroughbred racing that featured a drastically reduced racing schedule, a decision that fractures the ownership of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park and injects more uncertainty into the future of the industry.

The corporate parents of the Maryland Jockey Club were expected to present a comprehensive business plan as the final step in gaining Maryland Racing Commission approval of the partnership. But, commissioners said what the club offered lacked details and members of the horse industry called for them to vote it down.

2. Fischer-Huettner named Daily Record publisher by Daily Record Staff

Suzanne Fischer-Huettner has been named publisher of The Daily Record.

A 37-year-old Maryland native who has been the newspaper’s associate publisher and vice president, Fischer-Huettner is the first woman publisher in the company’s 122-year history.

The announcement was made Thursday night at The Daily Record’s Leading Women event, which recognizes the achievements of Maryland women under 40, by Christopher A. Eddings, who is stepping down as publisher.

3. $12.4M spent on Anne Arundel slots referendum by Nicholas Sohr

The high-stakes battle over the right to build a casino in Anne Arundel County cost $12.4 million, according to a report published Wednesday by the state.

The Maryland Jockey Club spent $7.5 million on its failed referendum campaign to derail development of a casino at the Arundel Mills shopping mall. Subsidiaries of The Cordish Cos. — the casino’s developer — and the mall owners spent $4.9 million.

4. Eddings named publishing director for Dolan by Daily Record Staff

Christopher A. Eddings, publisher and president of The Daily Record, has been named director of publishing operations for The Dolan Company, owner of The Daily Record.

In his new role, Eddings will oversee the company’s business and legal newspaper and electronic publishing platforms throughout the country. He will continue to be headquartered in Baltimore with The Daily Record.

5. Racing plan for Laurel Park, Pimlico stuck at the starting gate by Nicholas Sohr

With Maryland thoroughbred racing and the Preakness Stakes in jeopardy, Penn National Gaming Inc. said Tuesday it will continue to work with its corporate partner to develop a plan for Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in 2011.

Penn National and MI Developments Inc. were dealt a setback Monday evening when the Maryland Racing Commission threw out their plan to slash live racing, opting to send the companies back to the drawing board rather than settle for an option the state’s horsemen said would spell doom for the industry.

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The week was dominated by politics and election news, as seen with The Daily Record’s five most-read staff-written stories.

Even a story on health care that cracked the list centers on health care reform — a galvanizing factor, pundits say, in many of the Republican victories across the country that resulted in the GOP taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

A story on air travel, however, tops the list. Here are summaries and links.

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State officials are cautioning homeowners to be on the lookout for bogus driveway repavers.

The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation says it has been receiving an increasing number of complaints about unlicensed, traveling contractors. The usual M.O. is to offer bargain basement prices to seal or coat driveways with asphalt.

The driveway is then covered with oil mixed with water, or maybe even just a coating of black paint. Regardless, the “new” driveway generally washes away with the next rain or just quickly crumbles.

“Before hiring or paying anyone, a homeowner should contact the Maryland Home Improvement Commission to check the license status of the individual and company,” DLLR Secretary Alexander M. Sanchez said.

According to the state, there are arrest warrants already issued against some of these fraudulent contractors.

A visit to the DLLR website can verify whether a contractor is licensed in the state.

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