The heart of the National Harbor project – Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center – opened its doors today. The building overlooks the Potomac River and boasts an 18-story atrium.

When the entire project is complete, there will be five other hotels, a marina, retail stores, offices and condominiums, reports NBC4.

Below, see Photographer Maximilian Franz’s coverage of today’s opening.

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Last month, Comptroller Peter Franchot sat down with editors at The Daily Record to discuss some of the challenges facing Maryland and his office’s role in overcoming them.

Listen to Franchot talk about the six percent tax on computer services, running the comptroller’s office and tax compliance.

Clips have been edited to remove background noise and to group related statements.

• Computer services tax (01:05).
• Being head of the comptroller’s office (00:31).
• Tax compliance (01:23).

Read the full text of his remarks below or in the extended version of this post.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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Small business owners have it tough. Forget about floating holidays, cushy benefits or corporate IT support; oftentimes, they have only themselves to rely on in a jam.

That’s why the producers of the PBS series “Small Business School” aim to make successful small business owners larger-than-life.

Dedicated exclusively to telling the stories behind small businesses, the weekly series takes you inside hundreds of companies so you can learn from owners who are the best in their category.

The business owners featured on the show have created jobs for at least ten years, they are considered leaders by their peers and they’re often beloved in their local communities.

And – I’m telling you this because – starting today, clips from the show will be featured on The Daily Record Web site.

Each day, a 1-4 minute video clip from the show will be offered, courtesy of Producer/Host Hattie Bryant (above) and “Small Business School.”

Take a look at today’s clip, and let us know what you think the unique challenges of being a small business owner in Maryland are.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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*Barack Obama’s sweep of the ‘Potomac Primary’ and the ice storm that threatened whether voters would make it to the polls

*Incumbent Reps. Wynn and Gilchrest lost their seats to rivals

*A developer is planning to create a Chinatown for Baltimore

*On Valentine’s Day, same-sex marriage debate rages in Annapolis

*And much more

… in this edition of Week in Photos!

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Andy Rosen wrote for our print edition today about the “harsh response” in Annapolis to a bill that would ban special tax districts.

One affected project would be the Charles Street Trolley proposal, which relies (in part) on funding from a property tax surcharge on homeowners in a special tax district near the site.

Here’s what some Charles Street business owners and managers had to say about the trolley proposal and what it would cost.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

Video shot and edited by Brett Keller

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Sometimes you’re looking in vain for a blog post to kick off the day, and sometimes one just falls into your lap.

The latter was the case this morning, after this story came down the wire, about a veteran Baltimore cop who was suspended after a YouTube video of his encounter with a 14 year-old skateboarder at the Inner Harbor made the rounds.

In the video, it appears that the officer is ordering a group of teens to stop skateboarding (which is banned at the Inner Harbor). When the 14 year-old resists, the officer puts him in a headlock and berates him for being disrespectful.

At one point, the officer asks the teen: “Are you from the County or something?” He then proceeds with this zinger: “Obviously, your parents don’t put a foot in your butt quite enough, because you don’t understand the meaning of respect.”

WJZ-TV even got an interview with the teen.

Watch the video below and let us know if you think the cop was out of line or not.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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It was an eventful week, for sure – from the horrible news of the Browning family murders, to more developments in the foreclosure realm, to Super Tuesday results and their implications for the primaries in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Watch the Week in Photos feature below.

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With the state’s smoking ban in effect as of this weekend, many Baltimore-area bars and restaurants held a final hurrah on Thursday night.

Photographer Rich Dennison was at Morton’s the Steakhouse to cover a 55-person event where cigar aficionados bid farewell to a public pastime. Listen to the audio slideshow below and view Rich’s exquisite photographs from the last night of indoor smoking in a Baltimore restaurant.

See the slideshow in a larger format here.

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This week’s been full of announcements: two appointments to the Court of Special Appeals; Legg Mason’s choice for CEO; a Republican proposal for an alternative to the computer services tax.

And let’s not forget this week’s other big news: the start of the statewide smoking ban.

Watch it all unfold in photographs in our Week in Photos feature below.

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