Corporate Income Taxes, Leopold's Sentencing Date, The EPA's Bay Barometer, Licensing For A PG County Casino, and The Ravens Gear Up For The Super Bowl

Friday morning snowfall has prompted several schools to change their schedules; you can find our current list here.

Lawmakers in Annapolis are again considering whether to make Maryland companies pay income taxes on revenues they earn out of state (via the Baltimore Business Journal). Maryland's corporate income tax rate is currently 8.25%... but there's another bill moving through the General Assembly that would lower it to 6%. The legislation would make Maryland's corporate income tax rate the same as neighboring Virginia's (via marylandreporter.com).

Lawmakers in Annapolis are also working on legislation that would designate the "soft shell crab sandwich" as Maryland's official state sandwich (via marylandreporter.com and the Baltimore Sun).

Suspended Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold will be sentenced on March 14th following his conviction this week on misconduct charges. The Anne Arundel County Council is poised to take action to remove Leopold permanently next week, and that could spark new legal battles; an attorney for the county has warned the council that any vote on ousting Leopold before he's sentenced is premature (via our wire service; more here from the Washington Post).

State officials could issue a licence for a new casino in Prince George's County as soon as December. The state's Video Lottery Facility Location Commission made that announcement yesterday. Casino giants MGM Resorts and Penn National Gaming are likely to place bids; MGM wants to build a casino at National Harbor, while Penn National wants to put one at Rosecroft Raceway, which it owns (via the Baltimore Business Journal).

There's some positive news for the Chesapeake Bay in the just released annual Bay Barometer from the Environmental Protection Agency (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

On today's edition of Inside Maryland Politics, WYPR's Fraser Smith and The Baltimore Sun's Julie Scharper talk about why the Morgan State University Board of Regents reversed its decision on retaining president David Wilson.

The University System of Maryland will have more money to spend in the coming year, under Governor Martin O'Malley's budget proposal -- the Governor's calling for a 2.9 percent increase for the system (via the Baltimore Business Journal).

Baltimore City's Inspector General, David McClintock, is stepping down. He's moving to Jefferson Parish Louisiana, where he'll become the jurisdiction's chief internal investigator (via the Baltimore Sun).

Governor Martin O'Malley is widely considered to be planning a bid for the presidency in 2016. He's created a federal Political Action Committee... but as the Baltimore Sun reports, that PAC isn't bringing in the big bucks. A year-end finance report showed the PAC raising around $190-thousand last year, and ending the year with just $28-thousand in cash on hand.

Baltimore City's Democratic Central Committee is now trying to decide who will replace Delegate Hattie Harrison in Annapolis. Harrison was the longest-serving member of the House of Delegates; she died on Monday of complications from heart disease. To be eligible for the seat, candidates must be registered voters and have lived in the 45th legislative district for at least a year. The Central Committee will begin holding interviews on February 15 (more here from the Baltimore Sun).

And in sports: The hype is almost over and Super Bowl 47 is just days away. The Ravens are facing off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at the Superdome in New Orleans. It'll be the final game for retiring Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. The Ravens have only been in the big game once before -- in 2001 -- a game which, of course, they won. And they're set to win again this time around, at least according to "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." Fallon used his "Puppy Predictor" to determine the outcome of the big game -- he had five hungry puppies choose to eat from a Ravens Bowl and a 49ers Bowl... and 3 out of the five picked the Ravens bowl. Before you start celebrating, you should know that Fallon's puppies also predicted Mitt Romney would win last November's presidential election. The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 on Sunday night. (Go Ravens!)