That state welfare adviser, Robert W. Patterson, who put in his resignation for working as the editor of a religious magazine that says welfare is the devil and sperm lunches can be good for you…the guy the Corbett Administration has been distancing themselves from? He’s still on state payroll and takes in almost $105,000 per year. And there’s no end date for his contract. Gov. Tom Corbett didn’t respond to the Inky’s contacts about this, but we assume, if he did, he’d have this to say: When I was Attorney General, people just forgot about shit! What gives?

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack is meeting with Mayor Michael Nutter, “business leaders, nonprofit organizations and community members” later this morning to talk about how awesome President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech was.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has thrown out the state redistricting map in a 4-3 vote, calling the map “contrary to law.” This is good news for some Democrats, bad news for people like Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, who’s trying his damndest to get his district out of Philadelphia.

State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams released a statement in favor of the move: “The Supreme Court’s decision represents a significant moment for all Pennsylvanians without regard to party affiliation. It tips the balance in favor of nonpartisan districts and the premise of one person – one vote, which is the basis of our democracy. The Supreme Court today reaffirmed the sense of fairness in the redistricting process.”

Stupid: Pennsylvania has passed a law saying drivers need to keep four feet from a bike in order to pass it. Which, as a commenter at this Newsworks piece notes, makes it almost impossible for cars to legally pass bikes on small one-way streets in Philly. Bicycle rights!

Shocka: A new poll shows that most Pennsylvanians don’t know enough about Democratic Senator Bob Casey to vote for him in 2012. That tactic of saying nothing, all the time, works when you’re up against an insane Republican at a time when insane Republicans’ approval ratings are at historic lows. Not so much when insane Republicans are the norm—and your state’s junior senator.

City Controller Alan Butkovitz says the School District may have to cut $400,000 per day from now until June 30 just to make up for the projected $61 million deficit it’s facing.

Former Governor Ed Rendell is not happy with Tom Corbett’s food stamp asset test.

Pennsylvania ranks third amongst the entire nation in the black murder rate. FBI data shows the rate at 28.30 per 100,000, which is six times the national rate. Eighty-five percent were gunshot victims. States one and two: Missouri and Michigan.