Gov. Tom Corbett finally signed that Marcellus Shale extraction fee, in the privacy of his office last night. The final law was 174 pages long and establishes setbacks between wells and waterways/buildings. The most “controversial” part (because it could be construed as a “tax” and Corbett promised not to raise or create any new taxes) is the per-well fee of between $40,000 and $60,000 the first year, and will decline to between $5,000 and $10,000 by the 15th year. According to some sources, Grover Norquist is privately pissed at Corbett, since the Pennsylvania governor’s no-tax pledge is Norquist’s brainchild.

Occupy Philly hooked up with a Washington, D.C.-based group called Rethink Press to protest Comcast yesterday. The demand: They want Al Jazeera on Comcast Cable to increase diversity. Not having Al Jazeera, it was claimed, is censorship.

And retired Philadelphia Police Officer Ray Lewis joined the group yesterday—and this weekend—at Independence Mall.

As fun as it was imagining a brand new Divine Lorraine Hotel on Broad Street, City Council president Darrell Clarke says there’s a long way to go. “We’re hoping within the next couple of weeks or months that we hear something very positive about the actual signing of some agreement” he said.

An eighth grader allegedly attacked his high school at Leeds Middle School in Mt. Airy, and was arrested.

Say what? A $225,000 Cash 5 lottery ticket was sold at Double-O-Seven at 2655 S. 7th Street.

Rick Santorum’s campaign sent around an email yesterday highlighting the new PPP poll showing him way ahead of Mitt Romney. A new Gallup poll has Romney and Santorum in a statistical dead heat.

Among the publications banned from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections: Men’s Health, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life. But how is Mumia Abu Jamal supposed to melt fat and know when to cash out on his 401K?