"Got your pencil sharpened?" a certain West Virginian editor here at the Post-Gazette often asks (annoyingly). It's going to be a busy week.

We all know Tom Corbett's state budget -- and its billion$ in cuts -- comes down tomorrow morning, impacting public schools, welfare, health, arts, corrections, development, environmental and other spending.

Tomorrow night thousands of candidates in Allegheny County alone -- let alone the 66 other counties -- will file the petitions that make them official candidates for the first time. That will also trigger resignations by county councilmen Rich Fitzgerald and Chuck McCullough, who are both running for county exec.

And finally, and most complicated, US Census data for Pa is expected to be released any day now, giving the latest glimpse into population trends and the roadmap for redistricting political borders. The Census bureau gives the data first to political leaders and then posts it online a day later.