Gov. Ed Rendell blamed the weather when he recently extended the deadline for filing nominating petitions for candidates seeking to get on the ballot for the state’s April 22 primary. But was the governor really trying to help his good buddy, Sen. Hillary Clinton, by providing the additional time? That theory was offered in the Philadelphia Daily News last week, along with the revelation that the Clinton campaign failed to file a full slate of convention delegate candidates for the primary even with the extended deadline. Democrat state chairman T.J. Rooney confirmed to Daily News columnist John Baer that a “number of Clinton delegates did not file for reasons of illness or other issues.” Baer noted that Clinton’s delegate candidate shortage would have been even greater if Rendell hadn’t extended the deadline from 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 to noon on Feb. 14. Despite Rendell citing the winter weather, weather-related accidents and interstate closures as reasons why extra time was being provided, Baer noted the extension could be perceived as “more than just coincidental.” Given Fast Eddie’s closeness to the Clintons, we’d say so as well. CLINTON GAME. If Hillary Clinton had been playing in a big football game, she might have stood a chance. Ever since the infamous “Heidi Game,” when NBC terminated its broadcast of a 1968 Jets-Raiders game with 65 seconds left to broadcast a kids TV movie of the classic children’s story “Heidi,” the network suits have been loath to cut away from a sporting event that’s already in progress. But they didn’t hesitate to pull the plug on the New York senator last week, just seven minutes into a speech she was giving in Youngstown, Ohio, after being projected to lose the Wisconsin primary. The reason: Democrat front-runner Barack Obama, who had just trumped Clinton in the Cheesehead State, had begun giving a speech of his own in Houston. He proceeded to speak for the next 46 minutes, which didn’t allow for a return to Clinton’s speech when his talk finally ended. The Washington Post reported that Clinton aides were griping about equal time and the media playing favorites. Our advice: If Clinton really wants to keep the cameras on her, she should give all of her future speeches wearing a football helmet. DIGESTING THE EVIDENCE. If the jurors in former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht’s federal fraud trial aren’t careful, they could be wobbling out of U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab’s courtroom a few pounds heavier by the time the legal proceeding ends. Not only do they have to sit on their keisters day after day in the prolonged trial, which enters its fourth week Monday. They also have Schwab providing them with edible goodies in an attempt to keep their spirits from sagging. Last week during one of the trial’s morning breaks, Schwab presented jurors with a chocolate breakfast cake. “Is everyone happy?” he asked them. “We’re happy,” jurors responded. It marked the second time Schwab has provided the jurors with cake. During the fourth day of testimony, he warned jurors not to get dessert during their lunch break because he would be providing it upon their return. Schwab also told them he planned to get them cake at the end of each month of the lengthy trial, which could last another six or seven weeks. It’s certainly nice of Schwab to try to keep the jurors as content as possible while their lives are turned upside down. But we bet they won’t be too happy when they step on the scales after playing with the scales of justice. By the way, we don’t know where Schwab is getting the cakes, but we understand the jurors find them delicious. STRAIGHT TO THE TOP . University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s top executives apparently were unsuccessful in securing a building elevator for their exclusive use in their new digs in the U.S. Steel Tower, Downtown. But that doesn’t mean they will be forced to share a ride with commoners very often. Scuttlebutt in Pittsburgh’s tallest building is that some of the elevators have been reprogrammed at UPMC’s request to allow occupants to press a button and send the car only to a single selected floor. That certainly minimizes the possibility UPMC head honcho Jeff Romoff will run into some of the little people who help his “nonprofit” rake in hundreds of millions of dollars each year. GROVER HAS LEFT THE BUILDING. Go to the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Web site and you will find Bob Grove listed as the organization’s director of media relations. This probably would come as a surprise to Grove, since he left the authority to take a similar position with Comcast more than two months ago. With an annual budget the size of the GDP of Chad, is it too much to ask the authority to keep its Web site reasonably current? NOT NPR’S BRIGHTEST MOMENT. And these guys consider themselves liberals? The folks at National Public Radio were forced to apologize to listeners recently after using the phrase “Dark Continent” to refer to Africa. The once-innocent phrase — originally employed by Europeans to describe Africa’s unexplored and unknown nature, not its non-Caucasian inhabitants — was used in an NPR newscast item about President Bush ‘s trip to Africa. “Dark Continent”• Are the NPR-sters aware it’s the politically correct 21st century? If they weren’t before the newscaster made the unfortunate utterance, they apparently are now. NPR abjectly told listeners, “This was totally inappropriate and offensive, and we apologize for allowing such an antiquated and pejorative term to air.” BMOC. Four Westmoreland County Democrat powerbrokers couldn’t wait until this weekend’s county convention to endorse a favorite to oppose Republican state Sen. Bob Regola in the fall. Former Sen. Allen Kukovich of Manor, retiring state Rep. Thomas Tangretti of Hempfield and county commissioners Tom Balya and Tom Ceraso recently signed a letter urging county committee members to endorse Dr. Tony Bompiani, a Youngwood chiropractor, over Greensburg attorney Chris Huffman , who is also seeking the Democrat nomination for the seat. The letter describes Bompiani, a former Hempfield Area School District director, as “a passionate Democrat who has dedicated the majority of his life to working with and contributing to our community.” Funny, the letter doesn’t mention the donation Bompiani made to Regola’s campaign four years ago, which ended in defeat for Kukovich. Regola, of Hempfield, recently launched his online campaign Web site at bobregola.com . NOT SECOND GUESSING . When Gov. Ed Rendell was in Westmoreland County last week to generously give away more tax dollars, he took time to defend his early endorsement of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for president. Claiming the race is “far from over,” despite the string of consecutive Obama victories in “a year of surprises,” he said he plans to campaign on Hillary’s behalf before the April 22 primary. He described Clinton as the “best qualified” candidate for president he has ever met — including her husband, Bill , who was elected prez in 1992. “I admire Sen. Obama, but there is no question in my mind that Hillary Clinton is the best prepared person competing in the primaries,” Rendell said. However, when pressed, Rendell, a superdelegate, reserved the right to switch to Obama at the convention. “A combination of factors” would have to be in play, he said, including an Obama victory in the Pennsylvania primary.

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