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Community College presidents from around the commonwealth addressed the House Appropriations Committee during a budget hearing this week, making the case for increased funding.

Acid mine drainage is the most widespread water pollution problem in Pennsylvania. When water wells up inside abandoned coalmines, it leaches the iron compound ‘pyrite’ from the rock to form an acidic, sulfuric brine — called “yellowboy” for its color. As the pressure builds in the empty, underground mines, it often begins to seep out, the risk of a blowout increases, and, at times, the yellowboy could end up flowing into the nearest stream and killing wildlife.

Democratic State Senators have a few problems with Governor Tom Corbett's proposed budgets for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

First of all, State Senator John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) said DCNR's budget is too dependent on royalties garnered from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in state forest land. While $53 million of the DCNR budget comes from the state's General Fund, roughly $77 million comes from royalty fees on gas extraction.

Pennsylvanians and tourists pulled the slots levers fewer times last month than in February of 2012, according to a report from the state’s Gaming Control Board.

Of the ten Pennsylvania casinos operating in both months, revenue was 11.5% lower this year. Even counting a casino that opened last March, Valley Forge Casino Resort, the state’s income fell 9.2% to $196 million.

Gaming Control Board spokesman Richard McGarvey said the decrease probably resulted from a few contributing factors.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is hoping a special focus on the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week will bring more worshipers into the church.  The diocese is making sure all 203 of its parishes are open for confession Wednesday night from 6:00 to 9:00.

The diocese is marking the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops-sponsored “The Light is on for You” campaign aimed at calling Catholics to the Sacrament of Confession.

The state Game Commission is still working to determine how it will respond to an apparent outbreak of chronic wasting disease among Pennsylvania’s wild deer population.

The brain illness, fatal to deer but not harmful to humans, has been detected in the wild in Pennsylvania. It’s the first time the disease has been found in the commonwealth’s wild deer population in 15 years of testing.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s plan to privatize the state’s liquor stores is taking shape in the form of legislation.  A plan was introduced in Harrisburg Tuesday that if nothing else will begin another round of debate.

A portion of Pennsylvania's tobacco settlement proceeds must fund the defunct adultBasic health insurance program for lower-income adults or a similar plan, rather than be used to help balance the government budget or pay for teacher pensions, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pellegrini, applying a previous and related court ruling, declared unconstitutional two state laws that siphoned the money away from adultBasic and Medicaid for disabled workers.

After a Carnegie Mellon University sophomore committed suicide last December, CMU is looking at ways to support students mental health. CMU Dean of Student Affairs Gina Casalegno, Student Body President Will Weiner and CMU graduate Katie Chironis join us to talk about the "culture of stress" in colleges and universities.

Don Block runs the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, and practices what he preaches. He talk's with 90.5 WESA Morning Edition Host Josh Raulerson about his personal reading selections.

Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981. Business contributor Rebecca Harris, Director of Chatham University Center For Women's Entrepreneurship looks at the history behind this celebration and what it means for women in business. Find out more about Women's History Month events in Pittsburgh.

Hannah Williams works for a temp agency where she makes minimum wage: $7.25 per hour. The single mother also goes to school. She said her job doesn’t provide the living she and needs.

South Hills Genealogy Day takes place Sunday, March 10th from 9 to 2 at the Beth El Congregation, 1900 Cochran Road in Scott Township.  One speaker will be Marilyn Holt, who is head of the Carnegie Library’s Pennsylvania Department, where all the librarians are trained to assist people doing family research.  She said personal computers and online databases have increased peoples’ interest in researching their family history.

The 2,700 boxes of documents amassed by U.S. Senator Arlen Specter over his 30-year career in the Senate are coming to Pittsburgh to be archived. The papers currently reside at Philadelphia University but the school has reached an agreement with the University of Pittsburgh to take on the collection.

Philadelphia University has never worked with such a large collection so it began looking for a partner after Specter handed over the documents.

The state Capitol is where the sausage is made, or so the saying goes. So perhaps it makes sense that, with so many big proposals to negotiate, there's been a lot of talk about links.

One example: the governor's liquor privatization plan has been linked to education funding, in that his proposal would put $1 billion raised through selling off state stores and liquor licenses toward one-time grants for schools - a program called Passport to Learning.

In its first year, a program at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights has substantially reduced readmission rates for its sickest patients.

Allegheny Valley Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thomas McClure said the High-Risk Care Team (HRCT), created February 2012, singles out the patients who have the highest risk of returning to the hospital. McClure said the five team members do everything they can to ensure those high-risk patients don't have to come back for more treatment.

Elected officials at three levels in Allegheny County have announced tentative plans for the creation of a gun buyback program, in which residents would be paid to drop off illegal guns at the county sheriff's office.

State Representative Ed Gainey (D-Allegheny) said he understands that criminals won't turn in their own illegal guns, but he said family members might hand them over if they can do so anonymously and for a reward.

Our sports guy Bob Dvorchak discusses the Pitt Panthers newly released football schedule, the Penguins slump and the opening of the Pirates exhibition season.

You can’t help but notice the amount of products on the market to help you fight that tired feeling. Drinks like Red Bull, Monster and five-hour energy shots are supposed to give you a much-needed jolt. But, how safe are these products? We’ll find out from Leslie Bonci director of sports nutrition at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine.

Do we learn all we ever really need to know in kindergarten? We’ll discuss five principles for living, loving and playing well with others with psychologist Robert Schwartz, President of Cognitive Dynamic Therapy Associates.

The head of the Pennsylvania Department of Education is looking for a way to solve a buildup of complaints against schoolteachers. 

About $775,000 is being requested to pay for additional lawyers to investigate teacher complaints and help fund the state commission overseeing teacher certifications. The funding will come from an increase in the teacher certification fee.

Education Secretary Ron Tomalis said the funds will help clear up a pile of roughly 500 cases in which teachers face misconduct allegations.

The heads of the state’s two public pension systems are working to represent their members while delivering straight-talk about the size of the state’s pension debt to lawmakers.  

The commonwealth and school districts now face spiking payments to the funds, scheduled as part of reforms known as Act 120.

The Newtown school shooting brought the long-discussed issue of gun control to the forefront of national politics. But that tragedy also raised another concern—how mental illness is regarded across the country.

As part of an ongoing congressional review of the shooting, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a forum Tuesday focusing on severe mental illness and gun violence.

Don Block runs the Greater Pittsburgh Literary Council, and practices what he preaches...

For the first time since 1944, the U.S. military has a new medal to award—the Distinguished Warfare Medal.

But the ranking of that medal has some members of Congress concerned.

U.S. Representatives Tim Murphy (R-PA-18), a U.S. Navy Reservist, Duncan Hunter (R-CA), a Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan,  and Tom Rooney (R-FL), a veteran of the U.S. Army, have introduced legislation prohibiting the Department of Defense from rating the Distinguished Warfare Medal equal to or higher than the Purple Heart.