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The Allegheny County Health Department will start treating storm water catch basins in Pittsburgh Monday with pesticide to combat mosquito breeding.

The pesticide, which is nontoxic to humans, pets and aquatic life, does not kill mosquitoes directly, but stops their maturation process. The mosquito eggs become stuck in a larvae stage and are eaten by other organisms.

Dr. Ronald Voorhees, acting director of the health department, said treating the water catch basins makes a serious impact on the mosquito population.

Senior citizens are being targeted in the latest over-the-phone scam.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has issued a warning to seniors after a recent spike in “robocalls.”

These robocalls are designed to obtain credit card and other personal information from unknowing victims by claiming to sell medical equipment like life monitors for $35 a month. In recent calls, companies identified themselves as “Senior Medical Alert” or “Senior Medical Advisors.”

An annual report from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare showed a record-breaking number of calls of suspected child abuse or neglect, but this might not be all bad news.

Department spokeswoman Anne Bale said officials think the increase in calls might not be because there are more cases of actual abuse happening.

A former Pittsburgh police detective who served on Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's security detail has been approached by the FBI about using debit cards tied to an unauthorized account at the Greater Pittsburgh Police Federal Credit Union. Will his testimony open Mayor Ravenstahl to federal investigation?

Pittsburgh City Council President Darlene Harris changed her party affiliation from democratic to independent in April. Many wonder if she's planning to make a play for mayor. 

And State Representative Jesse White is under investigation for using a fake online identity to bash his political opponents.

Guests: Eric Heyl of the Tribune-Review and Bram Reichbaum of the Pittsburgh Comet discuss these political topics and more.

In her new book Urban Alchemy: Restoring Joy in America's Sorted Out Cities, Dr. Mindy Fullilove presents a psychiatrist’s views on how to fix the American city. We'll discuss how a public health and well-being approach to urban planning and design can benefit neighborhoods and the people who live in them.

Alice Cooper famously sang, "School's out for summer," but why, exactly, do schools close from June to September? WESA's Life of Learning initiative begins with this report by 90.5 WESA Senior News Editor Mark Nootbaar.

Sports Illustrated's inaugural Male College Athlete of the Year award has gone to a wrestler at Cornell University, just as the International Olympic Committee announced that the sport of wrestling is still in the running for inclusion in the 2020 games.

Guest: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sportswriter Emeritus, Bob Dvorchak discusses a possible reinstatement of wrestling in the Olympics and the ongoing story of performance enhancing drugs in baseball.

The reopening of the iconic fountain, the refurbished Point State Park and the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival are converging in Pittsburgh today.

The ten day arts festival usually attracts about 200,000 people each year and has featured more than 12,000 artists through the years.

Veronica Corpuz, director of Festival Management and Special Projects for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said the festival is for everyone.

Governor Tom Corbett stood under Pittsburgh’s Liberty Bridge to discuss the need for more investment in road and bridge projects, as well as mass transit. This comes days after the Pennsylvania Senate voted to boost state funding for transportation systems by nearly 50 percent.

Google Pittsburgh will be hiring several dozen employees to tackle their latest project: shopping.

The search engine giant announced an expansion today that will add anywhere between 100 and 200 jobs to fill the 50,000 square feet of office space leased in the Bakery Square plaza in East Liberty.

Andrew Moore, vice president of engineering and head of Google’s Pittsburgh office, says the company will hire a minimum of 75 people to work in the shopping and e-commerce division.

A Pittsburgh taxi company wants to see more green when you step into their yellow cabs.

Pittsburgh Transportation Group (PTG) is asking the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for a rate hike.

Yellow Cab’s parent PTG wants a surcharge of 17 cents a mile to replace all others, including the $1.15 fee on the flag drop.

This would raise the current rates of $1.75 a mile to $1.92 a mile.

Company President Jamie Campolongo said the current surcharge is outdated and gives drivers who make short trips more money than those who drive longer trips.

If you’re looking for art, many people would direct you to roped-off paintings at a museum or two-hour theater performances, but the Office of Public Art says try an open mic night at your local bar.

The office is launching a new website called Pittsburgh Art Places, where venues in the 13-county region can create profiles to connect to the public.

The venues can link to their websites or locations to buy tickets and post audio, video and images so the public can sample what kind of art they display.

Twenty-five school districts in southwestern Pennsylvania are receiving grants of $20,000 apiece to create digital learning spaces for students of all ages. 

“My heart was filled with joy,” said Rosanne Javorsky, assistant executive director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, reacting to the 80 proposals for grants to create innovative spaces to engage students in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).

The AIU’s Center for Creativity is distributing the grants, which are funded by the Benedum and Grable Foundations.

Former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh feels former FBI director Louis Freeh's investigation of the Jerry Sandusky abuse case was not conclusively supported by evidence. The Penn State case marked the first time the NCAA punished an institution solely for transgressions related to a criminal matter.

The family of former coach Joe Paterno and other plaintiffs sued the NCAA last week, accusing the organization of intentionally defaming and commercially disparaging them through the imposition of sanctions against Penn State.

It's been four years since the fountain in Point State Park was last in operation. The fountain and the Park were in constant use, without any renovations for more than 30 years, until Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary. The reopening of the fountain marks the final phase of a 6 year renovation process, which has been documented on the Riverlife Taskforce Blog with before and after photos.

The waterworks resume this weekend, just in time for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Guest: Lisa Schroeder is President and Chief Executive Officer of Riverlife Pittsburgh a group that's promoting the rebirth of Point State Park and the fountain.

The Great Allegheny Passage runs 150 miles between Pittsburgh and Cumberland Maryland. This year the Allegheny Trail Alliance celebrates its near completion.

Jennifer Szweda Jordan, host of the Allegheny Front takes a short trip, by rickshaw, in the Pittsburgh section of the trail with Green Gears Pedicabs.

While the state legislature considers pension reform, the liberal-leaning Keystone Research Center released a brief Thursday meant to demonstrate how public pension benefits paid to state and school employees drive local and regional economies.

Stephen Herzenberg, economist and executive director of the center, said the data was important to consider in the context of the ongoing debate about state pension reform, and in particular, the plan championed by Gov. Tom Corbett.

Ellis Robinson and Daniel Tkacik are Ph.D candidates at Carnegie Mellon University. When they’re not in the lab or studying, they’ve found time to produce and host a podcast called I Wonder. Each episode starts with a question, which Ellis and Daniel attempt to answer within a half hour. In this clip, they start with a story of Ellis cursing the hills of Pittsburgh on his single speed bike and wondering about the highest point in Pittsburgh.

While college students are taking the summer off from schoolwork and exams, politicians in Congress are frantically doing some writing of their own — legislation — on how to prevent loan interest rate costs from increasing.

The interest rate on federally subsidized Stafford loans is currently at 3.4 percent, but it is set to revert back to 6.8 percent July 1, the rate it was before the 2007 College Affordability Plan gradually lowered it.

According to consumer group PennPIRG, each Pennsylvania student with a Stafford loan would have a $956 hike in debt if the rate doubles.

Ground was broken Thursday at the Frick Art and Historical Center in Point Breeze as part of a $15 million renovation and expansion project.

Phase one includes a 3,000-square-foot Orientation Center meant to enhance the visitor experience. The center will provide a more welcoming environment and will teach visitors about the Frick family, what life was like in Pittsburgh at the end of the 19th century and will show everything the museum has to offer.