Many Philadelphia city employees were spared devastation last week when legislators vowed to find any plausible alternative to massive lay-offs. Under the new budget plan, taxes on cigarettes will go up 25 cents, Concert and Museum tickets will be taxed, and table games will be permitted in slot machine parlors (to drive in more revenue). This last minute decision is being heavily criticized by some members of the community; but is it a small price to pay for financial stability?

Diverging from the skeletal trend of body size in traditional pageants, does a plus-sized pageant take it to the other extreme and promote an equally unhealthy (though common) body image? Talk to pageant representatives and contestants about this issue.

Florida ranks third in the country when it comes to homelessness. On a national level, it is estimated that there are more than one and a half million children, teenagers and young adults trying to survive on U.S. streets. Investigate this topic. Find out how young people end up on the streets who's at risk.

Teens in the U.S. are turning to prescription drugs more and more, and studies show that as the school year starts more students will seek prescription drugs to help them study. Investigate this topic, talk to students and interview a couple of experts about students use of prescription medications. Find out the long term effects of these drugs and what sort of climate encourages the use of drugs to study. Is this a growing trend?

With the advancements of modern medicine it would seem a hospital birth would be safer than a home birth, however, there is much controversy on this issue. Follow VJ Carly as she finds out the difference between hospital births vs. a midwife-assisted birth.

Unfortunately, bullying is nothing new. However, the tactics of bullying have changed with the advancement of technology and now many kids are subjected to this kind of harassment even within the safety of their homes. VJ Carly investigates.

The Montreal investment advisor charged with defrauding clients is selling his Dorval condominium. BBN3 is on the ground to check it out.

Albertan foster children complete high school at a lower rate than the general population: 18 per cent, compared with 70 per cent of all kids. BBN3 investigates why foster kids are abandoning their education and what can be done to prevent it.