State faculty, staff voluntarily retireUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nearly 600 faculty and staff have taken a voluntary retirement package from Penn State University, including more than 400 employees on the main campus.The Centre Daily Times reports 419 main campus employees took the offer, while 168 others did on satellite campuses.Forty-six percent of employees eligible for the early retirement took it, more than the university anticipated. Faculty 62 and older and staff 60 and older were eligible for a year’s lump sum pay if they had at least 15 years’ service.University spokeswoman Heather Robbins says it’s not clear how much money will be saved after new workers are hired.

Company fined $1.2M for pollutionHARRISBURG — A Tulsa, Okla.-based oil and natural gas exploration company is paying $1.2 million for polluting groundwater in southwestern Pennsylvania in 2012.The state Department of Environmental Protection announced the fine Monday against WPX Energy.Officials say that a leak from a wastewater pit polluted groundwater below WPX’s Kalp well site in Westmoreland County, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. WPX says it paid for bottled water and water-treatment systems at the affected households. The company still must show that it has cleaned up the groundwater.WPX says no individual’s health was ever at risk.

Gas Works seeks rate increasePHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Gas Works is seeking its first rate increase since 2009, saying the utility’s revenue has taken a hit from warmer weather and more efficiency energy use.PGW on Monday asked the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to approve a $70 million rate increase that would cost the typical residential customer $10.59 more a month.Chief executive Craig White also cited the utility’s rising costs for employee health care, equipment and regulatory compliance.