CORAOPOLIS — The House Armed Services Committee has passed budget legislation that aims to prevent the Air Force from closing the 911th Airlift Wing, which is based just outside Pittsburgh.

Rep. Mark Critz, a Democrat, said Thursday that the budget bill, which hasn't become law yet, would increase funding and stop the Air Force from retiring or transferring aircraft used by the 911th.

The Air Force wants to close the base because it says the seven C-130 refueling planes there are among the oldest in the fleet. The proposed changes are part of a long-term plan to reduce military budgets.

PHILADELPHIA — A new government report indicates that only about a third of Pennsylvania’s eighth-graders are proficient in science.Results from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress were released Thursday. The study also shows the state’s science scores have dropped slightly from two years ago.Pennsylvania students scored 151 last year, compared with 154 in 2009. About 33 percent scored proficient or higher, compared with 35 percent in 2009.