5 stories to follow: Oct. 24

Here's your daily round-up of five stories to know about:

1. Health care hearings: The first of several congressional hearings related to the problematic rollout of the federal health insurance website is set for today. Several contractors are slated to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the major snags behind HealthCare.gov.

2. Property tax liens: Philadelphia is considering selling off its property tax liens, a popular move for cash-strapped cities to get money upfront and hand over debt collection to private companies. A bill setting new parameters for lien sales is up for final approval in City Council today.

3. Pot activist in court: Philadelphia's biggest pot-legalization activist is due in court today. Chris Goldstein is facing a citation for smoking marijuana on Independence Mall at an August protest. (Goldstein also writes a column for Philly.com)

4. Homicide detective investigated: A Philadelphia homicide detective under a probe for allegedly covering up murder evidence is now being investigated for a potential role in two other murder cases and a disappearance. The police department doesn't yet know the extent of Detective Ron Dove's involvement in those cases, Commissioner Charles Ramsey says.

5. Cold weather: The Philadelphia region got cold overnight. Temperatures in the mid-40s were recorded around the city itself, while the Poconos dropped to near-freezing marks.