FILE – This July 3, 2014, file photo, shows the Microsoft Corp. logo outside the Microsoft Visitor Center in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft is cutting 10,000 workers, almost 5% of its workforce, in response to “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities.”The company said in a regulatory filing Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023 that had just notified employees of the layoffs, some of which begin immediately.The company said it will also be making changes to its hardware portfolio and consolidating its leased office locations — all of which are designed to save about $1.2 billion. (AP Photo Ted S. Warren, File)

Microsoft is cutting 10,000 workers, almost 5% of its workforce, as it joins other tech companies in a scaling back of their pandemic-era expansions. The company said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that the layoffs were a response to “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities.” The company said it will also be making changes to its hardware portfolio and consolidating its leased office locations. The loss of employees is far less than how many Microsoft hired during the COVID-19 pandemic as it responded to a boom in demand for its workplace software and cloud computing services as people worked and studied from home.

FILE – Madonna speaks at the MTV Video Music Awards at Barclays Center on Sept. 12, 2021, in New York. Madonna will launch a new tour through North America and Europe this summer that will be include 38 songs in the Billboard Hot 100. The 35-city tour will kick off on July 15 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia with stops in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Madonna will “Take a Bow” with a new tour through North America and Europe starting this summer that will be a “Celebration” of the pop icon’s hits, which include 38 songs in the Billboard Hot 100. The 35-city “Madonna: The Celebration Tour” will kick off July 15 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, with stops in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta and Boston, Pittsburgh, among others. That leg ends Oct. 7 in Las Vegas. Then the Material Girl has 11 dates in Europe, including London, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Milan and Stockholm, among others. The tour will wrap in Amsterdam on Dec. 1.

Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Mark Rozzi is photographed at the speaker’s podium, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Smith)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A bipartisan work group assembled by the new speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is starting its work in the politically riven chamber. Speaker Mark Rozzi said after its first meeting Tuesday that he’s hopeful the group of three Republicans and three Democrats will aid him in developing House rules and compromise legislation. Rozzi has said little in public since he was the surprise choice to serve as speaker on Jan. 3. Republican leaders and a few other GOP members joined with all Democrats to elect Rozzi to lead the House. He’s a Democrat from the Reading area.

Josh Shapiro is sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 48th governor on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrat Josh Shapiro has become the 48th governor of Pennsylvania at the inaugural ceremony at the state Capitol. The 49-year-old Shapiro took office Tuesday with more experience in state government than any recent predecessors. Chief Justice Debra Todd administered his oath on a stage erected behind the state’s ornate Capitol in Harrisburg, with lawmakers, members of Congress and others looking on. Shapiro succeeds term-limited Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, and is the first governor of Pennsylvania since 1966 to be elected to succeed a member of his own party. Meanwhile, Democrat Austin Davis was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s first Black lieutenant governor.

Monaca, PA – For the first time, Community College of Beaver County is included on the list of the Top 24 Community Colleges in Pennsylvania in 2023 by Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for program rankings and higher education planning. The research identifies top schools in the state based on tuition costs, the number of credits required to graduate, and the online coursework delivery format.
Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) was awarded Best for Financial Aid on the final list. Intelligent.com implemented a unique methodology that ranks each institution on a scale from 0 to 100 across six categories, with CCBC scoring 93.13. The scoring system compares each school to tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, reputation, and the student resources provided for online students. Janet Davidson, Director of Financial Aid, stated, “CCBC provides financial aid to students from federal, state, and institutional programs and offers scholarships for honors, athletics, and more through the CCBC Foundation. Our affordable tuition rates, extensive financial aid offerings, and wide range of programs allow students to pursue their careers with confidence.” CCBC awarded $6.9 million in financial aid to students throughout the 2020-21 academic year, with $282,701 coming directly from the institution. CCBC offers 36 degrees, 7 certificates, and 1 diploma, along with hundreds of continuing education and workforce development programs, direct transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities regionally and nationally, and 6 distinctive high school academy dual enrollment programs.
“I always tell our students, staff, and faculty that the ‘best is yet to come’, and now it is here,” said CCBC President Roger W. Davis. “As the community’s college, we are so proud to receive this recognition and are committed to offering all residents real learning for real life at a realistic cost.” Studies show that obtaining a degree increases income substantially, with graduates earning 84% more than those with only high school diplomas or those without a completed GED. The percentage difference in earnings continues to grow with higher learning degrees such as master’s, doctoral or
professional degrees, with the unemployment rate decreasing to as much as 1.6% for those with a doctorate.

(Center Township Police Cruiser at the scene of the shooting in November 2022)
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published January 18, 2023 11:04 A.M.

(Beaver County, PA) In an exclusive interview on “Live Mic” with Mike Romigh, Attorney Joel Sansone shared new details regarding a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of the estate of Kenneth Vinyard, who died while helping a shooting victim at the Monaca Walmart in November. The lawsuit is filed against Center Township Police Officer John Hawk, who Sansone says performed a violent leg sweep on Vinyard, bringing him to the ground causing him to hit his head, suffer an immediate seizure and die shortly after. After the shooting initially happened, Sansone says Vinyard chased after the shooter, video recording to help identify him and his vehicle to police. Vinyard then proceeded to attempt to help the shooting victim before being confronted by off duty Center Township police officer John Hawk, who went on to aggressively take Vinyard to the ground. So far, the incident has been seen on a witness video recording, but Sansone says he is still waiting on other videos to surface. Walmart has a recording of the incident from surveillance cameras and Sansone has requested a copy of those videos, which he believes he will get soon. Center Township Police is said to have police bodycam video, but they have not agreed to release it. The lawsuit also questions the training standards of the Center Township Police Department, and Sansone says he believes there is a “lawlessness” in the department. He also alleges that this is not the first time Hawk has violated the rights of people and compared recent actions of the department to the “Wild West”. Beaver County District attorney David Lozier recused himself of the case due to being a conflict of interest, and the State Attorney General is now handling the case.  Sansone says Hawk should be in jail and he will not stop until Vinyard gets justice. Sansone has also stated that the family of the man who was shot is thankful for the actions of Vinyard. We can expect to know more about the status of the case in roughly 60 days, and a bigger picture of results with the case should be known by the end of the year.
Photo of the scene in Monaca, November 2022 (Keith Walsh – Beaver County Radio): 

File Photo of Kenneth Vinyard:

Attorney Joel Sansone will join Mike Romigh on “Live Mic” Wednesday morning at 7:45am on Beaver County Radio. Sansone will discuss the federal lawsuit for the estate of Kenneth Vinyard against Center Township Police Officer John Hawk.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published January 18, 2023 6:11 A.M.

(Aliquippa, PA) Beaver County District Attorney David J. Lozier reported that Alec Mineard has been arrested, charged and arraigned for manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter in the death of 31 year old Vincent Ciccone. The shooting occurred at a home on Mill Street just after 5 a.m. Friday morning. Mineard is lodged in the Beaver County Jail, bond was set at $500,000, and a hearing in Beaver County Court will take place Monday, January 23, 2023.