Photos and video of the scene by Keith Walsh – Beaver County Radio
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published January 19, 2022

(Zelienople, PA) Fire departments were called to Timberbrook court in Zelienople last night just before midnight for a fire at a set of townhomes. Multiple residences among the townhomes were severely damaged by the fire. We haven’t learned of any injuries, but the fire is believed to have started from a vehicle parked in a driveway.
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More photos from the scene of the fire:

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

After many months of the process, the goal line for the property reassessment in Beaver County seems to be in sight.

Beaver County Solicitor Garen Fedeles provided the latest updates at the Commissioners’ weekly work session on Wednesday. “In March, all property owners are going to be getting what’s called a preliminary assessed value of their property,” Fedeles said. “This figure going out in March should be a figure that you believe that your house could sell for.”

Tyler Technologies–the company handling the property reassessment for Beaver County–will have a process available throughout April and May, where anyone with questions or concerns regarding their assessed value can contact Tyler Technologies with their inquiries. “We’re still finalizing where that will be held,” Fedeles added. “Most likely that’s gonna be available to citizens through a multitude of avenues; whether it’s in-person, via phone, or via teams/Zoom calls.”

Fedeles also stated that the final evaluations for the properties will be sent out in July, launching the closing stages of a multi-year process for county government and county citizens.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Beaver County Treasurer Sandie Egley made an inquiry to the Commissioners for them to investigate–and potentially create a resolution for– the allowance for any veteran in Beaver County who is 100% disabled to receive tax-exempt status. Currently, the state code only provides the status for those whose disabilities were the result of combat.

“I can’t imagine there aren’t that many people that this would effect,” Egley stated, “but to that one person, it would mean a lot.” Egley added that the Treasurer’s Association will approach representatives in Harrisburg about the matter, while Solicitor Fedeles said that the Board of Commissioners would look into the matter as well.

Closing out the meeting was a request from Gerry States, the Commander for American Legion Post 641 in Baden. The request was for the Commissioners to donate a portion of the expenses that Post 641 put into a recent donation drive for seniors in Beaver County, at the amount of roughly $8,000. States asked that the donation be “fair”–as in, the Commissioners wouldn’t have to pay for all of it–but Commissioner Dan Camp requested that States would request for a full donation up front, after which the Commissioners would then donate a percentage of that requested amount.

States also informed the Commissioners that the American Flag in the meeting space was in the wrong place–to the left of the Board and to the right of the audience, when it should be to the right of the Board and the left of the audience. Those changes will be made prior to the next work session, which is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Wednesday, January 25 at the County Courthouse.

Published by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director

We can expect cloudy skies with a high near 41 and light wind. Showers are likely tonight going down to a low of 36. Some showers could be heavy. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

 

FILE – Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro speaks at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., on Jan. 11, 2023. Shapiro will become the 48th governor of Pennsylvania at Tuesday’s Jan. 17 inauguration at the state Capitol, taking the oath of office in the nation’s fifth-most populous on the heels of a blowout win in November’s election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

HARRISBURG, PA – Today, on his first full day in office, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that effective immediately, 92 percent of state government jobs – about 65,000 positions – do not require a four-year college degree. As part of that announcement, Governor Shapiro signed Executive Order 2023-03, the first of his Administration, instructing the Office of Administration to emphasize skills and experience in Commonwealth job postings and ordering a review of the remaining 8 percent of state government jobs that currently require a four-year degree, many of which are required statutorily required.

Governor Shapiro also ordered all state agencies under his jurisdiction to take steps to emphasize work experience in their hiring. As part of that order, the Shapiro Administration launched a new website where applicants can easily search among the thousands of open positions that don’t require a four-year degree. That website is now linked from the homepage at www.employment.pa.gov.

“Every Pennsylvanian should have the freedom to chart their own course and have a real opportunity to succeed. They should get to decide what’s best for them – whether they want to go to college or straight into the workforce – not have that decided for them. Today, we are making sure Pennsylvanians know that the doors of opportunity are wide open to those who want to serve our Commonwealth, regardless of whether or not they have a degree” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “I want to make it clear to all Pennsylvanians, whether they went to college or they gained experience through work, job training, or an apprenticeship program: we value your skills and talents, and we want you to apply for a job with the Commonwealth.”

Governor Shapiro was joined at today’s announcement by Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis. Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver, Beth Christian, and Darice Mayhew – the latter two of whom are Commonwealth employees who have worked their way up in government service without a four-year degree.

“As a long-time Commonwealth employee who does not have a four-year degree, Governor Shapiro’s signing of this Executive Order means so much to me, both personally and professionally,” said Acting Deputy Secretary of Administration Beth Christian. “This Executive Order tells current Commonwealth employees and anyone looking to come work for the state of Pennsylvania, we support you, with or without a degree. Thank you, Governor Shapiro for recognizing the importance of this topic and ensuring that removing barriers for state employment is a priority.”

Getting a four-year college degree is only one path to building skills and expertise in a particular field. According to the Department of Labor & Industry, more than seven million Pennsylvanians do not hold a four-year degree, and millions of Pennsylvanians develop their skills through alternative routes such as two-year degree programs, apprenticeships, military service, job training, and on-the-job experience.

Governor Shapiro has pledged to invest in apprenticeships, vocational training, and career and technical education, saying in his Inaugural Address that “real freedom that comes when we create pathways to new opportunities by investing in vo-tech and job training programs.”

President Joe Biden meets with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is brushing aside criticism of its fragmented disclosures about the discovery of classified documents and official records at President Joe Biden’s home and former office. Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, told reporters Tuesday the White House may withhold information to protect the Justice Department’s investigation and was releasing information as it deemed it “appropriate.” Responding to questions about the piecemeal disclosures, Sams said the White House has been trying to be mindful of the “risk” in sharing information “that’s not complete.”

File – Auto parts are displayed on a shelf at a car repair shop, Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in Collingdale, Pa. On Wednesday, the Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for December. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale prices in the United States rose 6.2% in December from a year earlier, a sixth straight monthly slowdown and a hopeful sign that inflation pressures will continue to cool. The latest year-over-year figure was down from 7.3% in November and from a recent peak of 11.7% in March. On a monthly basis, the producer price index, which measures costs before they reach consumers, dropped 0.5% from November to December. The producer price data can provide an early sign of where consumer inflation might be headed. The data reflects the prices that are charged by manufacturers, farmers and wholesalers, and it flows into an inflation gauge that the Federal Reserve closely tracks.

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.