The area was hit with a one-two punch of tough economic news Friday as the Westchester Medical Center announced 100 job cuts and the national unemployment rate rose yet again.

Westchester Medical Center blamed the job cuts on reductions in state health care spending. Hospital officials say they hope the 100 positions will eliminated through attrition, not layoffs.

However, the thin silver lining in the entire situation comes from the fact that the unemployment rate slowed its rise in April, which may mean the economy is beginning to turn around.

While the national unemployment rate reached a 25-year high of 8.9 percent in April, the growth in layoffs slowed to 539,000 Americans, the smallest increase in six months. April numbers for New York state will be out later this month.