The Morning Newsletter
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Good morning. It’s shaping up to be a rainy Easter Sunday, with a high near 70.
In today’s main read, motorists in a key political battleground tell us how they feel about mounting gas prices and the war in Iran.
Later, learn how a 135-year-old Germantown piano company plans to survive by closing its doors.
— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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On Feb. 28, the day the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran, the average price of gas per gallon in Philadelphia and its suburban counties was $3.02. On Friday, it was $4.15.
Last week, President Donald Trump told the nation: “Gas will rapidly come back down.”
Meanwhile, at gas stations across Bucks County, motorists are trying to make sense of the spike in prices at the pump.
In 2024, voters there narrowly went for Trump, marking the first time a Republican won in a presidential race since the 1980s. But if things don’t improve by November, it could spell trouble for Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the purple county.
Speaking to politics reporter Alfred Lubrano, some drivers aired their grievances and concerns over rising costs and the ongoing war in Iran. “The average American won’t survive this,” one said.
Others waved the worries away. “Higher gas prices have no effect,” a driver said. “It’s a short-term bump. This war will be over in a month.”
For a company whose commodity weighs 800 pounds, keeping up with the times means shutting down to start over again.
After more than three-quarters of a century in Germantown, Cunningham Piano Co. is closing and consolidating its operations to a major retail destination.
For co-owner Tim Oliver, this is a move toward longevity, not a casualty of an industry-wide contraction. Fewer than 18,000 pianos were sold nationwide in 2024.
In Oliver’s own words: “Our business is definitely on an upward trajectory. In order for us to make it for the next 130-plus years, we needed to make these choices.”
Staff writer Maggie Prosser has the report on what’s next for Cunningham Piano.
What you should know today
Philly’s Open Streets launches for the season on Sunday with an Easter celebration. This year’s program runs through May 17.
Street cleaning resumes in Philadelphia neighborhoods on Monday. See when your roadway will get scrubbed, as well as important parking restrictions.
The rate of redevelopment of office buildings into apartments in Philadelphia more than doubled over the last year, according to a recent survey.
Workers at a massive Hindu temple in New Jersey told the Guardian they contracted a variety of life-threatening respiratory illnesses while building the facility.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joined a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that restricts mail voting and directs federal agencies to create a national eligible voter list.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is moving farther south, becoming the first female governor to live at Drumthwacket.
Philadelphia Museum of Art visitors may notice a handful of pieces are missing from a major gallery devoted to Marcel Duchamp. Rest assured, this vanishing is temporary.
A cell therapy manufacturing facility in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard turns a patient’s immune cells into treatment for advanced cases of melanoma.
❓Pop quiz
Before he was governor, Josh Shapiro was a scrappy point guard for Akiba Hebrew Academy and helped them win the league championship in 1991.
What was his nickname?
A) The Colonel
B) The Legend
C) The General
D) Sharp Shapiro
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re ...
🌊 Planning: A quieter, cooler weekend trip to Wildwood before the summer crush begins.
🍜 Enjoying: A big ol’ bowl of ramen and pizza for breakfast, among the best things we ate this week.
😮 Shook by: She found her dream condo on ... Facebook Marketplace?
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Justin Nagtalon aka ... (two words)
TOOLER
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Tom Pawlowski, who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Philadelphia Stadium. Lincoln Financial Field will look almost unrecognizable during the World Cup. Aside from its name, here are other notable changes.
Photo of the day
🎶 Today’s song goes like this: “Here I go and I don’t know why / I fell so ceaselessly.” I just finished watching Daisy Jones & The Six, and that track was the theme song. It’s been stuck in my head since.
👋🏽 Thanks for spending part of your morning with us. Have a nice day.
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