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1. Philly suburbs pay Pennsylvania’s highest school taxes, new report finds

By Beth Ann Rosica

Homeowners in the Philadelphia suburbs are paying the highest school district taxes across the commonwealth, according to a new report by the Independent Fiscal Office.

Residents in the collar counties are experiencing annual tax increases  — and not just school taxes. For suburban taxpayers, the pressure comes from three directions: school districts, county government, and local municipalities.

The increased tax burden trifecta places Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties as the most expensive places to live in the Commonwealth.

Why It Matters. The increased tax burden trifecta places Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties as the most expensive places to live in the Commonwealth.

According to the report, the collar counties have the highest school district taxes in the state by a large margin. The median school tax burden for a homeowner in Pennsylvania is $2,700, but the range varies widely with the high end at over $5,000 and the low end under $500.

Chester County has the highest median school taxes at $5,386, followed by Montgomery at $5,009, Delaware at $4,952, and Bucks at $4,909. These four counties are a category unto themselves as the next highest county is Northampton at $3,571, which is roughly $1,300 less than Bucks County.

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2. The demise of the Post-Gazette

By Jon Delano

In southwestern Pennsylvania, most people have had a love-hate relationship with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 240-year-old newspaper that abruptly announced the end of its long-term affair with the residents of this region, effective May 3.

In the days since the rather impersonal videotaped announcement to employees, dozens of writers and commentators have both excoriated and sympathized with the demise of a newspaper whose byline proclaims itself, “One of America’s Great Newspapers.”

Why It Matters. I’ll let others closer to the operation discern whether the striking employees themselves, corporate mismanagement with millions spent on union-busting, changing markets and audiences for newspapers, or just plain spite at losing court battles caused the closure of the Post-Gazette, a local fixture since 1786.

However you slice and dice it, it is a loss for Pennsylvania’s second largest city and a region that makes or breaks the Commonwealth’s politicians in statewide elections – and, thus, heavily dependent on accurate, fact-based news coverage.

This news means that Pittsburgh will become America’s largest city without either a daily printed or digital newspaper.

3. Lightning Round

4. What we're reading

As Governor Josh Shapiro launches his reelection campaign this month — and quite possibly prepares for a presidential campaign in 2028 — he and fellow Democrats tend to focus on the stuff the governor has “gotten done” here in Pennsylvania. But while Shapiro will no doubt tout the speedy reopening of I-95 in Northeast Philly, UnHerd writer Ryan Zickgraf notes that the city where Shapiro spends most of his time, Harrisburg, is going rapidly from bad to worse.