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
❓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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