News & Brews June 5, 2026
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Business climate survey reveals pessimism
The Spring 2026 Keystone Business Climate Survey reveals “The number of respondents saying business conditions in Pennsylvania have gotten worse over the past six months has jumped from 36% in the Fall 2025 survey to 48%” in the Spring survey. Meanwhile, “Looking ahead six months, 16% forecast improving business conditions while 42% expect conditions to get worse. Thirty-five percent expect business conditions to remain about the same.”
Philly council rejects Parker’s taxes
Well, Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker’s attempt to impose new and higher taxes on Uber, Airbnb, DoorDash, and more just took a nosedive, as the city council yesterday advanced a $7 billion-plus budget without the new taxes. Parker blamed big tech companies for her loss (because, apparently that’s a popular blame game these days). Meanwhile, the Inquirer notes that the “Council’s near-wholesale rejection of her tax proposals marks her most significant legislative defeat to date.”
Budget season, non-budget actions
WESA reports that as the June 30 state budget deadline approaches, during the first week of June “the state House and Senate deliberated over dozens of measures that may become law before legislators leave Harrisburg for summer break.” Issues of focus have included a proposed tax on digital ads, addressing zoning regulations for accessory dwelling units, and improving security for electronic benefit cards.
Study: Teachers’ unions are losing influence
The Lion reports that a new study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that teachers’ unions “power is waning nationally,” and this is particularly true in red states. Indeed, “in many places, teacher unions are no longer necessarily the most powerful voice in the room…. Researchers pointed to several factors behind the shift: growing school choice programs legal reforms that allow teachers to opt out of unions, the rise of parent advocacy groups and backlash against prolonged COVID-19 school closures.” (To all these factors, we say yes, yes, yes, and yes!)
TMI restart takes another step forward
PennLive reports, “The once-inconceivable restart of the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island just took another big step forward. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission approved new water use requests that will allow the idled Unit One nuclear reactor to resume full power generation.” In a unanimous vote yesterday morning, the commission allowed TMI’s owner Constellation Energy “to pull up to 73.2 million gallons per day from the Susquehanna River.” (The story notes this is about 0.3 percent of the river’s average flow at the site and “about 40 percent lower than what it was permitted for when the plant last ran.”)