Pennsylvania
Now-delayed tariffs could threaten $14.3 billion in Pennsylvania sales to Canada – including $200 million of chocolate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — It won’t happen hours from now but could still happen a month from now.
And the United States does levy 25% tariffs on Canada — with Canada following through on retaliatory 25% tariffs — that could threaten $14.3 billion in annual exports (in 2023, the latest full year of statistics available) from Pennsylvania to Canada, which is by far the commonwealth’s biggest foreign trade partner. Mexico — also threatened by tariffs — is No. 2, at $5.4 billion, according to Office of the U.S. Trade Representative statistics.
At risk of consumer price increases would be $13.6 billion in imports from Canada. By that metric, Canada is No. 2 behind China, from which Pennsylvania imports $17.6 billion in goods annually.
Canadian statistics show Pennsylvania exports $1.3 billion in agricultural-related products to Canada each year, including — most relevant in central Pennsylvania — $200 million in chocolate.
Stephen Herzenberg, an economist and executive director of the center-left Keystone Research Center, said he doesn’t oppose tariffs in all cases — particularly if they might be necessary to help incubate a nascent industry.
“If it’s 1870 and England is sending you a lot of manufactured goods, and you use tariffs so that you can develop manufacturing in the U.S. that’s a standard long-term justification,” Herzenberg said. “But it’s hard to see what the overall strategy is with these tariffs. A lot of Canadian or Mexican production complements U.S. production or is fully integrated with U.S. production, so targeting those neighbors the most would be more disruptive and could increase the cost of cars and food.”
Herzenberg said the rather seamless integration of Pennsylvania steel into cars produced on both sides of the border dates dates to the 1965 “Auto Pact” between the two countries. He said the tariffs don’t reconcile with other Trump administration policies.
“Is Trump doubling down on helping U.S. companies become leaders in renewable energy, electric vehicles, high tech and artificial intelligence? No, he’s mostly doing the opposite. Is Trump protecting workers’ rights so that U.S. jobs created by tariffs pay well? No, he’s doing the opposite,” Herzenberg said.
The center-right Commonwealth Foundation, which describes itself as a free market think tank and has generally opposed tariffs more categorically than the Keystone Research Center but aligns with Republican politics in other realms, declined to comment Monday on Trump’s proposed tariffs.
“Free markets, free trade, shrink government, deregulate, cut spending,” Herzenberg said — his characterization of the Commonwealth Foundation’s usual position. “I think the cat’s got their tongue on this one because. They don’t know what to say.”
Republican legislators who have taken strong anti-tariff positions in the past have generally been muted on the question of the proposed tariffs.
Evans Candy of East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, a family business dating to about 1976 (“about” because second-generation owner Steve Evans says it’s hard to say exactly when it transitioned from hobby to business), doesn’t count its sales among those $200 million in chocolate exports to Canada — it ships anywhere in the U.S. but doesn’t export. So the potential retaliatory tariffs by Canada on American exports don’t threaten Evans’s revenue.
But tariffs on China could raise the costs of shipping materials that come from there — baskets at Christmastime, especially. The impact of that?
“Sometimes as a business, we absorb a little bit of that, and then sometimes we just have to pass that along to the retail customer as well,” Evans said. “It depends on the degree.”
But Evans Candy has been through plenty of business cycles, and Steve Evans is sure that whatever happens with the proposed tariffs, this, too, shall pass.
“All kinds of ups and downs, and we always go through it and come out just fine,” Evans said. “Everybody loves their chocolate.”
The U.S. has a new top amusement park – and it’s not Disney themed.
Little-known Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, took home the top prize for top amusement park in the recently released TripAdvisor “Best of the Best” list.
“Family-owned and operated since 1926, Knoebels Amusement Resort—located in Elysburg, Pennsylvania—is America’s largest free-admission amusement park. It’s got it all: roller coasters, kid-friendly rides (bumper cars, a haunted mansion), swimming, camping, a mining museum, and even a championship 18-hole golf course. The accommodating staff, clean facilities, and fun attractions make for a memorable family-friendly visit,” TripAdvisor noted.
The park, which is located in the middle of the state, received a 4.7 rating from nearly 3,000 reviewers on the website.
Dollywood, Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Universal Island rounded out the top five on TripAdvisor’s list.
Knoebels celebrated taking the top spot with a social media post. Its fans were not surprised with the high ranking.
“We knew it all along,” the American Coaster Enthusiasts for Eastern Pennsylvania wrote in response.
“Been going since 1996,” one user wrote.
Knoebels opened in 1926 and is America’s largest free-admission park. Tickets for individual rides cost visitors a fee,, but entry remains free.
The resort offers more than 100 rides ranging from family to thrill coasters. The Impulse roller coaster is one of the park’s most popular and features upside-down twists and a 90-degree free fall. The Phoenix roller coaster is a classic wooden model that first opened in 1947 in Texas. In 1985 it was reborn at Knoebels.
If thrill seeking isn’t on your bucket list, the park offers plenty of gentler rides. The antique cars attractions let people drive a Model-T replica through the woods and under the Phoenix roller coaster. The park’s Grand Carousel also offers a throwback ride to users and a game on each ride where the winner gets a free turn.
Dolly Parton’s Dollywood in Tennessee took the second spot on the list.
“Dollywood is the brainchild of singer Dolly Parton, who grew up in the surrounding Smoky Mountains of Tennessee,” TripAdvisor noted. “The park has a downhome feel with singalongs and a museum dedicated to Parton’s life, plus high-velocity roller coasters and thrill rides. Watch artisans showcase glass blowing and pottery skills. Stay at the park’s two resorts for loads of perks.”
While a pair of Disney parks in Florida took the next two spots on the list.
“Known as The Most Magical Place On Earth, the Magic Kingdom Park needs no introduction. This theme park is located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and features some of Disney’s best-known attractions (Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Cinderella Castle). There’s also a nightly fireworks show, musical parades, and meet and greets with your favorite Disney Characters,” TripAdvisor said of Magic Kingdom.
Here is the full top 10 list:
- Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg, Pennsylvania)
- Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
- Magic Kingdom Park (Bay Lake, Florida)
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Bay Lake, Florida)
- Universal Islands of Adventure (Orlando, Florida)
- Epcot (Bay Lake, Florida)
- Legoland California (Carlsbad, California)
- Universal Studios Florida (Orlando, Florida)
- Disneyland Park (Anaheim, California)
- Silver Dollar City (Branson, Missouri)
Pennsylvania
Update: Freeze warning for part of Pennsylvania until Sunday morning – temperatures to drop to 28
Pennsylvania
Could a gas tax holiday be imposed in Pennsylvania as prices at the pump continue to rise?
PENNSYLVANIA (WJAC) — Discussion continues about potentially suspending the Pennsylvania gas tax, one of the highest state gas taxes in the country, as prices at the pump continue to jump.
Lawmakers in both chambers are considering a gas tax holiday that would remove Pennsylvania’s gas tax for a limited period. The Senate proposal would last 60 days, while the House version would run for six months. Supporters say the move would provide needed help for people across the state, while opponents argue it is not sustainable.
The proposals would save drivers about 57 cents per gallon on gasoline and about 75 cents per gallon on diesel from the state gas tax.
Representatives of the Democratic senator Lisa Boscola, who proposed the Senate bill and is from the Lehigh area, said they will continue pushing the measure they believe is needed by families around the state and are optimistic it will pass.
In the House, the effort is mostly being pushed by Republicans, though local Republican Rep. Jim Rigby said he does not support it because it is “not a real solution.”
Democratic Rep. Paul Takac agrees, saying state police and PennDOT road work are funded through the gas tax, and that suspending it would essentially defund both, and they would have to find money to fill those voids. Takac added that he has not heard any serious intention to move the bill forward.
Democratic Rep. Frank Burns said he believes that if the proposal came to a vote, a gas tax holiday would pass with bipartisan support and would provide at least a small break to struggling families.
The debate continues as gas prices continue rising, with another jump in the last week.
Chief economist Gbenga Ajilore of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says prices are unlikely to fall soon.
“It seems like gas prices are going to go up, and even if there’s some sort of resolution in say the next couple weeks, it’s going to be difficult to see prices go down anytime soon,” Ajilore said.
The Senate is back in session on Monday and for the next few days after that, but not again until June. If the gas tax holiday is going to move forward anytime soon, that is when it would likely happen.
In the House, the proposal would need to clear the Democratic-led Transportation Committee before it could go to a vote.
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