We’re paying about a dollar more for gas than we were a month ago.

With oil prices rising sharply after President Donald Trump vowed to escalate attacks on Iran in his prime time address Wednesday, the average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania hit $4.07 Thursday morning, an increase of almost one dollar since the US and Israel went to war with Iran on Feb. 28.

Pennsylvania’s $4.07 average price is up from $3.95 last week, and $3.12 just before the war started, according to AAA.

The last time prices spiked this high in Pennsylvania was in spring and summer 2022, when gas surpassed $5 per gallon during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and lingering pandemic disruptions.

We’ve got more on gas prices around the state, what lawmakers are doing to try to rein in the rising cost of fuel, and how to find the cheapest gas in your area.

Allow me to tell you spring is here without telling you spring is here: Yesterday, we had the air on in my house. Today, it feels like late fall.

Drastic temperature swings aside, there’s plenty to love about spring in Pennsylvania, which is why we’re asking: What’s your favorite thing about spring in Pennsylvania?

Here’s what you’re saying:

“My favorite thing about spring is watching male cardinals offering food to females, seeing pairs of ducks and geese, and listening to an abundance of bird songs and spring peepers.”

— Roberta Brentano, Scranton

“The thousands of acres of fruit trees in bloom across Adams County.”

— Robert Prosperi, Adams County

“Call me crazy, but I love doing yard work in the spring!”

— Angela Z., Downingtown

“The return of outdoor farmer markets and flea markets. It’s a great way to meet other members of your community.”

— Peter Nallan, Centre County

“Baseball’s back!”

— Terri G., Philadelphia

Tell us what you love most about spring in Pa., and please let us know where you live!

An Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes in Stone Ridge, Va., in 2024. As Americans grow increasingly frustrated over their electricity bills, states are trying to keep the nation’s growing number of data centers from causing higher energy costs for consumers. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images via Climate News)

The AI data center boom is an issue impacting Pennsylvanians from one end of the state to the other, as the price of powering data centers has become deeply intertwined with concerns over the cost of living.

Politicians have taken note.

As recently as last fall, there was essentially no talk of data center regulations in the Pennsylvania legislature, nor from Gov. Josh Shapiro, a supporter of bringing AI data centers to Pennsylvania.

Now, Democratic House leadership just hailed the passage of the “first-ever data center regulations” in Pennsylvania, a bill from Democratic Rep. Robert Matzie aimed at protecting consumers from utility-bill increases driven by the electricity-hungry projects. And Democratic state Sen. Katie Muth has proposed a three-year moratorium on building “hyperscale” data centers in the state that has received bipartisan support.

But will these measures move the needle on data center regulation? Muth thinks her measure won’t stand a chance in the state’s divided and often gridlocked legislature, and doubts that even lesser measures will prevail.

“I don’t see Pennsylvania putting out some sort of progressive policy,” Muth said.

• The Department of Homeland Security is pausing the purchase of new ICE warehouses, including facilities in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, as it scrutinizes all contracts signed under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Get the story here.

• After several years of discontinued flights and rising costs, lost air service is coming back to Erie International Airport thanks to the Fly Erie Fund. Get the details here.

• Pa. fire companies are feeling the economic pinch as options for buying firetrucks have dwindled, as private equity firms consolidate truck manufacturing factories and grow their profits. Find out more in this report.

(Shutterstock)

Sometimes, trolling works.

Hershey said Wednesday it will use classic recipes for all Reese’s products starting next year, a change that comes after the grandson of Reese’s founder criticized the company for shifting to cheaper ingredients.

Among other things, Brad Reese said he threw out a bag of Reese’s Mini Hearts, which were released for Valentine’s Day. 

Hershey acknowledged some recipe changes but said it was trying to meet consumer demand for innovation. High cocoa prices have also led Hershey and other manufacturers to experiment with using less chocolate in recent years.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery with stories from Inside Climate News, The Associated Press, USA Today via Reuters Connect, and Whitney Downard and Ian Karbal of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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