This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

The horse and buggy is leading the pack in the race for best small city. Lancaster ranked in the top one percent of WalletHub’s “Best Small Cities in America” study that looked at everything from affordability and education to safety and housing costs. Lancaster’s 68.63 out of 100 scored behind the top three of Carmel, Indiana; Brookefield, Wisconsin; and Apex, North Carolina.

Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedics announced this week that Christian Ellison was appointed as the new CEO of the orthopedic care provider. Ellison has been in health care leadership for more than 30 years, most recently serving as CEO and a board member for EVP EyeCare in Denver. In a statement, he said he’s looking forward to helping Rothman build on its legacy in the orthopedic care space.

After sitting empty for the last couple years, the reconstruction of Harrisburg’s fire-ravaged Broad Street Market is finally getting somewhere. More than two years after the fire took place, selective demolition of the market’s brick building began this week, with Harrisburg City Council also voting to approve $14 million for the market’s reconstruction. According to WGAL, the vote to approve the funds came despite concerns from City Council that the process was rushed; council members approved the funding anyway, believing Harrisburg residents shouldn’t have to wait any longer for the rebuild.

School spirits could be down at Pollock Elementary School in Northeast Philadelphia, where the school district is investigating the possible mismanagement of money. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, funds collected at book fairs, bake sales and other school events were discovered missing. Sources said former principal Yvette Jackson handled the funds, but the union representing district principals has pushed back on any allegations of impropriety on Jackson’s part.

The plight at the museum hits Philly: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University announced it’s reducing its operating hours from five days a week to weekend hours only. The Academy, which said about 70% of visits occur on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, cites visitation rates not rebounding to pre-pandemic levels, federal funding cuts, and an "uncertain philanthropic landscape" as some of the factors behind the decision.

Pittsburgh’s so-called “jock tax” – a 3% tax on income earned by non-Pittsburgh residents who perform at the city’s publicly funded sports stadiums – was recently struck down by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled that the tax was unconstitutional. The ruling has resulted in a budgetary scramble among Pittsburgh officials, as the tax, formally known as the Nonresident Sports Facility Usage Fee, has generated more than $79 million since its inception, according to Pittsburgh City Controller Rachael Heisler. The city expected to pull in $16.8 million from the tax from 2026 to 2030, and will not have to look elsewhere to make up for the loss.