🐧 Pens change hands

Fenway Sports Group Sells the Penguins

The sports conglomerate agreed to sell the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Hoffmann Family of Companies, an investment firm based in Chicago, for an estimated $1.7 to $1.8 billion; they bought the team in 2021 for around $900 million. It’s the second time in less than four years that an out-of-town billionaire group will take over our hockey team. [🔒The Athletic]

PPS Votes To Raise Property Taxes

The Pittsburgh Public Schools board approved a budget with a 2% tax increase last night. Taxes for a house assessed at $100,000 will go up by about $20. The district originally proposed a 4% increase, but its chief financial officer said that would have violated state tax rules. [WESA]

• Hear why the board rejected a school closure plan that would've saved the district millions of dollars. [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

Puppies as Pittsburgh Ambassadors?

The nonprofit Pittsburgh Tomorrow recently placed a dog-friendly billboard in New York City’s Times Square, inviting hundreds of thousands of passersby to consider moving to Pittsburgh. While some locals say they don’t love it, head of storytelling Caroline Fisher says we’ve got to take big swings if we want Pittsburgh’s stagnant population to grow. [NEXTpittsburgh / 🎧City Cast Pittsburgh]

Westinghouse Park Receives Historic Status

Pittsburgh City Council granted historic designation to Point Breeze’s Westinghouse Park, a 10-acre green space that was once the property of inventor and engineer George Westinghouse. Fun fact: He built a private laboratory connected to his home through a tunnel. [TribLive]