Laurel: To opening doors. The announcements about Pittsburgh hosting the 2026 NFL Draft were filled with predictions about the opportunities for area businesses.
Those predictions started to pay off this week as Pittsburgh vendors had the chance to get in on the conversation.
The NFL’s Source Program brought local entrepreneurs together with the buyers who could make the event a really big deal financially.
Were those buyers tight-lipped with media? Absolutely. Those lips were zipped shut.
But to be fair, this wasn’t a media event. It was a marketing and networking opportunity for business owners who had a chance to show off their wares and find a way to be involved in an activity that is expected to bring millions into the Steel City.
The draft will be a moneymaker for hotels and restaurants. That’s a given. But this event is about expanding potential impact deeper into the grassroots business community months before the first round.
Lance: To a checkout letdown. There are more than 900 Dollar General stores in Pennsylvania. With small footprints that work well in city neighborhoods or tucked along country roads, the shops are ubiquitous. They often provide the only food access in underserved areas.
That makes it all the more disappointing to see the findings from Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. The AG’s investigation found customers regularly were charged more at the register than the prices posted on store shelves and signage.
Between 2019 and 2023, the company failed state pricing inspections more than 40% of the time. It wasn’t an accident. It was a pattern. Sunday called it “blatant deception.” It was.
Dollar General will pay $1.5 million in penalties for the practice. It will be required to retrain employees, audit stores and fix errors, as well as notify their customers of the right to a price override.
It is pathetic that these are things that need to be spelled out in a settlement. They should be the very baseline of operating a business — especially a business that makes its bread and butter off some of the poorest populations.