Laurel: To an unexpected appearance. Convenience stores are there to provide things you need quickly and easily. A tank of gas, a gallon of milk, an unexpected live rock concert. Wait, what?

On Friday afternoon, alt-rock band All-American Rejects started teasing an appearance in Pittsburgh on TikTok. Sheetz jumped in on X, showing the band members in front of the Robinson location.

Pittsburgh-based band Eyewash opened for the event, part of All-American Rejects’ House Party Tour, which has included other pop-up concerts in recent months.

But is that all? Sheetz seems to be expanding outside of two-for-one hot dogs and made-to-order sandwiches by making the stores a home to “Sheetzertainment.” The concert came just weeks after partnering with Liquid Death and New Castle-area social media influencer “Chainsaw Jenna” Ceriani to cut MTOs with, you guessed it, a chainsaw.

Can Wawa compete with rock concerts and chainsaws?

Lance: To questions of bias. Leechburg Area School Board members are being confronted with allegations they have let personal politics intrude into hiring decisions.

Sean Hess says he was offered a position as an emotional support teacher for primary students on July 29, but was told the offer was pending board approval at the next day’s meeting. At that meeting, the board instead hired Makenna Goldinger by a vote of 5-3.

The politics do not appear to be about Hess. Neill Brady is his father-in-law. Brady says the political aspect is about him. A Leechburg resident, Brady served on the board from 2003 to 2023. In May, he earned a spot on both the Republican and Democratic ballots for November’s election. Board President Ashley Coudriet and board member Jimmy Feudale did not.

“I feel this was a personal attack on my family by five members of the current school board who voted for a less-qualified candidate for the emotional support position,” Brady said at Wednesday’s board meeting.

The district’s hiring process is meant to be un­biased, in reaction to previous critiques that hiring was made on the basis of personal relationships. The problem is the board’s decision seems to have bypassed the recommendations from the interviewing panel.

No reason was given for that decision, which was made in an executive session. If the board is going to vote against the recommendations of its administration and faculty panel, it should make those reasons clear.

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