Update in Story About Pennsylvania Liquor Board's Smile Training

Last week, I posted a story about how the state of Pennsylvania is spending $170,000 in taxpayer money to train the employees of its state-owned wine and liquor stores to be nice to their customers. It's a relatively tiny amount of money, but still a bizarre expenditure given the state's massive deficit, and the fact Pennsylvania has a government monopoly on the sale of wine and spirits.

New development: The president of the consulting firm that won the contract is married to a high-ranking official with the state's liquor control board (his wife is one of the state's three regional managers). Liquor board officials insist there's nothing improper about the contract.