| February 2008
Eliot Spitzer was one of six governors interviewed about the presidential contest by The Washington Post at the National Governor's Association in D.C. Asked what advice he would give to Hillary Clinton, whom he has endorsed and pledged to cast a superdelegate ballot for, Spitzer said: "I'd tell her keep doing what she's been doing," adding: "She's making a powerful case." But the governor also made no secret of his admiration for Barack Obama, saying: "Let's face it, Barack emotes in a way that is remarkable." Asked later whether he believes experience is necessary to bring about real change in government, Spitzer answered, rather diplomatically and in his typical wonky way (he also employed the Spitzeresque buzzword "pivotal" during the interview): "It's not a binary choice." On his own record, Spitzer listed Medicaid reform and increased education spending (which he has proposed curtailing to some degree this year) as his most significant accomplishments.
A journey from cancer to champion for Sox' Lester
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Winning the deciding game of the World Series, the part everyone else remembers and celebrates, he doesn't dwell on, maybe because Jon Lester is determined to be known as something other than Celebrity Cancer Boy. But some of the tender mercies along the way, the improbable sweeteners to an arduous journey that took him from the blunt harshness of a doctor's diagnosis to the champagne-splattered embraces of his Red Sox teammates last October, Jon Lester is not liable to forget. Here is one. The day before he was scheduled to undergo a chemotherapy treatment, he and his uncle arose at 4 a.m. and with a guide drove through the Olympic Mountains to the Humptulips River, a swath of white water that cuts through the mountains of his native Washington state.
I-Team: Firefighter-Paramedic Drug Abuse Raises Questions
They are often called heroes, charged with saving property and protecting lives. But last week, a firefighter-paramedic was charged with stealing narcotics from emergency medical kits stored inside fire stations and ambulances. The suspect told police he has been addicted to morphine since 2005. So the I-Team asked how someone could be addicted to drugs and go unnoticed within the fire department for so long. Does the fire department have random drug testing? And if not -- why? Metro randomly tests officers and civilian staff throughout the year and again before someone moves into a specialized unit that handles illegal drugs. So with narcotics like Morphine, Valium and Versed readily available to firefighter paramedics, we asked the fire chief if the Clark County Fire Department does the same.
Singer-Songwriters Set Sail on Cayamo Cruise
Editor's note: CMT writer-producer Craig Shelburne shares his notes from last week's Cayamo cruise, a Caribbean voyage featuring live performance from several of his favorite singer-songwriters.
Feb. 4: It's the first night of the Cayamo cruise, which collects a whole bunch of cool songwriters that I happen to love. John Hiatt headlined the late show tonight. Man, that guy is so good, even when he just plays solo. He wrote one of my favorite opening lines ever, in "Icy Blue Heart": "She came onto him like a slow-moving cold front." Emmylou Harris, who's singing later in the week, once recorded that song, too. He started with "Drive South," which is (poetically speaking) what we are doing tonight. Plus, since he has a new CD coming in May, he added a few new songs to his set. Tomorrow is a full day at sea.
Counter Intelligence: The Nortons heading back to Red Wing
Five years after leaving the Staghead in Red Wing, Minn., to jump out on their own, Greg and Sarah Norton are returning to their roots. Sort of. In 2003, the couple bought the former Lavender Rose and turned the off-the-beaten-path location -- about 5 miles east of downtown Red Wing -- into The Nortons' (W7171 135th St., Bay City, Wis.). Now, if all goes as planned, the Nortons will be re-creating their charming restaurant in downtown Red Wing, taking over a former 1950s-era JC Penney store on the city's Main Street, just around the corner from their former employer. "It's 99 percent sure," said Greg Norton. "We've got a lot of paperwork ahead of us." The restaurant will include a lounge and an off-sale wine shop, and lunch and dinner will be served six days a week.
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