“I am so confident of both a Patriots win today and a Romney win in Massachusetts on Tuesday that I made this pledge on the air Friday: If the NY Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, I will cast my Super Duper Tuesday primary vote for (shudder) John McCain. “
Former City Paper columnist Michael Graham on his Boston radio show before losing that Super Bowl bet. Fortunately for Graham, Romney still won Massachusetts even without his vote. Source: National Review Online
Romney Out, Everyone Else Readies For
Long Haul
When speaking to the City Paper last fall, Terry McAulife, a senior campaign official with Hillary Clinton’s campaign, said the race would be decided by Feb. 5. Meanwhile, pundits were predicting nothing short of a fist fight over the nomination at the GOP’s national convention among as many as four candidates. The voters in more than 20 states proved them all wrong. Barack Obama’s win in a majority of states, while narrowly losing in the total number of votes, made the race more competitive than ever and opened up the possibility of a down-to-the-wire conclusion on the convention floor. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani’s exit shuffled all the moderate Republican votes behind McCain, while Huckabee pulled away enough Romney support to whittle the former Massachusetts governor’s chances down to the longest of long shots. Romney pulled out of the race late last week, all but ensuring McCain’s win. Meanwhile, Clinton and Obama set out for the long haul to the nomination.—Greg Hambrick
662
That’s how many “doughnut holes” of unincorporated land surrounded by city municipalities exist in Charleston County, covering 2,869 acres. State Rep. Ben Hagood (R-Mt. Pleasant) is proposing legislation to fill the holes, a move that would place them under city zoning and development laws (preventing unwanted density) and increase tax revenue from property owners who benefit from police presence without paying for it. Source: Charleston Regional Business Journal
2 a.m.
That’s what could be the official last call for the Lowcountry, as Berkeley County looks to follow Charleston and Dorchester county requirements for the 2 a.m. bar closing. Source: The Post and Courier
“Clean Coal” gets Hosed
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Friday that the EPA violated the Clean Air Act by downlisting coal-fired power plants as an air pollution hazard in 2005. Santee Cooper’s Pee Dee plant, and every other proposed coal plant nationwide, must now have its air permit reevaluated to analyze its use of “best available” control technology to reduce mercury and other emissions. The current permit would allow 138 pounds of toxic mercury to be emitted annually into an area of the state already known as the “Mercury Triangle.” “Now DHEC and Santee Cooper need to start over and examine all alternatives with lower mercury emissions,” says Blan Holman, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “This decision is very good news for South Carolinians.” —Stratton Lawrence
Four
That’s the number of fatalities involving a train in the past month in Berkeley County. The latest accident on Feb. 5 killed a 17-year-old high school student who police claim rode his bike around the warning bar that blocked traffic. Source: The Post and Courier
“Grumpiness, gossiping, mini-skirts, and rudeness.”
Things banned by a Serbian hospital. Surprisingly, there was no mention of banning proms in the lobby, McNicknames, or “Chasing Cars.” Source: Reuters
Apple Of Our Eye
Considering when we bought our last iPod at a major electronics department store they all but threw the thing at us, words can’t say how excited we are that Apple is considering a downtown boutique. No lease has been signed, but city staff has been answering the company’s questions about exterior improvements to the former Cumberland’s/Granny’s Goodies spot, The Post and Courier reported last week. After Granny’s shut down last fall, Cumberland’s days were numbered, and it eventually closed on Dec. 31. With a Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, and American Apparel within shouting distance, it wasn’t hard to imagine a major retailer moving in, but we’re glad it might be a store worth shopping in. —Greg Hambrick
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