On the road

OK, I’ve got some sad news for you. Catherine Greenspan is leaving the Reno News & Review. She and her husband, Michael, are moving to Chattanooga, Tenn. I guess Chattanooga has a much higher standard of living and lower cost of living than Reno does, although when I talk to Catherine and Michael I get the strong impression that the move is really about moving—seeing new places, people, new challenges. Grits.

Catherine is the RN&R’s solar plexus. In some ways, almost all internal communications go through her. I’m not going to go through the entire list of jobs she does, and there are quite a few of them, but I will say she’s our office manager, collections enforcer and food reviewer. Longtime readers may remember her as the subject and writer of the cover stories, “My summer craniotomy” and “My mother’s black. Am I?”

But you know, people aren’t their jobs. People are who they are, and I can tell you that Catherine has always been a friend to me in the six and a half years I’ve known her. I consider that a privilege because I know Catherine doesn’t like everybody all the time.

One of my favorite Catherine stories occurred back in 2000 when I was about to leave the RN&R for a while. At the time, Catherine stooped to bribery—the promise of a giant-size Symphony chocolate bar a day—if I’d reconsider my decision to leave. She was basically the only one who wasn’t holding the door for me, so I’d like to return the favor. Catherine, if you’ll reconsider your plans, the sale of your house and unpack all your things, I’ll buy you a chocolate bar a day for as long as you stay. What’s that you say, Catherine? Oh yeah? Let me get the door.

Reason to vote No. 27: The ability to travel without government interference used to be a lynchpin of freedom in this country. Your vote for someone who cares about freedom may be all that preserves that right for you and protects it for others.