D10

Norbert Cunningham
Sleuth

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It's been a soggy week and there's more to come by the looks of it, but Sleuth has been sheltering under the grapevine, keeping dry and gathering all the best scuttlebutt. And your gumshoe couldn't resist smiling at the irony of the fact the City of Moncton Wednesday published a public notice urging water conservation in the midst of the rainiest period we've had in a long time. But hey, much as they'd like to, City Hall can't control the weather. . .

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Could the Habs be heading to Moncton? Sleuth's been hearing speculation now that the Molson brothers have reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Montreal Canadiens. One has to wonder if the Molson connection to Moncton, via our very own Molson Brewery, could soon enough lead to some cross-promotion between one of the Maritimes' favourite hockey teams and one of the Maritimes' favourite beers. There are hockey and suds fans out there hopin' and feeding the guessing game!

Included in the package the three Molson brothers are looking to buy are 80.1 per cent of the NHL team and 100 per cent of Montreal's Bell Centre and concert promoter Gillett Entertainment Group. The remaining 19.9 per cent of the NHL team is held by Molson Coors.

If the speculation the family and brewery that bears their name will team up in such a logical promotion, Sleuth says it leads to some cool imagery. Imagine Saku Koivu or Alex Kovalev hanging out on Main Street drinking a tall glass of Molson Canadian, or perhaps Carey Price leading us on a tour of the brewery. And gosh, maybe if the city gets going with a Metro Events Centre, it'd have a backer. Already Sleuth has heard wits joking about calling it the Moncton Molson Centre, The Molson Centre Too, or the Molson Centre Lite!

Meanwhile, when the T&T called Moslon HQ about this speculation this week, a representative said it's far too early to speculate on anything like that. They also noted that there is a difference between the Molson brothers and the company Molson Coors. Still, there are strong links too. . . keep your ears alert, folks! Nothing wrong with dreamin'. . .

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Political junkies are watching as the government enters its summer break from the legislature. Some are commenting on the irony that in the last week more seems to have happened now the House is not sitting than actually happened when it was sitting, what with a cabinet shuffle followed by the indications Premier Shawn Graham and his MLAs have received the public's message loud and clear and are preparing to reverse the controversial education system cuts of classroom assistants and library staff in the schools now that Kelly Lamrock is out of the way. It isn't official, as of this writing, but all the signs are there. The question remains, however: how much political damage has this row caused and will voters remember next year when they go to the polls? It's tempting to make predictions, but Sleuth's been around the track a few times and knows that in politics, there are seldom any sure bets that far in advance.

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There's a plot of land in Petitcodiac right at Highway 1 exit 233 and across the road from the Irving gas station and convenience store that has recently been cleared and is starting to see significant work. What's up? Sleuth has nothing confirmed but the rumour all over the village where it is hard to keep anything secret is that the Super Variety currently in the downtown and housing the agency NB Liquor outlet is building new digs. The rumour also has it that it will include a gas station and a Tim Horton's outlet along with its other current offerings. It will be quite a change, particularly if the Tim's part of the rumour is true. Currently, citizens and travellers have to, depending on their direction of travel, wait until they reach either Sussex or Salisbury to obtain a cuppa Canada's favourite java.

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What was that headline in the Toronto Globe and Mail's Arts section on Tuesday? It sure had a lot of readers scratching their heads and passing it on to your gumshoe! Here's what it said: "Johnny Carson dies at 79"

Didn't he die years ago? Well. . . yes, he did! On January 23, 2005 to be exact. Did the venerable old Globe somehow write an obituary for Johnny when it intended to write one for Ed McMahon, his sidekick whose death was in fact reported on Tuesday? It sure looked that way. And an awful lot of readers, judging by public reaction and comments on the newspaper's website assumed as much, having obviously missed the small print under the byline that said "originally published January 24, 2005." OK, so it was a reprint, but why? It wasn't highlighted as such in any obvious way. . . Is the recession hitting that paper so hard that it had to reprint something four years old rather than have a columnist do a fresh article on Mr. McMahon, a celebrity in his own right? Hmm. . ..

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Last week Sleuth reported a rumour that perhaps the Atlantic Baptist University was considering a name change to Crandall University, giving background on "William Crandall," pioneering Baptist minister in this region. Alas, that first name should have been Joseph Crandall, not William. Sleuth knew better too, yet still the gremlins had their way. As well, Joseph Crandall, who still has descendants in southeast New Brunswick, indeed lived in and died in Salisbury, but he wasn't born there. Rather he was born in Tiverton, Rhode Island. He was, by the way, a significant enough figure that he is included in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, the entry being written by well-known historian J.M. Bumsted. Copies of Joseph Crandall's own hand-written autobiography also still exist and make for interesting reading.

n Heard any good rumours or gossip? Sleuth wants to know. Send all your best to Sleuth via e-mail at sleuth@timestranscript.com or fax him at 859-4904. He'll report back next Saturday.