Odds and ends

·         Herald: Democratic Congressional candidate Joe Garcia leads incumbent Rep. David Rivera by 10 points, according to a Republican poll.

·         Jailed USAID contractor Alan Gross received what is now a customary visit from members of the Jewish community in Havana last week on the occasion of the Jewish high holy days (JTA).  On Monday his lawyer, Jared Genser, issued a statement saying Gross “may have cancer” and released a letter from a U.S. doctor who reviewed medical records from Cuba and believes that Gross “has not been adequately evaluated to modern medical standards.”  In the statement, his wife Judy Gross is quoted saying that Cuban doctors have “misdiagnosed” him.

·         ANSA: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera invited Raul Castro to visit Santiago next January.