Chris Publow News Today

Tens of thousands of skaters flocked to the ice on the opening day of the Rideau Canal Skateway this year, giving many local businesses a boost.

It's a long way from selling tires to the halls of Congress, but the trip may not be as strange as it seems. At 26, Gabrielle Giffords was president of her family's business, Tuscon, Ariz.-based El Campo Tire & Service Centers Inc., an 11-store chain with 100 employees and annual revenues of $10 million.