Were there more clowns? There were more clowns.
OK, enough with the clowns already. A 12-year-old kid was arrested (and is likely to be charged with a felony as an adult) for making terroristic threats online under a clown-related surname, while another clown-based shooting threat aimed at a Hillsborough school inspired another, separate investigation. The scariest part about the whole thing is how stupid and shortsighted a kid would have to be to actually do something like this just because they think it's funny.
In yesterday's least informative breaking news story, cops responded to a suspicious vehicle at WestShore Plaza that "had messages, including 'death,' painted on it" and "suspicious wiring hanging underneath it," and… and what? They "gave the all clear." That's it? YOU YADDA YADDA'ED THE DEATH CAR.
And finally, a sewer line broke in Palm Harbor, flooding a nearby retention pond with raw sewage and leading authorities to ask residents to take it easy with their water usage. So, like, the system's now just letting us know once a week or so that it's dying? If Pinellas' wastewater system was an old family cat we would've already taken it on its last trip to the vet and, crying softly, ended its pain. Thank God there's not another major rain event in the offing…
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 7, 2016.