It's Friday, and there's a ton of stuff going on this weekend, and you still have to pretend to work for a few hours until the afternoon slump kicks in, so read this fast — but not too fast to enjoy it, y'know?
The St. Pete City Council made history and perhaps put itself in the legal crosshairs of big-monied political interests yesterday when it passed an ordinance severely limiting the campaign contributions PACs and super PACs can make in local elections. The technical legality of the move is very much in question, which could be a good thing — a challenge to the ordinance moving its way through the country's court system could only draw more attention to the reality that Citizens United is plutocratic bullshit, and that a progressive little city on Florida's Gulf Coast decided to do something about it, symbolic as it might end up being.
A Pasco County nursing home is refusing to allow a resident access to her prescribed medical marijuana, claiming best medical practices and the lack of federal legality. A wheelchair-bound resident who suffers multiple ailments, including Parkinson's and arthritis, and has found that marijuana offers her relief. We're sure the fact that the company that owns the home has the word "Adventist" in its name has nothing at all to do with this.
Just a few days after redeeming himself by kicking a game-winning field goal after multiple missed attempts, Bucs kicker Nick Folk missed three field goals in last night's game against the Patriots, which the Bucs lost 19-14. Is it too soon for a "That's All, Folk!" joke? Is now not the time?
And finally, in non-local super-important news, Netflix is raising some of its subscription rates! Gasp! OMG! The fucking nerve! Hey, remember when access to all of the shit on Netflix cost us about $150 a month, and we had to leave the house at least once a week if we wanted to get some of it? Kids these days, off my lawn, etc. Let's compromise and agree not to burn down the world until the 2-device HD plan goes above $15, OK?
This article appears in Oct 5-12, 2017.