In which we will not even so much as mention the College National Football Championship Playoff Grand Slam Cavalcade of Sports and Peripheral Entertainment, or whatever the hell:
Yesterday was NOT a good day for Bay area school bus drivers. First responders spent 30 minutes extricating one in Clearwater after he swerved to avoid a car running a red light and crashed into a pole. Several were made late when a busy stretch of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard had to be closed for a gas main leak. And one Pinellas driver in particular created a uniquely shitty day for herself when, after becoming the victim of a minor hit-and-run accident, she was arrested for DUI with seven students still on her bus. Imagine — you're just trying to get through your day transporting the minors whose safety has be entrusted to you while secretly inebriated, and some rando has to go and screw it all up by rear-ending you.
The new U.S. Congress was sworn in, including four new representatives from the I-4 corridor. This might've been more inspiring had the GOP majority not dropped the ball in a bungling, massively scandalous way like 12 hours prior (and fewer than 48 hours into the new year). Meet the new boss, etc.
Finally, speaking of balls, the Lightning lost to the Winnipeg Jets, who are apparently a real team, 6-4. Wait, that's hockey. There isn't a ball in hockey. [Digs for ball-related news item] Ah, here we go: USF fired its men's basketball coach. If you thought, "wow, I didn't even know USF had a competitive men's basketball team," well, there it is.
This article appears in Dec 29, 2016 – Jan 5, 2017.