The world didn't end last night, even though it probably felt like it did for some. (And others just got another Sign Of Impending Apocalypse.)
The Lightning lost Game 6 2-1, and thus the Stanley Cup. It was an agonizing end to a series that began with an almost unbelievable level of local excitement, but I'm confident the region can carry that energetic sense of community over into hating on Tampa Bay football.
Jeb Bush finally, finally announced that he's running for president, proving at least one middle-aged white man's marketing team still doesn't understand "internet time."
Don't panic, but our Florida beaches have been invaded by higher-than-usual concentrations of lethal flesh-eating bacteria. No infections or deaths have been reported in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties as yet, and — oh, what the hell, panic away. Just don't rub any raw shellfish against any open wounds submerged in the coastal shallows of our pristine tourist-attracting paradise.
Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation would like Tampa Heights citizens and members of the city council to stop trying to stop them from razing property in the name of adding planned toll lanes to the freeway through the area, warning the council that canceling the plans could put other money and/or future projects in jeopardy. This whole "if we don't use all the money, we won't get any more money" threat is as old as bureaucracy itself. Fuck it — maybe while the FDOT isn't returning Tampa's calls, the city can come up with a progressive plan for improving transportation on its own for once.
And finally, staffers at Tampa International Airport took a stuffed animal left behind by a six-year-old traveler on a tour of TIA, writing a story to go with the photos and presenting a book along with the toy to the kid when he returned from his trip. Super-sweet, but did they have to include the body scanner images?
