We're living on aloha time today, if you couldn't tell. Perhaps we should do an early pau hana as well. It's only a few hours away now anyway, dear reader, and if yesterday's news is any indicator, we're all screwed anyway.
For example, North Korea has apparently conducted what may be its most powerful nuke test yet. President Obama, of course, issued a statement condemning the move while GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump stared wistfully to the east and mouthed the word someday.
Closer to home, a St. Pete official has said the city may never know how much sewage got dumped into coastal waters as a result of Hurricane Hermine due to a broken meter. Guess the city will have to throw "new sewage dumpometer" on the list, then, right underneath completely new wastewater treatment system.
Fans of mass transit will be pleased-ish to know that the Hillsborough County Commission passed a plan to raise $600 million over the next ten years to fund mass transit. It's much less than the $117 million a year the county would have raised with a half-cent sales tax, but it's something. As in maybe that money will pay for some thing, like another lane for Bruce B. Downs.
And, finally, a Panama City Walmart was under fire after a photo of an ill-advised 9/11 tribute involving boxes of Coke Zero went viral. It's unclear what patriot's idea it was or if it helped move a few 12-packs of the stuff. The important question is whether it had a positive impact on gun sales.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2016.