The TroxBlog TGIF Weekly News Quiz

Were you paying attention this week? Here's a quiz on a few stories that appeared in the St. Petersburg Times. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the answers, or click on the story links to read for yourself. Have a great weekend!

1. What did Tallie Gainer III do to get arrested, which started a months-long nightmare in the legal system? (a) report a sprinkling violation (b) nothing (c) forge a check (d) kill a bull shark.

2. Under the heading of "man bites dog," what unusual step is Pinellas County considering for its public schools? (a) holding classes in tents (b) starting classes at 5 a.m. (c) firing the School Board (d) closing schools because of a student shortage.

3. What did the American Dental Association suggest that parents not give to babies under 1 year old, advice that Florida and some of its counties decided not to pass along to the public? (a) fluoridated water (b) brandy on the gums for teething (c) binkies (d) strained carrots.

4. Why was Polish railway worker Jan Grzewski, 65, in the news? (a) he won the Eurolottery (b) he was hired as Largo's new city manager (c) he discovered a new Beethoven symphony (d) he woke up after 19 years in a coma.

5. "She gave me a hard time," Frank Maloney, 45, said of his wife. "She's pretty vocal when it comes to animals." What did Maloney do to earn his wife's ire? (a) remove a gopher tortoise (b) catch and kill a bull shark (c) hit a pelican with a golf shot (d) wrestle a bull gator.

6. What did the state Public Service Commission do this week for the first time in 15 years? (a) laugh out loud at a rate hike request (b) reject a new power plant (c) crack down on telephone solicitors (d) take over a private water company.

7. Who had to wait three hours to speak at a public hearing about property taxes in Hillsborough County? (a) the public (b) anti-Iraq protestors (c) a disruptive county commissioner (d) Joe Redner.

8. How many runs did the bullpen of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have to give up to allow the Toronto Blue Jays to come from behind and win Tuesday's night's game? (a) one (b) none, the Jays led throughout (c) five (d) six.

9. Which automaker moved past Toyota in initial quality rankings in the annual survey of J.D. Power and Associates? (a) GM (b) Ford (c) Mercedes-Benz (d) Mazda.

10. Who has taken advantage of only $478,000 out of the $5-million benefit that a grateful state of Florida made available for tough times? (a) Halliburton (b) sports teams (c) military families (d) water-violation whistle blowers. 

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And the answers:

1. (b) Absolutely nothing! As we learn in this story by Thomas Lake, Gainer left his wallet at a Denny's and was the victim of identity theft. A man later using Gainer's ID tried to cash a fake check. Even though Gainer had reported his wallet stolen -- and the bad guy actually put his FINGERPRINT on the check -- it still took months for Pasco sheriff's detectives and prosecutors to let Gainer go.

2. (d) The district is looking at closing schools in the face of the steepest enrollment decline in the system's 95-year history. As Thomas C. Tobin reports, other Bay area counties are still posting modest gains. One theory is that more families are being driven away by housing and insurance costs.

3. (a) We've been using fluoridated water for 60 years, but the ADA in November suggested parents avoid giving it to infants under 1. As Will Van Sant reports, Florida was slow to pass on the advice and local counties ignored it altogether, on the grounds that levels already are much lower that the maximum. Critics of fluoridation were outraged at the locals' decision.

4. (d) Among the developments he missed during his coma was, oh, just the fall of Communism. One thing he's noticed already: there's more than "mustard and vinegar" on the store shelves. No word on his reaction to the news that the U.S. president is still named Bush.

5. (b) Maloney and two companions caught the shark. His wife wasn't the only one mad -- several readers criticized both the fishermen, and the newspaper for running a photograph and "glorifying" the incident.

6. (b) The PSC rejected a $5.7-billion coal-fired power plant that the state's biggest electric company, Florida Power & Light, wanted to build near the Everglades. It was a slam-dunk 4-0 ruling, as Craig Pittman reports, and the first power plant rejected since 1992. The potential cost to customers, including the cost of controlling greenhouse gases, played a part in the decision.

7. (a) The public, of course. As Bill Varian reports, local government officials took up the first three hours at the hearing at the University Area Community Center Complex. Varian notes dryly that the local pols speaking were "generally exceeding their time limit." By the time rank and file citizens got to talk, the crowd had dwindled from 250 to about 100.

8.  (d) Oooh, it's a tricky question. The Rays led 11-6 going into the bottom of the ninth in Toronto, so the bullpen had to give up FIVE runs to TIE, but six to LOSE. They did it in grand style, too, loading the bases and then surrendering the losing run by walking the final batter. Even easygoing manager Joe Maddon called it "horrid." But apparently not horrid enough to send anybody back to the minor leagues the next day.

9.  (b) Ford, capturing first place in five of 19 categories. Ford Motor Co. earned segment awards for the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan and Mazda MX-5 Miata. (Mazda is 33.4 percent owned by Ford.)

10. (c) Military families. As Bill Levesque reports, military officials believe the money set aside by the Legislature has been well-publicized, so that's not the problem. Some speculate that most families are too proud to ask. But there's also a rigorous application process, so maybe they just don't want the government pawing through their finances. A gesture of gratitude is one thing; an application process is something else.

The Second (And Maybe Last, Maybe Not) TroxBlog TGIF Weekly News Quiz

Were you paying attention this week? Here's a quiz on a few stories from the St. Petersburg Times. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the answers, or click on the story links to read for yourself. Have a great weekend!

1. It takes three gallons of water to produce one gallon of what? (a) milk (b) gasoline (c) desalinated drinking water (d) ethanol.

2. "You only have so many chances in life. This is his chance right now. Just leave everything else alone and focus on being a better role model." The quote is from the brother of: (a) the not-in-Florida Lou Pearlman (b) the Devil Rays' Elijah Dukes (c) actor and bad-dad Alec Baldwin (d) presidential sibling Jeb Bush.

3. What does the school district of Coshocton, Ohio, do that some people think we should try in Florida? (a) conduct classes via cell phone (b) outlaw tattoos (c) pay students for good test scores (d) "grade" parents on their participation.

4. Why are Florida Democrats worried about holding our state's presidential primary on Jan. 29? (a) that's Hillary Clinton's birthday (b) it's too early to count (c) Al Gore won't be running yet (d) we'll still be using touch-screen voting machines.

5. What's the legal challenge to the discovery of shipwrecked treasure by Odyssey Marine Exploration? (a) Spain says it has a claim (b) the estate of Jacques Cousteau says he found it first (c) it's a missing prop from Pirates of the Carribbean (d) nobody got a proper salvage permit from the city of St. Petersburg.

6. Where was Gov. Charlie Crist this week? (a) vacationing with his parents at Disney World (b) on a trade and goodwill mission to Israel (c) interviewing as a vice presidential candidate (d) habla-ing with agriculture officials in Mexico City.

7. Why was Brendan Davis, a resident of Harbour Island in Tampa, in a dispute with his condominium association? (a) breaking the no-grandchildren rule (b) painting his unit bright pink (c) playing Mozart too loudly (d) displaying a U.S. flag.

8. What happened this week to the proposed Trump Tower Tampa? (a) Trump increased its height to 75 stories (b) Rosie O'Donnell sued to stop it (c) Trump yanked his name and sued the developers (d) Trump announced he was moving it to St. Petersburg.

9. "Categorizing themselves by size, as so many males do, they hover waiting for their ladyloves. Just like in high school, the big, burly boys snag the hotties." This vivid description was contained in an article about: (a) college dating rituals (b) love bugs (c) manatees (d) the annual convention of the Florida Institute of Certified Publc Accountants.

10. Who's now selling a line of wedding dresses with a price range of $89.99 to $159.99? (a) Saks Fifth Avenue (b) John Deere (c) Wal-Mart (d) Target.

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And the answers:

1. (d) Ethanol requires that much water to produce, which is a factor to consider in water-short Florida. As David Adams and Janet Zink report, a proposed plant in Tampa would become one of the city's top-10 water users.

2. (b) As Eduardo A. Encina and Carrie Weimar report, Dukes' brother Tyrone Evans offered his thoughts in an interview about his brother, accused by his estranged wife of making death threats to her and her children.

3. (c) Paying students up to $100 for test scores -- which shot up immediately. As Ron Matus reports, at least one Florida lawmaker thinks it's worth talking about.

4. (b) Under party rules discouraging early primaries, no delegates will be awarded and candidates who campaign will be punished. Still, as political editor Adam C. Smith writes, many think the symbolic value of the nation's fourth-biggest state will make the vote important.

5. (a) As Scott Barancik reports, the Spanish govenrment says maybe it was a ship that had been commissioned by by the Spanish king, and also questions whether it was found in international waters. In other news, Spain also says it owns last week's winning ticket to the Florida Lottery.

6. (b) Although I suppose you could make a case for (c) if you tried. Our Tallahassee bureau chief Steve Bousquet is traveling with Crist.

7. (d) As Michael A. Mohammed reports, the condo security guard who fined Davis $35 apparently was unaware that this kept happening over and over in Florida ad nauseam, until the Legislature finally passed a law guaranteeing the right to display a U.S. flag. The condo association apologized and canceled the fine.

8. (c) As James Thorner reports, Trump terminated his contract with SimDag, the Tampa development team behind the $300-million project, and accused SimDag of defaulting on eight months of licensing fees worth $1.03 million.

9. (b) This love-bug article by Amber Mobley was probably my favorite for the week.

10. (d) Target. Our Dalia Wheatt investigates and reports: "The gowns we tried on appeared surprisingly well-made. They were heavier than we'd expected, crafted from a poly-silk taffeta and seemingly durable enough to withstand alterations. Feel-good touches included satin lining and tulle netting, while interior construction, bra-keeps and button loops added function to fashion."

Coming Friday: The Second (And Maybe Last, Maybe Not) TroxBlog TGIF Weekly News Quiz

Friday morning I'll put up another weekly news quiz here based on some of the interesting headlines from the past week.

They're fun to put together, and they remind me of all the stuff that's happened. But I keep using the "And Maybe Last, Maybe Not'' threat just to give myself the option of quitting if folks don't like 'em. So far, as they say, it beats work.

Check out past quizzes under the "News Quizzes" category in the left-hand column.

The First (And Maybe Last, Maybe Not) TroxBlog TGIF Weekly News Quiz

After running a news quiz the past couple of Saturdays [May 12 quiz][May 19 quiz], I thought I'd try one on a Friday morning so that we could all spend even less time paying attention to actual work...

Here's a quiz on a few headlines from this week's St. Petersburg Times. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the answers, or click on the story links to read for yourself. Have a great weekend!

1. What product with Florida ties is being used in Louisiana public schools? (a) Grapefruit Man, a cartoon character (b) a curriculum designed by Scientology (c) alligators in a petting zoo (d) touch-screen voting machines in civics classes.

2. What's the name of the 3-year-old web site that's worrying federal drug officials, investigators, judges and even the Department of Homeland Security? (a) Buildabomb.com (b) DrugsRUs.com (c) Whosarat.com (d) Buyagun.com.

3. What phrase is now decidedly out of favor at the Tampa-based U.S. Central Command, which oversees our efforts in Iraq? (a) the long war (b) the war on terror (c) axis of evil (d) mission accomplished.

4. What illegal activity did undercover Tampa officers break up Saturday night and Sunday morning after infiltrating a crowd to gather evidence? (a) underage drinking in Ybor City (b) unlicensed fishing off Bayshore Boulevard (c) South Tampa gang activity (d) drag racing on the Courtney Campbell causeway.

5. Why were this father and son (right) in the news? (a) They won the Florida Lottery (b) they were stranded in Tampa Bay for 13 hours (c) they discovered a sunken treasure ship (d) they learned they were related to Gov. Charlie Crist.  [Times photo | Carrie Pratt]

6. What's the proposed use of a disputed $12-million in sales-tax money that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers say belongs to them? (a) another quarterback to throw more 5-yard passes on third-and-10 (b) a new scoreboard (c) a new practice facility (d) lower ticket prices.

7. What term is used by Florida TaxWatch to describe items put into the state budget by our Legislature that the group thinks ought to be vetoed? (a) pork-barrel spending (b) turkeys (c) "Little Jebs" (d) Easter eggs.

8. In the cheerful-news department, how many named storms did the National Weather Service predict for the tropical season that starts June 1? (a) zero (b) 5-10 (c) 13-17) (d) 27.

9. What did the state Department of Education belatedly reveal that it screwed up last year? (a) it approved fake schools (b) it flunked too many students (c) it paid teachers too much (d) it bungled third-grade FCAT reading scores.

10. Which veteran Tampa Bay area broadcast journalist announced plans to retire at the end of 2007? (a) Kelly Ring, WTVT-TV Channel 13 (b) Gayle Sierens, WFLA-TV, Channel 8 (c) Bob Hite, WFLA-TV, Channel 8 (d) WFLA-AM radio personality Jack Harris.

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And the answers:

1. (b) As my colleauge Rob Farley reports, schools are using a curriculum first conceived by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. School officials like the results and say it isn't spreading Scientology.

2. (c) As Carrie Weimar reports, Whosarat.com is a web site that features the names of informants and agents in criminal investigations, even posting the plea agreements of cooperating witnesses. The operators say they are only using information that's already public.

3. (a) As Bill Levesque reports, Centcom's new commander, Adm. William Fallon, canned the phrase "long war" soon after he took over in March. The idea is that "war" is the wrong metaphor to describe overall U.S. efforts for the region.

4. (d) Drag racing. As Michael A. Mohammed reports, police were acting in response to two recent deaths on the causeway, making eight arrests and impounding seven cars.

5. (b) As Casey Cora reports, after their boat sank, Fred Meyerink, 67, and Stefan Meyering, 26 (yes, he spells his name differently) lashed themselves together with rope and clung to a barnacle-encrusted beacon until they were rescued.

6. (c) As Bill Varian reports, the Bucs say their new complex by Raymond James Stadium is only a "training facility" and team headquarters, not the practice facility provided for in its contract with the Tampa Sports Authority.

7. (b) See the story by Steve Bousquet. "Turkeys" is the word usually used at the state level, for some reason, while "pork-barrel" is more often applied to Congress -- but the same principle is involved.

8. (c) 13-17, as Curtis Krueger reports. That includes seven to 10 hurricanes, and three to five hurricanes at Category 3 or stronger. But hey, what do they know?

9.(d) Ah, the FCAT, that test that everyone loves to hate. As Ron Matus reports, it turns out they made the third-grade reading test too easy. But don't worry, from now on a panel of experts will make sure everything is okay.

10. (c) As Eric Deggans reports, Bob Hite, who's been at Channel 8 for 30 years, will leave the station's 11 p.m. broadcast this week and the anchor's chair at the end of 2007. (His partner Sierens is staying a while longer.) Say what you will -- the man is The Voice Of News.

The Second (And Maybe Final, Maybe Not) TroxBlog Weekly News Quiz

Were you paying attention this week? Here's a quiz on a few headlines from this week's St. Petersburg Times. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the answers, or click on the story links to read for yourself. Have a great weekend!

1. Who are the Democratic and Republican front-runners in Florida in the race for president, according to a St. Petersburg Times poll? (a) Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani (b) Clinton and John McCain (c) Barack Obama and McCain (d) Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich.

2. What unusual weapon was used in Brandon, according to authorities, in the case of a man accused of killing his estranged wife's new companion? (a) a claymore (b) a phaser (c) a petrified rattlesnake (d) a samurai sword.

3. What newsmaking figure was chosen as a finalist to be the new city manager of Sarasota? (a) Katherine Harris (b) Christine Jennings (c) Susan Stanton (d) Bubba the Love Sponge.

4. What was different about the three-game home stand that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays played this week against the visiting Texas Rangers? (a) a Rays pitcher's no-hitter (b) the games were played at Disney (c) fans got free admission (d) fans were paid $1 each to attend.

5. What caused this mess (left) in Clam Bayou, a nature preserve in Pinellas County? (a) illegal dumping (b) a raccoon infestation (c) litter washed in by drainage (d) partying.

6. Where might U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-St. Petersburg, end up with a $180,000-a-year job if he leaves Congress? (a) the Tampa Bay Lightning (b) USF St. Petersburg (c) St. Petersburg College (d) McDonald's.

7. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved what controversial 500-acre project, which includes paving 56 acres of wetlands? (a) a shopping mall in Pasco County (b) a nuclear waste dump in Crystal River (c) a new city atop a former landfill (d) a condo project in the Brooker Creek Preserve.

8. What proposed business activity raised the question of whether it complied with the municipal codes of the city of New Port Richey? (a) visits from the dead (b) male lingerie modeling (c) off-track Preakness betting (d) a private autopsy service.

9. The state of Florida pulled the plug on this boondoggle, but not before sinking $89-million of taxpayer dollars into it over the past three years: (a) handouts for deadbeat poor people (b)  throwing money at public schools (c) privatizing the state's accounting systems (d) providing free Friday doughnuts for all state employees.

10. What is the nickname of the suspect caught and accused of four St. Petersburg robberies in recent weeks, and how did he get it? (a) the "Red Shirt Bandit," for obvious reasons (b) the "Red Lobster Bandit,'' because he targeted restaurants (c) the "Red Skelton Bandit," because he wore a clown outfit (d) the "Red Wing Bandit,'' because he wore a cap with a hockey-team logo. 

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And the answers:

1. (a) Among Democrats, Clinton leads Obama by a whopping 42-19; among Republicans, Giuliani leads McCain 29-15.

2. (d) The samurai sword, part of a weapons collection. Neighbors said the accused man was angry that his estranged wife's new companion was a sex offender.

3. (c) Stanton, of course. The finalists will be interviewed May 29 and 30.

4. (b) The Rays played their home stand at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Just an experiment to build a fan base, the team reassured its Tampa Bay home town. (You could also claim it was unusual because the Rays swept the three-game series, but hey, that wasn't one of the answers.)

5. (c) Litter washed in by drainage. St. Petersburg (just named a "green city") and Gulfport are squabbling over which is most at fault.

6. (c) St. Petersburg College, at a government-studies center that would bear Young's name. He helped get funding for the center.

7. (a) The Cypress Creek Town Center at I-75 and S.R. 56 in Pasco County. It would be one of the largest malls in the Bay area.

8. (a) Visits from the departed would be one of the things going on at a downtown spiritual counseling shop. The City Council approved the shop over the mayor's objection.

9. (c) Privatizing the accounting systems. Another case of "running the government like a business."

10. (d) Apparently not a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.

The First (And Maybe Only) TroxBlog Weekly News Quiz

Were you paying attention this week? Here's a quiz on a few headlines from this week's St. Petersburg Times. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the answers, or click on the story links to read for yourself. Have a great weekend!

1. Nature lovers were probably horrified to read that Florida has been giving developers a license simply to pave over burrows and suffocate these innocent creatures: (a) bunny rabbits (b) Florida panthers (c) roseate spoonbills (d) gopher tortoises.

2. What national scandal might now be reaching to Florida's colleges and universities? (a) financial aid officers involved with loan companies (b) point-shaving in athletic contests (c) widespread cheating on standardized tests (d) excessive drinking among mascots.

3. Good grief! Under the category of "everything is bad for you," a chemical linked to a particular lung disease is used in which everyday food product? (a) sour cream (b) breakfast pastries (c) butter-flavored microwave popcorn (d) hormone-free poultry.

4. Which of the following does the huge elections bill just passed by the Florida Legislature NOT do? (a) move our presidential primary to January (b) create a "none of the above" option (c) replace touch-screen voting machines (d) let Gov. Charlie Crist run for vice president without having to resign as governor.

5. Who described what person or object as having a remaining "shelf life" of five years? (a) the sentencing judge, speaking of Paris Hilton (b) the owners of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays about Tropicana Field (c) ABC executives about the television series Lost (d) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about Hillary Clinton.

6. On the basis of what alleged offense was this woman to the right, Shayla A. Muldrow, arrested in Tampa? (a) scalping tickets to a Florida Orchestra performance (b) trying to feed the animals at Lowry Park Zoo (c) asking for a refund of her property taxes at a meeting of the City Council (d) charging onto a school bus to get her daughter to fight another girl.

7. Florida’s new chief financial officer, Alex Sink, said at a conference in Tampa that Florida lags far behind other states in thinking about: (a) global warming (b) sea turtle extinction (c) bank fraud (d) Women in public office.

8. What was unusual in the arrest of Michael Wiley of Pasco County, who has had his driver’s license suspended or revoked nearly 20 times in 20 years? (a) he is a school bus driver (b) he is a race-car driver (c) he has no arms and one leg (d) he drives a car named “The General Lee” and runs moonshine.

9. Which potential presidential candidate came to town but blew off the question of a national catastrophic fund for hurricanes by saying, "That's Florida's issue"? (a) Newt Gingrich (b) the Rev. Jesse Jackson (c) Fred Thompson (d) Arnold Schwarzenegger.

10. "It'll be a twinkling, shimmering and radiant type of experience." The quote is about: (a) a new baseball stadium (b) Tampa's latest art-museum design (c) a replacement for OxyContin (d) the upcoming new web design for tampabay.com.

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And the answers:

1.  (d) Gopher tortoises.
2.  (a) The student-loan scandal.
3.  (c) Butter-flavored microwave popcorn.
4.  (b) A "none of the above" idea was considered, but not adopted.
5.  (b) Devil Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, speaking of the stadium.
6.  (d) Just another supportive parent.
7.  (a) Global warming. As it turns out, Florida has a lot of coastline…
8.  (c) A childhood accident cost him three limbs.
9.  (c) Thompson. Clearly a man not yet surrounded by professional panderers.
10. (b) The art museum. No more "urban canopy," sorry.