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You a news hound? Prove it
It could have been worse. Yes, wild dogs and an unruly rooster ran amok in 2005. But the killer hurricanes missed us entirely. So count your blessings and test your news knowledge with our semiannual North Pinellas news quiz..
By Times staff writers
Published December 31, 2005
1. Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard's first pitch at a Phillies spring training game:
A. Caused the Phillie Phanatic to fall to the ground, laughing and pointing.
B. Elicited the cackles of City Council colleagues.
C. Traveled only a few feet.
D. Sadly, all of the above.
2. Belleair resident Hulk Hogan got in trouble for:
A. Front yard WrestleMania.
B. Letting road crew of the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best camp inside Town Hall.
C. Keeping up to 25 animals, including six dogs, three French hens, two cats, 11 birds and a rooster named Lilly at his 2.3-acre spread.
D. Putting up a road sign saying "Welcome to Hulkopolis."
3. Contractors decided to use 85 explosive charges instead of a wrecking ball to demolish the 14-story Adam's Mark Hotel on Clearwater Beach because it was:
A. Quicker.
B. Safer.
C. Less of a nuisance.
D. So, so cool.
4. From June to August, workers on Pinellas beaches picked up this many tons of dead fish killed by Red Tide:
A. 32
B. 73
C. 237
D. 732
5. Neighbors worried that a proposed crematory in Largo would:
A. Lower property values.
B. Make noise.
C. Pollute the air.
D. Have a drive-through.
6. A pack of wild dogs at Wall Springs Park forced two maintenance workers to:
A. Shinny up a pine tree.
B. Consider a career change.
C. Flee in a golf cart.
D. Toss a pork chop in one direction and run in the other.
7. A public mural showing Oldsmar in the early 1900s had to be touched up because City Council member Janice Miller said it included:
A. A figure who looked too much like Mayor Jerry Beverland.
B. Scary dogs.
C. A newsboy hawking TV Guide.
D. The space shuttle.
8. With the opening of Clearwater's new Memorial Causeway bridge, the old bridge is being:
A. Kept as is, just in case.
B. Transformed into a pedestrian promenade.
C. Turned into the track for a monorail to the beach.
D. Donated to the city of Pinellas Park.
9. Thanks to the County Commission, residents of Ozona and Crystal Beach can now legally:
A. Throw block parties.
B. Make the Ozona Pig their mascot.
C. Drive golf carts on their streets.
D. Hold community meetings at Molly Goodhead's.
10. When Pinellas County held an open casting call for spots on cable TV shows about county government, the audition attracted 500 people, including:
A. A fire-eater.
B. A dogcatcher.
C. A female impersonator.
D. A former Romper Room host.
E. All of the above.
11. The Clearwater City Council decided to address noise complaints at the annual Next Big Thing rock concert by:
A. Letting Ronda Storms work the soundboard.
B. Staging a competing oldies concert.
C. Fining the emcees if they lob the F-bomb.
D. Making bands sign a no-cursing pledge.
12. The Oldsmar Flea Market bought newspaper ads to deny that it was:
A. Changing its name.
B. Moving.
C. Closing.
D. Going condo.
13. Dunedin city officials told a developer to stop work on a four-story building because they feared it was:
A. Unwanted.
B. Unpermitted.
C. Unattractive.
D. Unsafe.
14. In her role as Tarpon Springs mayor, Beverley Billiris:
A. Wrestled Hulk Hogan.
B. Faced her fear of drowning.
C. Got Tasered.
D. Wore a beard of bees.
15. At one point, Clearwater City Council members debated:
A. Who would win: Batman or Spiderman.
B. Whether real and fake Christmas trees are the same.
C. What color the city's seal should be.
D. Why would anyone swim across Clearwater Harbor.
16. When Largo police demonstrated a Segway Human Transporter, a seventh-grader asked:
A. "What does it run on?"
B. "How long does it go?"
C. "How fast does it go?"
D. "Can you put spinners on that?"
E. All of the above.
Answers:
1. D
2. C
3. A, B and C
4. D
5. A, B and C
6. C
7. A
8. B
9. C
10. E
11. C
12. C
13. D, though many people complained that it was ugly, too.
14. B and C. Billiris learned to scuba dive so that she would deliver an underwater speech to a visiting group of diving enthusiasts.
15. B
16. E
Compiled by Aaron Sharockman, Nicole Johnson, Katherine Lee and Richard Danielson.
[Last modified December 31, 2005, 01:02:18]
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