NEW GAME
Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia F. O’Connell and her agency announced the start of sales for Mega Millions lottery tickets this week. That marked the end for the controversial Lucky Lines game which turned out to be a flop with its outrageous odds.

SUPER BUG
A new drug-resistant strain of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease, has been found in Hawaii. Officials say it’s not the same strain that is wreaking havoc around the globe but it is causing concern that it could become worse than the AIDS epidemic, so much so that Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has asked Congress for $50 million to begin conducting research for new treatments for the infectious disease that was once easily controlled with simple antibiotics such as penicillin.

ABSOLUTE FOOLISHNESS
Gov. Rick Scott’s education reforms include a ridiculous provision in which teacher evaluations, pay raises and job status will be based on a school’s score on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).

DRIVE-BY ARREST
A 14-year-old boy with a long history of arrests has been charged with participating in a drive-by shooting.  He is facing charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is currently being held as a juvenile but could be charged as an adult.