ONLINE TRICKS, ROUNDHOUSE KICKS, GAS STICKS, ANGRY HICKS

The news cycle was absolutely dominated today by the failed bailout bill. There wasn’t really room for anything else. At The Palmetto Scoop, however, our biggest story was the rumored firing of Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden.

But, believe it or not, there were a bunch of other things going on in South Carolina. Such as:

• CHAS PD BUSTS ONLINE HOOKERS — The Charleston County Vice Squad (paging Don Johnson) is proving that it can use the Interwebs by successfully busting prostitutes on Craigslist. One undercover detective called said the operation has been, “pretty successful” and rhetorically asked, “Fishing in a barrel? pretty much.” I ask, could he find a less appropriate cliche than “fish in a barrel” for this situation?

• NORRIS ROUNDHOUSE KICKS FURMAN PARKING — International superstar Chuck Norris is speaking at Furman University in Greenville tonight to promote his new bestselling book, “Black Belt Patriotism.” Reports are that there’s a lot of kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu on display, but it’s mostly from students in the parking lot who can’t find a place to park for class. I guess that’s what they get for going to Furman.

• GAS CRISIS LEAVES SC STRANDED — I had to go to about 10 gas stations over the weekend just to fill up my car. And if you live in Greenville, Spartanburg or a number of other urban areas across the state, you’re probably experiencing a similar problem. AAA Carolinas said they have seen a 25 percent increase in car towing over the last few weeks in parts of South Carolina where availability was scarce. Also scarce: Viewers for last Friday night’s debate.

• ROAD RAGE FINES? REALLY? — Only in bass-ackwards Anderson County would someone be fined for road rage. Unfortunately for 37-year-old Michael Young, he lives in Anderson County. He probably should have thought of that before he decided to “initiate road rage” on Friday — whatever the hell that means — and was slapped with a $1,562.50 fine or 60 days in jail.