1) BUS WHEEL DETACHES, TRAGEDY NARROWLY AVOIDED
2) PUSHERS USE DRONE TO SIGNAL THEIR PRESENCE
3) AVALANCHE, FAMILIES ISOLATED FOR 16 MONTHS
4) ANTI-TREKKERS TRAPS IN THE WOODS

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Title: Buried
Author: The Passion HiFi
License: Creative Commons Attribution
Links: https://www.youtube.com/thepassionhifi
https://soundcloud.com/freehiphopbeatsforyou/free-the-passion-hifi-buried

LINKS TO THE ARTICLES
https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/pisa/cronaca/2021/02/19/news/si-stacca-il-volante-mentre-il-bus-viaggia-1.39927280
https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/pisa/cronaca/2021/02/20/news/bus-per-il-volante-staccato-ipotesi-difetto-di-fabbricazione-1.39932333
https://www.lanazione.it/prato/cronaca/cocaina-drone-arresti-montecatini-1.6046307
https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/lucca/cronaca/2021/02/19/news/sotto-la-strada-che-porta-alla-loro-casa-c-e-il-vuoto-1.39928900
https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/massa/cronaca/2021/02/19/news/rami-inchiodati-a-venti-centimetri-trappola-per-biker-ed-escursionisti-1.39929067

SCRIPT
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you may be, however you might be listening, welcome to another episode of What’s Up Tuscany, the daily podcast from L’Arno where you’ll find the most interesting stories of today, Sunday February 21st 2021, as selected by our journalists. While we celebrate the first week of this podcast, we thought to have a special episode, where you’ll find some of the news that we weren’t able to cover, something of a “rest of the week” episode. If you like what we do, please subscribe and share this episode on your social media accounts.

Let’s start with a story that could have had much more serious consequences. As we read Friday on the Pisa edition of Il Tirreno, during a regular run of the 5 line, the wheel of a CTT Nord bus literally collapsed. When the driver tried to bring it back to its normal position, the entire structure detached from the dashboard, making the bus impossible to drive. Thankfully the bus was driving slowly and there weren’t any oncoming cars. Slamming on the brake avoided the worst but the three passengers were understandably shaken. Had it happened in the crowded streets downtown, the consequences would have been tragic. The reactions to this story forced the company which runs the bus lines in the provinces of Pisa, Lucca, Leghorn and Massa Carrara to temporarily retire 12 similar buses. Apparently, it would be a construction fault, not something caused by poor maintenance as many suspected. The company that built the bus has started an inquiry to find out what caused the accident. Better late than never but, at least, we hope that this fault will be fixed before a real tragedy happens.

Moving on to a curious article we read yesterday on the Prato edition of La Nazione. A couple of creative Moroccan pushers had come up with a rather weird method to signal their presence to possible buyers: flying a small orange drone on their favourite turf, a public park on Viale Galilei, in Prato. The couple thought it best to avoid using their mobile phones, as the police could be monitoring their conversations. Sure, as flying an orange drone in an area where children play is surely much less conspicuous… After being arrested, the Carabinieri found 108 grams of cocaine in their car and 412 grams in their homes, for a total value of around 52000 Euros. Next time, I don’t know, why don’t you fly a big kite? No one’s going to notice that!

Next is a story of ordinary disservices that is making the lives of several families in Bagni di Lucca miserable. For the past 16 months, their houses are isolated, as the only road that connects them to the outside world has been blocked by an avalanche. According to the article we read Friday on the Lucca edition of Il Tirreno, a few days ago the husband of Santina Rastrelli fainted in their home in Mulino di Burica. Luckily he came back to his senses shortly afterwards, as the ambulance couldn’t reach their house. The paved road has been blocked by an avalanche and the alternative trail is only available in the summer, when a small stream is low. When consulted, local authorities were quick to pass the buck around, as usual. The municipality requested 320000 Euros from the regional funds back in December 2019 but the project wasn’t deemed a priority. The various families living there have been left alone, forced to walk for miles just to make sure that their trash is collected. According to them, the small trail is dangerous and, in the summer, many mountain bike riders go there. Without being warned, a serious accident is definitely around the corner. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t take a tragedy to finally start turning the cumbersome wheels of the bureaucratic machine.
Let’s close today’s episode with another story coming from the wooded mountains of our region that we read Friday on the Massa edition of Il Tirreno. The people of Caprigliola, a picturesque town perched on the hills in the Aulla municipality, were startled when a group of trekking enthusiasts reported the presence of several traps on their favourite pathways. The home-made traps were composed of thick boards with several very sharp spikes, hidden in the mud and placed strategically to inflict serious, possibly lethal, injuries. Daniele Mastorci, president of a local association, pointed out how the authors had also cut some small trees, nailing them to bigger ones around 20 centimeters from the ground, so that they would hit whoever went there with a mountain bike. The association will denounce the authors but it’s also planning to remove these dangerous devices as soon as possible. A dozen volunteers will soon get there with spades, pickaxes and a small excavator to make sure no one gets injured while enjoying nature in our wonderful woods.

That was all for today, I’m your host Luca Bocci and I’ll see you tomorrow with another “normal” episode of What’s Up Tuscany, the daily podcast from L’Arno where you will find the news that, according to us, are well worth a second look. Thanks for listening and goodbye!