Identifying Local Opportunities

Local Opportunity #1:
Article Title: Alachua County Animal Services Dogs Under Quarantine Following Outbreak
Article Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/alachua-county-animal-services-dogs-under-quarantine-following-outbreak/article_ce4a266a-7d16-11e9-bf8e-1f0fc346e0ff.html
Article Summary: This article discusses the outbreak of canine distemper that has occurred in the Alachua County kennel. Six dogs were euthanized due to the outbreak and many programs have been cancelled for fear of other dogs catching the virus. The disease is carried by wildlife, unvaccinated strays, and under-vaccinated dogs. The humane society is urging people to make sure that their dogs are vaccinated properly to help stop the spread of the disease.
The Problem: Many dogs are being under-vaccinated or are unvaccinated, which is causing the spread of viruses like canine distemper and resulting in the deaths of many dogs.
Who Has The Problem: The problem lies with both dog owners and people running the animal shelters. Dog owners must be concerned about their own dogs catching the virus, and the people running the animal shelters have to make difficult decisions about how to contain the virus and prevent it in the future.

Local Opportunity #2:
Article Title: FWC Warning: Beware of Leaping Sturgeon
Article Link: https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190521/fwc-warning-beware-of-leaping-sturgeon?template=ampart
Article Summary: This article discusses the danger posed to boaters and fisherman by leaping sturgeon. During the summer months, the sturgeon come into the Suwannee, and although they have no intention have hurting boaters, can do so when jumping out of the water and landing in a boat. The article reminds boaters about the importance of wearing life jackets and avoiding standing on the bow of the boat to protect themselves from these bony-plated fish.
The Problem: Boaters are at risk of being injured by gulf sturgeon that are migrating into the Suwannee River.
Who Has The Problem: Boaters who are or are planning to spend time on the Suwannee River

Local Opportunity #3:
Article Title: I-4 widening will bring trucks within yards of children's playground, alarmed residents say
Article Link: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-i4-trucks-rest-stop-barrier-wall-20190524-r3ozbhd4pzez5anawba5jhm5iq-story.html
Article Summary: This article discusses the problem that many residents of a neighborhood in Seminole County are having with the expansion of I-4. The expansion, which is scheduled to begin in the fall, will result in many trees being cut down and an exiting ramp being build only a few meters from a neighborhood playground. Many citizens are concerned that this could potentially lead to people being injured by cars veering off the road or the creation of large amounts of noise and fuel exhaust. Their request was that a wall be built between the community area and the rest stop or exit ramp, but their request does not seem like it will be met due to the additional cost.
The Problem: The creation of a rest stop and an additional exit ramp along I-4 is inciting fear in the residents of a Seminole County neighborhood.
Who Has The Problem: Residents of the neighborhood that will be encroached upon by the planned exit ramp and truck stop.

Local Opportunity #4: 
Article Title: Airliner skids into St. Johns River at NAS Jacksonville
Article Link: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190503/airliner-skids-into-st-johns-river-at-nas-jacksonville
Article Summary: On May 3rd, 2019, a Boeing 737, flying from Cuba to Jacksonville ran off the end of the runway and into the St. Johns River where it became partially submerged during a storm. Out of the 136 passengers and 7 crew on board, 21 were transported to hospitals after the accident for non life-threatening injuries. Many are blaming the accident on the stormy weather which caused limited visibility and a slick runway, but the accident is still under investigation.
The Problem: A plane that was flown into stormy weather ended up rolling off of a Jacksonville runway into the St. Johns River.
Who Has The Problem: The people aboard the flight were faced with this problem, as well as the staff for the airport, and the team responsible for the aircraft.

Local Opportunity #5: 
Article Title: Crash on U.S. 1 leaves 3 injured
Article Link:  https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AKWCB%21Key%2BWest%2BCitizen%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0525%21May%2B25&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/173A6DF652F08E78
Article Summary: A driver going southbound in the northbound lane of U.S. 1 in Saddlebunch Key led to a multi-car accident on the two-lane highway. The two drivers who were hit in the northbound lane tried to move out of the way of the driver going south but were unable to move completely due to the small amount of space on the highway. This crash led a multi-hour full roadblock and three people being injured.
The Problem: An accident on U.S. 1, a major two lane highway, led to a full roadblock and multiple people being injured because they were unable to get out of the way of the driver.
Who Has The Problem: The two drivers who could not get out of the way of the other and the people who were stuck on U.S. 1 for over an hour with no alternative routes to pass the roadblock.

Comments

  1. Alex,
    Oh my gosh, all of these articles are so sad and so wrong! I think the opportunities you have found in these problems are great ones to focus on to solve. From the dogs to the playgrounds and the Jacksonville plane, all of them would be a step in the right direction. Thanks for sharing!
    Lauren

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  2. Hi Alex! I agree with Lauren, all of these articles are so gruesome and sad. Do you think that it's easier to find an opportunity in situations that have huge problems? If so, I agree. I feel as though its easier to come up with solutions for problems once the problem has occurred. It's easier to be reactive as opposed to proactive.

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  3. Hi Alex, You chose some very interesting stories. I was very alarmed when I read the one about the plane accident. I am from Cuba, and I am always watching news about Cuba, but I didn’t know about this terrible accident until now. I was happy to learn that not a lot of people were injured in this awful situation. Great job on your assignment!

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  4. Hey Alex I like the stories you pick very different for a lot of stories. I thought it was funny on the guy who was driving on the wrong side of the road. I thought that was a very cool one. But at the same time it was very stupid what the driver did. Another one I like was the plan crash and the problem was that we should have emergency tires so it would not just slip of the road like that.

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  5. Hi Alex! I thought your local news stories were very well picked and these definitely depict problems. Your assignment was very well laid out which made it easy to read and understand. I found it relatively difficult to find local news that solely talked about problems, but you seem to have found great stories for this assignment. I really look forward to reading more of your blog posts!

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  6. Hi Alex!
    I find all your stories to have been very well picked out. All five concern a different group of people and it opens the room for a great opportunity to focus on. I think out of all five the one with the biggest opportunity would be number three: I-4 widening will bring trucks within yards of children's playground, alarmed residents say. Like you said this presents a huge problem to the residents that live around this area. Looking forward to reading more of your posts!

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  7. Hey Alex,

    I really enjoyed your post! First of all, I think you chose some very interesting articles. In particular, I was very intrigued by the article about the airliner that skidded into the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. Personally, I found it quite difficult to find good articles but you seemed to have done it with ease. I also thought that the organization of your post was very well done, making it easy for me to read.

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  8. Hey Alex, I liked the different problems that you were able to bring to light in your post. we really take for granted how easy we are able to travel around. There are sea farers and pilots as well as their passengers whose lives could depend on the weather, and being able to come up with solutions to mitigate the negative effects that it could have on their way of life is very important.

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