1. “Peril for pedestrians on rise in
this region” by Dale White of the Sarasota Herald Tribune
· This
article is about pedestrian safety. In a nationwide study by Smart Growth
America and its National Complete Streets Coalition, Florida was ranked the most
dangerous of the 50 states for pedestrians. The Sarasota area is now ranked fourth
most deadly region for pedestrians among the country’s 100 largest metropolitan
statistical areas. There have been about 235 pedestrian deaths in the Sarasota
area from 2008 to 2017. In that same period, drivers killed 49,340 pedestrians
in the United States. In the past decade, the death toll has increased 35
percent. The Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Florida
Department of Transportation are trying the “complete streets” approach but
have a long way to go.
· The
problem in this article is a concern over pedestrian safety. Many pedestrians
are being killed by drivers. Florida, in particular, is the most dangerous of
the 50 states for pedestrians. There needs to be a way of making it safer for pedestrians
on the roads.
· This
is a problem for pedestrians everywhere in the United States. Locally, it
affects the Florida Department of Transportation, any Florida pedestrian and it
also includes drivers who are at risk for hitting a pedestrian.
2. “Here’s one way to stop living
paycheck to paycheck” from the Gainesville Sun
· The
author talks about the importance of keeping a budget. The author talks about
how their grandmother used to budget and how many people should learn how to do
this task. A 2018 study conducted by the National Foundation for Credit
Counseling found that only 41 percent of people have a budget. The author claims
that people could avoid unnecessary hardship and be in a better financial place
if they just budget or budget better. Even though the article primarily talks
about those affected by the government shutdown, the advice the author gives
applies to all. The article also provides a few suggestions on how to budget.
· The
problem that is presented in the story is that people could be in a better financial
position, but they do not budget. People do not budget either because it has a
bad stigma, or they just simply do not have enough time.
· Anyone
can have this problem. At the moment this greatly affects those affected by the
government shutdown, but anyone who earns good money and struggles financially is
also affected by this problem.
3. “Schools consider ban on cellphones”
by Elizabeth Djinis of the Sarasota Herald Tribune
· The
Sarasota County School Board is debating a bill whether to allow cellphones in
the classroom. The current policy is that during school hours phones must be
turned off or are being used for educational purposes. Some feel the policy is
not being enforced well and that cellphones cause a disruption. Some teachers oppose
the ban since they use technology in their curriculum. Some parents also oppose
the ban because they want to be able to connection to their children due to
growing safety concerns at schools. There is currently talk about limiting
phone use in the lower grade levels.
· The
problem presented is that there is a common ground for those who want a ban of
cellphones in the classroom and those who want kids to have cellphones at school.
No matter which way this proposal goes, it creates problems either way for both
sides.
· Students
with cell phones, parents, teachers, and the Sarasota County School Board all
have this problem.
4. “Bills aim to relieve teacher
shortage” from the Sarasota Herald Tribune
· State
Senator Joe Gruters and State Representative Margaret Good have introduced
bipartisan legislation to solve the problem of having a shortage of qualified
substitute teacher available for public schools. The proposed legislation would
allow instructional staff to turn to substitute teaching immediately after
retirement while avoiding losses to retirement benefits. The current rule
states retired educators shall lose some benefits if they are rehired by any
school district within the first six months of retirement. Currently, there is
a shortage of qualified substitute teachers which has led to increases in full
time teacher vacancies.
· The
problem presented by this article is that there is currently a shortage of
substitute teachers in the school system due to current legislation which has
led to many full-time teacher vacancies. If the bill does not pass, then there will
continue to be a shortage. Even if the bill does pass, it still does not solve
the problem of having full-time vacancies, it just creates a temporary
solution.
· The
people affected by this problem are retired educators, the schools, teachers
ready to retire, and the students who are in need of qualified educators.
5. “The problems I can’t unsee – reflections
on a race” by Kayser Enneking of the Gainesville Sun
· In
this article Kayser Enneking reflects on her campaign experience. She often met
people who spoke up and showed leadership on key issues while others just
simply ignored these issues. She noticed the gap between the social classes and
availability of resources. Her biggest belief is that there should be easier
access to health care in District 8 (Alachua, Putnam, and Marion counties).
· Enneking
presents two problems in this article. The first is the access to health care.
There are currently access problems to the health care system. Some say it is
currently hard to navigate and there is no clear guidance. Others are saying
the financial costs are too high.
· The
second problem she briefly mentioned was dark money, which is funds raised to influence
elections by nonprofits who do not have to disclose the identity of any donors.
There is not currently a way of regulating where the dark money comes from and
how it is influencing elections.
· The
people affected by these problems are the people of Senate District 8 who can
not access health care easily and campaign teams.
Hey Avery, great assignment. I found all your articles to be interesting and thought provoking. I found the article about limiting phone use in schools to be particularly interesting. I used my phone a lot in high school, sometimes for school, but mostly as a distraction. But there are a lot of good reasons to keep phones in school, which you have mentioned, such as growing safety concerns.
ReplyDeleteOverall I think you did a great job with this post. It was organized and interesting to read. I found your first point particularly interesting. I would not have thought Florida would rank so high for pedestrian danger. One thing I believe you could improve on in the future is the use of subheadings. It would help the reader follow along easier.
ReplyDeleteHey there Avery!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I noticed was that you also did an article on Kayser Enneking! I'm glad to see that we both share an interest and see an opportunity in the communal situation that is going on around Gainesville today. You did a great job of describing the opportunity that was at hand and I feel like I got a great understanding of the points you were making.
Keep doing well!