Identifying Local Opportunities - Assignment 5A

"Expect more heat, possible thunderstorms" by Sarah Nelson, Gainesville Sun

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190526/expect-more-heat-possible-thunderstorms
• Earlier this week, Gainesville expected record-breaking weather conditions for heat. This prediction came true in that the week has been characterized by hot, dry weather. Starting today, the weather should let up a little bit, but locals should still expect relatively high temperatures for the time of year. This upcoming weekend will likely be marked by a plethora of thunderstorms; therefore, people should plan accordingly.
• The problem is that people in the Gainesville community aren't used to the blistering heat we have experienced this past week. Around this time of year, people are expecting temperatures around 80-90 degrees. The shockingly hot summer days are going to cause people to spend more money on air conditioning which poses an opportunity for A/C companies.
• The people with the problem are those who live in the Alachua county community. Anyone in this area that pays for A/C to cool their houses will have to pay a bigger bill for the next billing cycle.

"Hot in Gainesville: Record-setting heat sparks wildfire worries" by Joe Callahan, Gainesville Sun

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190530/hot-in-gainesville-record-setting-heat-sparks-wildfire-worries
• The temperature over the past five days have sparked wildfire concerns in Alachua County. Record-breaking heat indexes have rightfully given locals a reason to fear. At the same time, there has been little to no rain in the past 25 days. Considering there has been unusually hot temperatures and no rain in the area, the odds that wildfires occur have spiked. On top of that, high winds are expected this weekend which could potentially ignite brush fires.
• The problem is that people are concerned their houses/property will catch on fire which could be a huge expense. Also, people are worried about their safety. This poses an opportunity for lawn maintenance companies to come in and provide more landscaping services. People are going to want their trees and bushes to be trimmed more so this weekend than usual so that they are less prone to a wildfire. These same people may also want their sprinklers running in tip top shape so that their yards aren't so dry.
• The people who have this problem are Alachua County residents. Any homeowner that is exposed to a lot of forestry has reason to worry even more so. If people live on a big property where it is hard to get sprinklers to all of their land, they may be worried even more so about the extremely high wind gusts, high temperatures, and little rainfall.

"Chief outlines efforts to curb gun violence" by Daniel Smithson, Gainesville Sun

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190529/chief-outlines-efforts-to-curb-gun-violence
• The Gainesville Police Chief has called for an end to gun violence. He has publicly stated that the city will not tolerate such behavior and stricter guidelines for gun use and operation will soon be enforced. Police Chief Tony Jones has pointed out that there has been an increase in gun violence that has been reported compared to last year's numbers.
• The problem here is that people believe that carrying a gun without a license isn't as big of a deal as it really is. Carrying a gun without a license is a criminal charge and should not be taken lightly. Therefore, there is an opportunity here to impose sanctions on first-time gun offenders so that they can be guaranteed certainty of punishment if they are to break gun laws.
• The people with the problem here would be all residents of Gainesville since their lives are increasingly put in danger because of a lack of sanctions. Also, law enforcement are in danger of gun violence when they make routine traffic stops, drug busts, etc.

"Truck driver burned in crash remains hospitalized" by Austin L. Miller, Gainesville Sun

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190528/truck-driver-burned-in-crash-remains-hospitalized
• A local truck driver was commuting with a trailer attached to the semi truck he was driving. A car was broken down on the side of the road, and the truck driver clipped the car. After the initial crash, the truck continued on to hit a guard rail and then a few tress which flipped the semi on its side. The semi then became engulfed in flames which led to severe burns on the body of the truck driver who is currently fighting for his life in the hospital.
• The problem here is that a trucker struck a car that was pulled over on the side of the road. According to the news story, the car wasn't sticking out onto the trucker's lane. However, it must've been close enough to the road for the semi to be able to strike it. This case highlights the need for faster assistance when cars have to pull over. Maybe if the car was tended to in a shorter period of time this would've never happened.
• The people with the problem here are people that own their own cars and drive on the interstate. People are in need of an affordable roadside service that is able to meet people's needs in a short amount of time.

"First measles, now mumps -- Alachua County high on list" by Dylan Rudolph, Gainesville Sun

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190529/first-measles-now-mumps---alachua-county-high-on-list
• Mumps is a contagious virus that is characterized by high fevers, muscle aches, and headaches. It only takes shared glasses and saliva to transmit mumps. With the comeback of mumps in Florida, officials have paid close attention to its spread and Alachua County ranks high on the list of areas to have a large amount of infected people. 
• The problem is that mumps is a hard virus to contain, considering heavily vaccinated areas are prone to its spread as well. The Florida Department of Health needs to do a better job at notifying people of this terrible virus and what can spread it. If people become aware that such an awful thing can result from sharing glasses and saliva with other people, they may avoid swapping germs more intently which could cause a decrease in the cases in the area.
• The people with the problem are those who share glasses and saliva with other people. If one does neither of those things, it would be extremely unlikely that they would acquire the virus. People need to be more careful about swapping germs with others.