Identifying Local Opportunities

Identifying Local Opportunities

1.- 5 Dead in North Carolina as Florence brings heavy flooding and power outages

• https://www.gainesville.com/zz/news/20180914/5-dead-in-north-carolina-as-florence-brings-heavy-flooding-and-power-outages
• Hurricane Florence has left five people dead and destroyed everything it has in front. It is a category 1 (Slow-motion) hurricane that now we can see it is deadly.
• The problem is that even though is a category 1 hurricane, because of its slow pace it destroys everything in its path. People are dying because of it and it can take several days for the hurricane to leave.
• There are multiple individuals with this problem. People trying to not lose their houses and their own lives. The Governor that is in charge of the city and its people has most of the responsibility of what the outcome might be.

2.- Prisoner kills cellmate in prison north of Gainesville

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20180914/prisoner-kills-cellmate-in-prison-north-of-gainesville
• There was a fight between ten inmates in the Columbia Correctional Institution, where one of the inmates killed his cellmate, Larry Mark. 
• The problem is that there was not an efficient security to stop the incident, so that means more "incidents" may happen and the Annex has to be ready for it. 
• The problem is mainly for the Institution because an inmate died inside and there is a huge process to follow after the news is out. Also, the problem is for the inmate that killed him because even though he is already in jail, his years are going up after this.

3.- Motorcyclist dies following crash on Clark Butler Blvd

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20180914/motorcyclist-dies-following-crash-on-clark-butler-blvd
• A red pickup truck killed Miguel Rubio on Clark Butler Blvd intersection. There was a red light and he was going between the cars when suddenly the truck was on his path.
• The main problem is the one that the pickup rider has for crashing and killing Miguel. The other problem is the congestion this crash generated on the road.
• The problem applies to the city of Gainesville police and fire department as well as for the guy that was driving the pickup truck.  Since one crashed Miguel and killed him and the other ones had to act quick effectively aiding and clearing the road.

4.- FDA: E-cigarettes us an 'epidemic' among teens

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20180912/fda-e-cigarette-use-epidemic-among-teens
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is worried that the use of E-cigarettes, more specifically talking about the usage of "Jull" among teens.
• The problem is that the easy availability of this product has made teens of various ages addicted, more than regular cigarettes in past generations. 
• The problem, in this case, affects teens health because of the huge amount of nicotine in each "pod." Each pod can be compared to a whole pack of 20 cigarettes, teens smoke a pod in 2-4 days.

5.- City approves GRU rate increase, budget

• https://www.gainesville.com/news/20180906/city-approves-gru-rate-increase-budget
• Because GRU is under a really tight budget at the moment, they presented a plan to the city of Gainesville for a rate increase to the people of Gainesville.
• The problem is that a rise in rates might affect most of their customers. There are people in a tight budget already and this might affect their expenses.
• The problem is to the citizens of Gainesville that will receive an increase in their bill and because GRU is a utility monopoly, they do not have another option.