Article 1 – Forecasters say be prepared as Irma grows, to strengthen
By: Ryan Gillespie and Christal
Hayes
Summary:
This article, from Monday September 4, 2017, focuses on the potential problem
that is Hurricane Irma. Irma, a now a strong category 3, is barreling toward
many of the Caribbean islands, however, at the moment we do not know how the
hurricane will impact Florida. The article stresses caution and preparedness as
more information is gathered in the next few days.
Problem:
The effect that Hurricane Irma will have on the state of Florida. The storm
could gain strength and become a category 4 with devastating power. We also do
not know the path Irma could so the impact may or may not be direct. It will be
hard for the people of Florida to accurately prepare their homes, business, and
themselves for the hurricane until more information is given.
People:
Floridians and tourists. Travel and staying in the state can be dangerous,
especially if the hurricane makes landfall in Florida.
Article 2 – Expand the bus services in northwest
Gainesville
By: Corinna
Gaster
Summary: This article is an opinion article that addresses an
issue with weekend buses in northwest Gainesville. Gaster describes the lack of
buses and the inconvenience and possible dangers that this causes. She even
provides some suggestions to alleviate this problem, such as imposing a 25-cent
increase on tickets after 6 pm and on weekends.
Problem:
The lack of buses that run through northwest Gainesville. This lack of
buses in turn causes more problems as well. For example, evening shift workers
at the hospitals. They have no way to get home after 10 p.m. when the buses go
offline. Now they either walk, Uber, taxi, or have a friend pick them up. People
walking home at night can even prove to be dangerous. Businesses and places of
worship can also suffer from the lack of buses on the weekends as people may
not be willing to go out if the buses only come in two-hour intervals.
People:
Northwest Gainesville: people living there, working there, people who do not have
access to cars, businesses, places of worship, Santa Fe students.
Article 3 – RTS sees drop in ridership
By: Jessica
Giles
Summary: This article is about the declining ridership rates of
RTS and other transit agencies. The writer, Jessica Giles, interviewed two
students at the UF campus about their opinions of the busing system. Both girls
agreed that the transit systems face competition from cars, scooters, and
walking.
Problem:
The increase in the number of scooters and cars that students own. It is
more convenient to own a car or a scooter on campus, especially when gas prices
are down. Also, more and more apartment complexes are built closer to campus.
This makes walking easier for students and they do not have to rely on a bus to
get to campus.
People:
Students, faculty, staff, and people outside of the UF campus who rely on
buses.
Article 4 – New approach needed for animal hoarding
By: unknown
Summary: This article talks about animal hoarding
issues and briefly describes local cases. Animal hoarding hurts the animals,
themselves, but it also can affect public resources. The article also describes
the need for a way to make animal hoarding easier to handle. A new proposal
seeks to provide treatment rather than only punishment.
Problem: Hoarding can be expensive and
it also requires a new approach to help those affected. The articles states
that it can cost a lot of money to clean up and house the pets. Also, the main
issue appears to be that punishment alone is not helping combat the problem. Senator
Dorothy Hukill believes that punishment alone does not help those affected by
hoarding understand the disregard for animal life.
People: people in the community of the
hoarder, animal services, animal hoarders
Article 5 – Beware Scam Artists in Disaster’s Wake
By: Beth Buczynski
Summary:
The
article details 9 scammers that can emerge in the wake of disaster. These shady
characters can take many forms, such as fake contractors and government agents.
The writer, Beth Buczynski, also mentions tips and tricks on how to avoid these
problems, such as using calling your own insurance agents or hanging up the
phone.
Problem: Although this article was
written following Hurricane Harvey, it still pertains the Florida as Irma makes
its way toward the state. The problem is how to stop these scammers from
finding victims after natural disasters. People just want to help others who
were affected or they want to piece their life back together. Right on the only
protection that is available is to be informed and always ask questions if
something does not feel right.
People: victims and communities impacted
by natural diasters
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteAll of these articles are very good at presenting problems. You describe the problems very well. The article that struck me the most was Article 5. The fact that scam artists would rob somebody's house in the middle of a natural disaster is a huge problem. I don't even know what a solution to this problem would be but I think it is important to investigate it further.
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you did two articles on the bus system in Gainesville, particularly the one about the buses at night. I live near the hospital and few to no buses run by my apartment at night and it is incredibly frustrating. Other than that, I think you presented all of the problems well.
Hey Lauren,
ReplyDeleteAwesome articles you picked, I actually did assignment #4 on Gainesville RTS. all of the articles described problems around the Gainesville and surrounding areas that I think we could all relate to, especially the hurricane irma article. I never knew that there is actually scam artist that use disaster relief in their favor... such a shame. your formatting of summary, problem, people is one that I wish I would have used myself as it looks very professional. Great job on interpreting these articles.