·
“Irma sends 1,800 to shelters, shuts off power
for thousands” The Gainesville Sun
o
In this article, the author
discusses the severe power outages that have spread throughout Gainesville
because of Hurricane Irma. She says that the outages are mostly on the West
side of the city but Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) still has their work
cut out for them. The author goes on to say that, at one point, over 5,000
Gainesville residents were without power. She also talks about the extent to
which the University of Florida and the city of Gainesville have gone to
shelter those in need of refuge from the horrific storm.
o
Problems:
1) To make matters worse, GRU released a statement that said
city residents may not get their power back for up to two weeks. 2) Some shelters,
such as the one designated for special needs refugees, were filled up before or
right as the storm hit Gainesville. Similarly, Southwest Recreation Center filled
up before the harshest part of the storm hit Alachua County.
o
People:
Residents of the city of Gainesville who have lost power and refuges who have
come to Gainesville to seek shelter from Hurricane Irma.
·
“County getting closer
to a deal with Uber, Lyft
A few safety issues need to be resolved, official says - A few safety issues
need to be resolved, official says” The Tampa Tribune
o
In this article, the author briefly talks about
the troubles that Uber and Lyft are having with bringing their ride sharing
business to Hillsborough County. For the last two years, Uber has been operating
in Tampa without a license to do so. Because of their illegal activity, their
drivers have accrued numerous tickets. Now, after seeing many other cities make
deals with Uber, Tampa is willing to do the same. However, as part of the background
check that the city is requiring, Uber drivers must submit a record of their
fingerprints to the city. Uber is against this condition and is trying to
workout a deal with Tampa that will allow its drivers to work legally and not
require a fingerprint to obtain the proper licensing.
o
Problem: Uber
is working illegally in the city of Tampa and it is arguing to repeal the
condition that fingerprinting is required as part of its drivers background
check.
o
People:
Uber, Tampa residents that use/would use Uber, and the city counsel.
·
“Fuchs, UF push back against Trump's DACA move”
The Gainesville Sun
o
In this article, the author talks about the
Trump Administrations position on rescinding the DACA act. Should this act be rescinded,
thousands of undocumented immigrants will be at risk of losing their work visas
and being deported. Many universities, including the University of Florida,
have pushed back against Trump’s move and have written letters to both the
president and congress that strongly urged the two to keep the DACA act in
place.
o
Problem: Undocumented
immigrants could be at risk of deportation.
o
People: Undocumented
immigrants, their friends, and family.
·
“Labor coalition calls on Santa Fe to increase
wages” The Gainesville Sun
o
In this article, the author discusses the need
for a living wage for those working at Sante Fe College. He says that the ceiling
for pay has been rising for years but the floor has not moved. In other words,
the top brass at Sante Fe have been increasing their pay while the minimum wage
workers have yet to see a change. The author gives several examples of other institutions
raising the minimum pay to an amount that is considered “livable” by many. Though
there is a labor union fighting for a higher minimum wage, Sante Fe College is
reluctant to oblige.
o
Problem: Sante
Fe College is unwilling to raise their pay from minimal to livable.
o
People:
Sante Fe staff who are currently paid at the minimum wage level
·
“After years of growth, RTS seeing ridership drop”
The Gainesville Sun
o
In this article, the author talks
about the decline in ridership on the RTS busses. Up until recently, the busses
have seen an annual increase in ridership. However, now that scooters are
becoming a more popular mode of transportation and apartment buildings are
becoming closer and closer to campus, the need for RTS busses has significantly
declined. The author believes that the decline in ridership is due to multiple
reasons and that the only way to rev up the numbers will be to find new express
routes that will prove to be of high demand for students.
o
Problem:
RTS ridership has been declining and the transportation committee cannot figure
out exactly why. Also, the challenge for coming up with new bus routes has been
presented.
o
People:
The Transportation Committee, students, people who rely on the RTS bus, and bus
drivers.
Cody,
ReplyDeleteI thought all of your articles were interesting and provided local opportunity, however the one that struck me most was that the number of people riding the RTS buses declined. As a sophomore at UF, I have noticed an increase in scooters and vehicle traffic and a decline in the number of people on the buses as the article states. I think once people get scooters or cars they have no need to take the bus, and as a result the numbers are dropping. Hopefully they will bounce back soon so that those who need the bus services can continue to enjoy them!