Identifying Local Opportunities

1. "Mandating recess isn't the right play"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8D0EEE01FD0E0?p=AWNB
This article talks about how mandating recess will only make things worse for elementary school students. Kids need the time to go outside and play and interact with one another in a way that does not include teachers being shadows. It has also been proven that when kids have free time to play, they do a better job in school. The Pinellas County School Board considered a resolution that would encourage elementary schools to offer recess. In addition, Linda Lerner, a board member, believes that recess should be a policy throughout the U.S. and not just a recommendation. The opportunity here is to allow teachers to handle recess the way it should be handled as well as giving kids time to just relax and play. Teachers and students have problems as a result of this issue. The teachers have a problem because they are not given the authority to allow their students to have recess. The students have a problem because they are locked up in a classroom all day with no escape from their academics even if is for a short period of time.
2. "Reason Won't Win This Battle Over Guns" http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8A9E9B6B42A68?p=AWNB
This article talks about people who have concealed-weapons permits getting arrested for ridiculous reasons. For example, one gun-carrying citizen was arrested when the wind lifted up their shirt, which exposed their gun. People are being arrested because of not so fortunate circumstances and they are not given a chance to explain the situation. A proposal was sent to Tallahassee to protect gun-carrying citizens when an incident like this happens, but it is not looking very good. The people who have a problem is citizens who have a concealed-weapons permit who are arrested over unfortunate events. They are given a chance to explain what happened and are taken to jail because of this. The opportunity here is to pass some kind of law that allows gun-carrying citizens the right to explain their story in case something goes wrong so that no one is improperly arrested.
3. "Auto Thefts By Teens At Crisis Point In Pinellas"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8A7269E5B0AB8?p=AWNB
This article talks about how auto thefts by youths in Pinellas county are continuing to increase at an alarming rate. During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, there were 337 arrests involving teenagers and auto theft charges. Tampa, that has close to double the number of youths, had only 69 arrests in the same time period. In fact, if you add the total arrests between the counties that include Tampa, Jacksonville, and Orlando, Pinellas county would still have more arrests. More and more teens are being drawn down the wrong path and this needs to change. The people that have a problem include the teens being arrested and those who are the victims of these crimes. The opportunity presented here is the chance to find a way to steer these teens in the right direction and to keep them off the streets.
4. 62 To Lose Jobs With Closing Of Kmart In Lutz; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A604B306434968?p=AWNB This article talks about a company that has been hit hard in recent years, Kmart. In addition to this Kmart store in Lutz, dozens more nationwide are set to close its doors for good in the coming months. Sears, the company that owns most of Kmart stores, have struggled over the past few years and Kmart is taking a big hit as a result. More and more companies are closing their doors, leaving many people without jobs to provide for themselves or their families. The people that have a problem are those that are being laid off as a result of these businesses closing.
5. "As Ranks Of Drivers Fall, Mass Transit Needs Surge"; http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8445B9C882360?p=AWNB
This article talks about the following topic: since less people are learning to drive cars, the demand for mass transit, such as city buses, is to increase. Over the past thirty years, the number of 16 year olds that have a driver's license has dropped by about 47 percent. For those aged from 20-24, there has been a 16 percent decrease, while people between the ages of 30 and 34 have seen a decrease of 10 percent who have not learned how to drive. If these numbers continue in the direction they are headed, more and more people will be forced to use mass transit to get around. Mass transit expansion has not been something that the Tampa Bay area has been concerned with. If these numbers are a glimpse into the future of how our workforce will get around, the Tampa Bay area will have to expand its mass transit or people will leave to find work in areas where there is far more mass transit available. The people that have a problem if Tampa Bay does not expand its mass transit are the people who do not have a driver's license, thereby limiting how they can get around.