For this assignment I searched my local newspaper which is the Bradenton
Herald. This assignment was more difficult
for me than I imagined it would be, I would have thought that the newspaper
would have been chock full of opportunity, but I found that was not really the
case. Possibly moving to a newspaper in
a larger area may have made this assignment easier. After spending a considerable amount of time
searching for opportunities I settled on the below list.
Manatee and
Sarasota to conduct a homeless census over 24 hours next week
This news story is about a local
non-profit organization named Turning Points that will be conducting a census
of the homeless population in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. The purpose of the homeless census is
determine the depth of the homeless problem within the counties. This census is performed in conjunction with
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The problem presented in the story is the
annual total of homeless people in these areas.
There are multiple people with problems in this story, one being the
homeless themselves, who are living on the streets. Turning Points, whose mission it is to help
and serve the needy in these counties and HUD who seeks to understand the
change in the population from year to year.
Bradenton officials look
to cut lease payments for Twin Dolphin marina to spur improvements
This story revolves around city owned property on the waterfront in
downtown Bradenton. The city has unsuccessfully
tried to obtain grants so that it may move forward on renovating the area. After many failed attempts, the city is now
considering lowering the lease payment on the property in exchange for the
Lessee to pay for the redevelopment. The
hope is that if they can improve the marina, that they will be able to attract vacation
and weekend boaters to the area so that they will spend more money in the downtown
and surrounding areas. The problem in
the story is whether it is economically feasible for the city to do this, since
ultimately it is the tax payers that own the property. The city of Bradenton is the one who has the
problem of whether to accept the request to lower the lease payment or not.
Wakeland Elementary School parents worried
Manatee County facility will be closed
This story is about a local Elementary school that is need of repairs and
renovation in order to remain a structurally safe and viable school for
children to attend. The main issue
centers around what would be more cost effective, renovating the school at a
cost $3.6 million or combining the school with a local Middle School that is underutilized. Combining the school is looking like the
cheaper option, however it creates other issues, the biggest being combining
Elementary and Middle School students.
The problem presented in the story is whether to renovate or combine the
school. The individuals with the problem
are the Manatee County School Board and the Parents, Faculty, and Students at
the schools involved.
Southeastern guide dog returns to work after
attack in Bradenton
This story is about a local blind man, Richard Draper, that was out
walking with his guide dog when the guide dog was attacked by 2 other
dogs. The guide dog was injured, and
since the attack Draper has been stuck at home without the ability to get
around. He is excited to be getting his
guide dog back soon, who is healing and seems to be showing no ill effects from
the attack. Southeastern Guide Dog Representatives
are happy to hear about the resiliency that the guide dog is showing. The owner of the 2 dogs that attacked Draper
and his guide dog was cited by animal control for dog at large causing and
injury. The problem presented in the
story is the attack on Draper and the subsequent downtime this caused while his
guide dog healed from her injuries. The
individuals experiencing the problem are Draper himself, and the Guide Dog.
With arrival of cold weather, Salvation Army
opened Bradenton shelter at 6 p.m
This
story highlights the influx of homeless people that the Salvation Army receives
on a nightly basis when it gets really cold outside. Their statistics show that they may receive
anywhere from 75 -100 additional people on a very cold night. The problem described in this story is the
strain that it places on the Salvation to find safe housing for the homeless as
the temperatures drop. The people
affected is the Salvation Army and the homeless people that are seeking shelter
there.
Hey there Jim,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting reading your post after a few others. It's unfortunate, but a prevalent theme in all of the "Local Opportunities" posts regard the homeless and organizations that support them. I found two addressing the issue in my area, Lake City, FL. It's disturbing that there are so many people out there that are just struggling to have the necessities of life, like food and warm shelter. Best of luck to you for the rest of the semester.
Hey there Jim,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting reading your post after a few others. It's unfortunate, but a prevalent theme in all of the "Local Opportunities" posts regard the homeless and organizations that support them. I found two addressing the issue in my area, Lake City, FL. It's disturbing that there are so many people out there that are just struggling to have the necessities of life, like food and warm shelter. Best of luck to you for the rest of the semester.
Check mine out if you have a moment:
ReplyDeletehttp://breident3003.blogspot.com/2016/01/identifying-local-opportunities.html
Your first, as well as your fifth, local opportunities, are very similar to my second as it dealt with the homeless issue in an area, although mine is in Honolulu, Hawaii. Homelessness is an issue as many people are in need and the amount of people living on the streets isn't not a happy number nor should it be a number at all.
ReplyDeleteIf you would like my local opportunity on the homeless, here's a link to my blog post: http://thisisnotawkward.blogspot.com/2016/01/this-is-me-identifying-local.html