Identifying Local Opportunities

Some current problems in Gainesville according to Gainesville Sun and Gainesville Daily Register :

1) "Driver Unhappy About Synching of Traffic Lights"

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160124/ARTICLES/160129827/1182?Title=Driver-unhappy-with-synching-of-traffic-lights

Some driver's have expressed some annoyances with traffic lights. They don't properly handle the traffic density. They make it impossible to travel west bound without getting backed up by the traffic signals.

Most specific complaints are having to take longer routes in order to get places. For those responsible of fixing it adjusting this is not as simple as one would think. When one direction gets modified, the other suffers. Also, pedestrians can cause some back up in traffic.

As is apparent, this problem mostly affects the residents of Gainesville who own cars and travel west often.

2) "More than 300 march to say: Hands off our parks"

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160123/ARTICLES/160129842/1002/news01?Title=More-than-300-march-to-say-Hands-off-our-parks

There was a public march in downtown Gainesville to call attention to the way state parks are being used. There were motorcyclist beeping and other sights this past Saturday during this march.

Florida has some beautiful natural parks and preserved lands. Yet, theres is legislature that allows for cattle grazing and hunting on these natural state parks. While some say, that this type of activity is what makes the park self-sustainable, others say that it's destroying the beauty and the park in general.

This is very detrimental for those who enjoy nature and hikes and use the resources in these parks. But ultimately it affects the future of florida wild lands and the possibility for future generations to enjoy the same thing we enjoy today.

3) "Community Gathers To Help Fire Victims"

http://www.gainesvilleregister.com/community/community-gathers-to-help-fire-victims/article_a6ea7942-bf07-11e5-8cff-e358549b59ab.html

An elderly couple in Era suffered from a house fire that completely ruined their house and all of their belongings. The residents from the area came together and thought of ways to help the Huckabees, whom are well known in the town.

There are many disasters that older people are bound to encounter. Luckily in this town people helped out. But in larger cities these couples or individuals might not have anyway to recover what they have left.

Older people are at a serious risk from these disasters. There needs to be a way to assist them

4)"FEMA Warns of Disaster Scams"

http://www.gainesvilleregister.com/community/fema-warns-of-disaster-scams/article_be0ac368-bf00-11e5-9a3c-cbe012f9fc62.html

Apparently when there are natural disasters or even other types that affect property in cities and towns, there is a high risk of fraud and scams that one can encounter.

There are cases of fake charities that people think they are donating to. Also, when finding contractors, they may be fake due to shortage of contractors.

Everyone who suffers from a disaster is in danger of this happening to them. Because people are desperate and devastated they might pay less attention to detail than normally. 

5) "Wal-Mart Closures Hit Small Communities"

http://www.gainesvilleregister.com/cnhi_network/wal-mart-closures-hit-small-communities/article_3f3ef1cb-16f7-5051-bb25-4d66c6a4ce35.html

Over one hundred Wal-Marts have closed in the US and the consequences are not good. They provide over ten thousand jobs.

Many people will have to be laid off. Wal-Mart plans to pay them for 60 days after they are unemployed by the company. The owners are devastated and the residents who work for these stores might not find it so easy to find another job.

This obviously affects owners of these Wal-Marts and employees. But, if these stores are closed then there will be a shortage of supplied and retail stores for residents in the area.