http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A3A1BFA75B2A30?p=AWNB
County Road 426 in Brevard County has had an increase in bicyclists in the recent years. Specifically on the weekends, hundreds of bicycle riders are found in the traffic lanes along with motorists. This creates an unsafe situation for both parties. The bicyclists are asking the county to build shoulders along the entire route, but because of federal grant money, the county can only partially build a shoulder. According to the county, the road was built only for motorists and there was never the intention of building bike lanes that went along the entire road. This problem is specific to both bicyclists, who want a bike lane, and motorists who do not want to see bicyclists clogging up the traffic lanes.
With tougher school exams, more than 40% could fail
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15A3A1BF9F5DE840?p=AWNB
The State Board of Education in Florida recently voted to make Florida school exams, such as the FCAT, tougher for students. With this new policy, 40% of students could find themselves failing and having to repeat coursework. The problem is that the State Board feels as though students in the Florida Public School System are not graduating from high school with the skills needed to go to college or to good-paying jobs. This problem specifically challenges students across Florida who either face moving on prepared or having to repeat coursework and delaying their high school graduation.
Smoking law costs Orlando big business
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15B41D515CD73978?p=AWNB
The American Heart Association recently created a new policy that stated that they would not conduct business in any cities that allow for in-door smoking. In Florida, any bar can apply for a permit that would allow for people to be able to smoke inside.The problem now exists that the American Heart Association will no longer use the Orlando Convention Center to host their annual conventions until Orlando makes any kind of in-door smoking illegal. This creates a problem to the convention industry in Orlando because they are now losing one of their biggest clients. This hurts the convention center, the surrounding hotels, and can even have an effect on local tourist attractions.
U.S. Ambulance to move main office out of area
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15B3CB521C775E68?p=AWNB
One of the biggest manufacturing operations in Orlando, Florida belongs to U.S. ambulance. They currently employ over 700 people and are growing to become the world's biggest manufacturer of emergency vehicles. The problem lies in that the company has recently decided to move their headquarters from Winter Garden to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While this does not mean that they are not currently moving their manufacturing plants, it does mean that they are finding it cheaper to do business in Wisconsin. Reports have recently been released that say that Milwaukee is working with U.S. ambulance in order to attempt to move more manufacturing jobs into Milwaukee. This provides a problem for over 700 Orlando employees who are now questioning whether or not they will still have a job in the next couple of years.
SeaWorld's dolphin species last of a kind - Company doesn't plan to replace unusual Commerson's dolphins
http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/15AC33EE75908258?p=AWNB
Sea World has recently announced that it will not be replacing Commerson's dolphins in their habitats. These dolphins are an unusual species that actually look like killer whales when they swim around. This parallels a shift in company policy that SeaWorld recently announced where they are stopping the breeding of orca whales and halting some of their daily shows. This has lead to SeaWorld cutting back on experiences for the time-being. This presents a problem to some of the employees who are finding it harder to work at Sea World and also to the company itself which has seen a decrease in attendance in recent years.
Christopher,
ReplyDeleteThe first article about the bike lane is interesting. There is a problem with public safety that is generally remedied by local government. Maybe, a privately funded endeavor could be beneficial to help. The second article, about harder exams, is interesting because bringing the exam difficulty up forces students to learn more and teachers to find ways to motivate or help students. For the third article, it makes sense that less conventions hurts Orlando, but would enacting non-smoking laws hurt small businesses more? The ambulance company move is interesting because the business tax rates are at 5.5% in Florida compared to almost 8% in Wisconsin. Finally, I wonder why Sea World is stopping one of the main attractions. Possibly due to public opinion or some other source?
I think it is a great idea for the American Heart Association to take a stand against something that has legally taken so many lives: smoking. The article says Sen. Altman voiced his concern over the Heart Association’s decision to leave Florida and that it was “a bad decision.” Clearly it was a good decision because the changes the Heart Association was after are in the works of being put into place.
ReplyDeleteChristopher,
ReplyDeleteI found the article regarding school exams, such as the FCAT, to be quite interesting. I've always found these standardized exams to be quite easy, but this may pose a threat to high school graduation rates. Perhaps this policy will improve the extent of Florida's education by better preparing students for such tests. Initially, I think high school graduation rates may decline but later improve.
All I have to say is that I'm glad I graduated when I did, so many changes have/are being made, some that I view as unnecessary. Nice work
ReplyDelete