1.
“Mortgage
Rates Friday: Rising and There are Fewer Homes to Buy” by Hal M. Bundrick, CFP,
Gainesville Sun.
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Story:
This story was about how mortgage rates have been trending up, and that there
are predictions that short-term interest rates will rise. The story focused on
how if people wanted to buy houses, they should do it as soon as possible.
Comparisons between 2016 and this year showed that fewer houses are for sale,
and trend is continuing. The high demand for homes, along with the more limited
supply also means that home values rise too, according to Aaron Terrazas, a
senior economist for Zillow. Construction is also behind the demand for houses.
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Problem:
The problem presented in this story is that mortgage rates are going up and
that the available homes for sale are decreasing, meaning that if people want
to buy houses, they might miss out if they do not buy now.
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People:
Home buyers and owners.
2.
“Bob
Simons: Destruction of vines threatens forest ecology” by Bob Simons,
Gainesville Sun.
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Story:
This article was about how two ecologists visited from Poland and searched for
hardwood forests and found San Felasco Hammock. They noticed the diverse forest
life here, especially the vines leading to food for mammals and birds, as well
as habitat. However, in April, it was noticed that vines in this region were
being cut down. This has been especially noticed in areas of high-quality
hardwood forest. Other areas have also experienced vines being cut. In regions
where vines had been extensively cut, hooded warbler birds were no longer
found. Although park managers and the Florida Park Service have been looking to
discover who cut the vines, they have had no luck.
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Problem:
Vines are being cut down but park managers have been unable to discover why or
by who. This is effecting the wildlife and growth of the forest in this area.
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People:
Ecologists, park managers, people that visit the forest to enjoy the wildlife.
3.
“Strict
regulations leave no space for adult stores in Gainesville” by Aaron Albright
and Justin Ford, Independent Florida Alligator.
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Story:
This story is about how there are strict zoning laws about adult entertainment
businesses. This came about in 1994 and restricted these businesses from being
within 1,000 feet from regions such as schools, parks, and residential areas.
This results in the available sites for these stores going down due to the
zoning restrictions by the ordinance. There are similar laws about adult
businesses around the country. This ordinance was written in order to reduce
the crime rates. However, Gary Edinger, an attorney representing adult
establishments in Florida, stated that the crime rates around adult businesses
were not any higher than any other facility. Although case studies have been
brought forward in lawsuits in Florida, proving this, they have been lost. Some
businesses are looking for ways around the ordinance, including how they are technically
labelled and the floor space they occupy.
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Problem:
There are many restrictions on where adult entertainment business can be
located, making it difficult for them to have store fronts.
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People:
Florida adult entertainment businesses, customers of these stores.
4.
“Macy’s
at Oaks Mall is closing” by Daniel Smithson, Gainesville Sun.
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Story:
The Macy’s store in Oaks Mall in Gainesville is shutting down. There are also
other Macy’s stores closing down. This is in correlation with belief that there
will be more online sales. These have grown to 22% of entire sales and is
continuing to increase. The company plans to decrease from 700 department
stores to 550 stores, a number where the company will receive the most profit.
Employees that cannot work or be placed at other locations, qualify for
severance packages.
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Problem:
The Macy’s at Oaks Mall is shutting down, along with many other Macy’s stores,
meaning that some customers must go online in order to purchase Macy’s
products.
-
People:
People that shop at Macy’s stores, particularly the one in Gainesville, and
employees that either have to move to other locations or find another job.
5.
“Step up
local enforcemet of traffic laws” by The Gainesville Sun editorial board.
-
Story:
New bills have been introduced to do with traffic laws but according to this
article, more needs to be done to reduce fatal car incidents. State Sen. Keith
Perry proposed bills to do with texting while driving, car seats for children until
6 years of age, and helmets being worn for scooter riders under 21. In the past
four years, there has been a slight increase in the car crashes but the slight
increases are a lot when comparing with the population growth rate. Car crash
incidents have increased in Alachua, coinciding with traffic enforcement
resources being reduced during the recent period. However, this could be due to
increases in distracted driving, as well as the decrease in enforcement. Some
of the enforcement has gone to schools due to the Sandy Hook Elementary School
shootings. This article states that if crash fatalities want to be reduced, enforcement
needs to be strict with violations correlating with crashes.
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Problem:
Incidents of car crashes and car crash fatalities have increased. This
coincides with decreased law enforcement in traffic units, and increased
distractions with phones.
-
People:
The whole state due to the State Sen. introducing bills, people that drive
cars, mopeds, or scooters, pedestrians, bikers, law enforcement officials.
Reflection: There is a lot more going on locally than I
would have thought. Although some of these problems do not seem solvable at the
moment, there are still many problems that exists and effect a wide variety of
people. Some of the local problems seem to range in severity also, with some
only affecting a small portion of people, compared with the article about fatal
crashes, which affects a very large part of the population in Florida.
Hi Georgia,
ReplyDeleteThe first story you mentioned is of particular interest to me because my parents are keen on acquiring bargain real estate, fixing it up, and selling it again. Anything that affects the housing market directly affects my family. The one about the zoning laws for adult entertainment is particularly interesting too because there is no proof of increased crime but the laws hold up anyway. The disregard of evidence in favor of the adult entertainment stores almost seems illegal in itself since the laws are based on disproved assumptions. Thanks for sharing.
Tess
Great stories Georgia. It really is true that survival of the fittest aren't those who are the strongest or smartest, but those who can adapt to change best. Macys is a perfect example. It is not adapting to our online world and thus getting left behind in the dust. Now this is going to affect thousands of lives as over 10,000 get left without a job.
ReplyDeleteHey Georgia,
ReplyDeleteI specifically enjoyed the story you chose about higher enforcement on traffic laws. I think that Gainesville by far has some of the worst drivers and driving habits out of the places I've visited. I am constantly waiting behind drivers who aren't paying attention to the fact that lights have turned green and am consistently cut off by drivers who don't check their blind spots. I think a lot of this has to do with texting and driving which is dangerous and irresponsible and also highly annoying if anything. I wish that traffic laws were enforced more strictly in order to ease the flow of traffic and the annoyance that comes with driving around Gainesville.
Hey Georgia, you found some great local stories which I really enjoyed. The story that I found the most interesting is the last one. Recently, I just witnessed two of my friends get hit by cars on separate occasions. I actually believe that there should be more traffic laws especially in Gainesville due to all the student drivers that drink or are prone to getting distracted.
ReplyDeleteHello Georgia!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed some of these stories that you found. I found the one about the adult entertainment businesses particularly interesting, because they are something that I rarely think about from a business perspective and usually tend to avoid all together because of their product. But, it is a business with supply and demand like any other, and location matters just as much for them as anyone else.