Identifying Local Opportunities

Note: I am taking this course from home in Rye, New York! My local newspapers will be different than those in Florida :)

1. A Public Park, or a Commercial Enterprise, That Is the Question
http://ryerecord.com/news/a-public-park-or-a-commercial-enterprise-that-is-the-question.html
This article discusses the current issue Rye is having with their public parks. The current estimate for infrastructure repairs at these parks is around $14 MILLION. Not only so, but public parks receive little funding and there have been essentially no investments in Rye Town Park over the past years. One idea to help solve the problem is to try and bring in more sponsored events to the parks. There are also proposals of private purchases of the parks. That will help the problem of the much-needed repairs, but it would put the parks in the hands of for-profit companies. The article concludes by stating that no agreements have been made at the current time. I wonder what will happen...

2. Metro-North delay: The Great Commuter Migration
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/transit/2016/05/18/metro-north-delay-gary-stern/84537542/
This article brings up the issue of train delays along the Metro-North Railroad. Living in Westchester, a high percentage of people commute to work in Manhattan every day rely on the Metro-North to take them to Grand Central. Normally, this is a 20-60 minute train ride (depending on which town you are leaving from) and a generally stress and traffic-free commute. On May 17, this was not the case. Due to a fire on the tracks located on Park Ave at East 119th St, trains were suspended for hours, leaving thousands of people without a ride home. This article specifically tells a story about how a group of people had to travel through Fordham (the station in the Bronx) in order to get to Brooklyn. It really raises the issue of how reliant many people in New York are on public transit, and how quickly things can go amuck when something goes wrong.

                                         A blurry Snapchat photo from a friend. Grand Central during the fire.

3. Pain-Pill Abuse Kills Hundreds in Our Suburbs
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/investigations/2015/10/01/pain-pill-abuse/32287313/
A rather upsetting article, but an important topic nonetheless. This article discusses the problem of drug dependence, specifically opioid-based painkillers, in teens and adults in Westchester county. It meets with an affected family of a child who overdosed. It also goes into a conversation about how these drugs get around, be it through an actual legal prescription or illegal dealings.  It can be difficult to investigate doctors because it has that different feel than a drug dealer, but there have been gaps found in medical records, over-prescriptions, and many details missing in reports. One doctor in Rockland county was caught selling several million dollars worth of painkillers and received no jail time at all. Many state laws view selling prescription medication as a lesser crime than selling "real drugs," such as cocaine or heroine. With arrests for prescription drugs steadily increasing, deaths due to overdoses are increasing as well. Something needs to be done.

4. The Talk of the Town
http://ryerecord.com/news/the-talk-of-the-town.html
Unlike the last, this article made me laugh. It is all about the little, dumb things that are wrong with Rye. It begins with the issue of the terrible conditions of the sidewalks. Due to the constant freezing, melting, and re-freezing of ice in the winter, the sidewalks and roads get pretty cracked... and stay that way. Another point was that many of the trash cans downtown seem to always be overflowing, ew. There also were jersey barriers put up along a certain road due to a flood a year ago and they are STILL THERE for no reason at all. There is a certain intersection that desperately needs a crosswalk. These problems are surely annoying, but nothing more. If that is the worst thing they can write about the town then I cannot complain! Surely opportunities there, though... :)

5. Pollen Counts Will Soar This Week In Harrison
http://harrison.dailyvoice.com/news/pollen-counts-will-soar-this-week-in-harrison/660125/
Harrison is Rye's next door neighbor. One big difference between New York and Florida is the changing of the seasons. Florida is blessed with year round warmth (and about a week of winter in Gainesville I'd say...). New York, on the other hand, has a full set of seasons. The trees lose all their leaves in the Fall, which means in Spring they begin to bloom and blossom. This time is not very fun for those with allergies. This article warns that the pollen count is increasing in the upcoming week. It even includes a nifty "breathing index" on a map--showing us in the "orange zone." Yay!