5A-Identifying Local Opportunities

Opportunity 1:

• Article: Helicopter in Kobe Bryant crash wasn't certified to fly in poor visibility
• Link: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ct-nw-nyt-kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash-20200131-p4rid47lxfcilmaxt74xd3yelq-story.html
• The article shifts focus from the victims of the horrendous crash that killed 9 people, including basketball legend Kobe Bryant, towards the helicopter itself and the pilots that operate said helicopter. 
• The issue found within the article is not necessarily in the conditions of the environment that established the crash, but with the certifications that pilots are expected to complete as well as the practices that the organization has decided to execute. Not only are these privatized pilots not given the same amount of training and certifications that other helicopter companies are made to complete because this is a private organization, but there was a lack of a second pilot that would have potentially been crucial in a time of crisis. The article states that there is a clear conflict of interest that outweighs the safety of the client in exchange of saving the costs of having multiple pilots as well as extended training. This creates a rift between the desires of the company and the desires of the customers that use this service.
• The "who" of the matter is the helicopter company itself, Island Express. Not only did the company take a direct hit from the crash of one of its luxury helicopters, but the organization now has to reevaluate its practices in regard to its certifications as this creates a huge public relations scandal in the aftermath of the the tragic event. 

Opportunity 2:

• Article: Sewage spilling to Middle River after another pipe break in Fort Lauderdale
• Link: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-ne-george-english-park-sewage-leak-20200130-bajdm5clwva67l36vivynpweu4-story.html
• The city of Fort Lauderdale has had issues with sewage pipe bursting. The last pipe break was the seventh one in the past 2 months. This generated a myriad of issues, even potentially contaminating the Middle River and a park.
• A few issues that arise from this happening is the lack of preventative tasks that may be completed to ensure that the pipes do not burst, as well as a deescalation of the problems associated with the already broken pipes. Furthering these sentiments, a number of other problems arose such as sewage contaminating a nearby river, and devastation of further land such as the George English park. Environmental, and health concerns are very present in this problem, so the city is tasked with first reacting to the current crises and then turning towards adding preventative measures to ensure that this does not continue to happen.
• The "who" established in this issue is the city of Fort Lauderdale for first having to create a solution to expediently correct the lingering issue, and then creating novel ways to produce a maintenance or enhanced effort so that the problem does not continue to burden the city and thus the people of Fort Lauderdale.

Opportunity 3:

• Article: U.S. reports first case of person-to-person spread of new virus
• Link: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-ne-george-english-park-sewage-leak-20200130-bajdm5clwva67l36vivynpweu4-story.html
• The article details a man's infection of the coronavirus as the first reported case of a person-to-person spread in Chicago after his wife returned from Wuhan, China.
• The key issue is not only in the dangers of the illness itself, but also the efforts to prevent said issue and create a way to cure these people inflicted by the illness. As of today it is reported that the virus has spread to thousands of people that are mostly in China, killing roughly 170. If not treated or prevented, this could become a catastrophic illness that takes the lives of many more.
• The "who" of the article is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who are given the daunting task of creating a cure, mitigating the spread, and then creating preventative measures for ensuring that this illness does not become a larger epidemic. 

Opportunity 4:

• Article: Amid backlash over anti-LGBTQ schools, Florida lawmakers push even less voucher oversight
• Link: https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/01/30/amid-backlash-over-anti-lgbtq-schools-florida-lawmakers-push-even-less-voucher-oversight/
• The article presents a dissatisfaction companies have over schools that present anti-LGBTQ policies. These companies thus decide not to support providing funding for voucher programs that allow students that are low income to select a private school of their choice in order to have a more pleasant school experience if public schools are not providing the same level of care they desire. This issue is then taken up with Florida's legislature in which they proposed a bill that would trim the oversight the main nonprofit has over the administration of private school vouchers.
• The issue in the article deals with the passing of legislation in Florida in response to companies withdrawing funding to voucher programs as they no longer support the tolerance of private schools with anti-LGBTQ policies.
• The "who" affected by this are the schools who are now forced to answer to the new legislation as well as political and value-based oversight that blocks or challenges their beliefs regarding LGBTQ students and/or students of LGBTQ parents. 

Opportunity 5:

•  Article: Person hospitalized after being struck with sword in Hillsborough County
• Link: https://www.tampabay.com/news/nation-world/2020/01/30/person-hospitalized-after-being-struck-with-sword-in-hillsborough-county/
• The article centers around Kurtis Lawson, who decided to assault another person with a sword.
• The issue in the article is the ease of access people of prior convictions of assault-related charges being able to obtain weapons. This not only applies to guns, but in this case something less modern, the sword.
• The "who" of the issue is a combination of the state of Florida for allowing this person to obtain such a weapon (with a lack of monitoring his dangerous habits), as well as the victim of the assault who received multiple upper body injuries.