Identifying Local Opportunities

• Gas prices falling now, but could spike in spring

• As the title says, this story is all about the gas prices and how they continue to fall. But how long will they stay down for?

• The problem that could bring these prices back up in spring to around fifty cents more is seasonal refinery maintenance.  

• Who has the problem? I would have to say the consumer are the ones that are going to suffer from this problem the most. Although, it would be very nice not to have to go to work because of gas prices, but that is just unrealistic.

• Marion County school district has money is looking for teachers

• With a 1 mil tax referendum that passed in 2014, this allowed 200 more positions to be available in Marion County. Now with all the retirees and transfers, Marion County is now short on some teachers.

• The problem with this is that they are for one, short on teaches, but second they are also relying on full-time substitutes with at least a Bachelor’s degree that are not fully or highly certified in that particular position.

• The problem here affects the students, especially for the ones who are getting taught by full-time substitutes. Although, they might be great teachers, but they might not be fully certified to be teaching that specific area.

• I-75 overpass fix will cost $450,000; worst damage in dozen years

• On the day before Thanksgiving a dump truck or roll-off truck driving on county road 329 hit the I-75 overpass, causing the most damage in Marion County in a dozen years.

• The problem presented is the amount of the repair to the highway, since they are going to have to replace the 61 foot beams that support the bride.

• Well specifically the company that hired the driver is going to be responsible for the costs, but as well as the other company TME that has to front the money for the repair till they can collect the funds. Also, drivers might be affected as well during repairs to the bridge if there are any detours.

• Small crowd, big opposition to natural gas pipeline

• This article is about the opposition of a 515 mile long natural gas pipeline that will run through about a dozen counties in Florida.

• The problem that was presented by the public that commented, was that there is potential environmental harm that could follow. The rivers, springs, the aquifer, groundwater, wetlands and wildlife habitat could be at threat, as well as potential sinkholes.          

• I would have to think that the homeowners along the pipeline and the people who like to go out and enjoy the natural springs and rivers could be affected by this problem.

• Ocala finds many homeowners skeptical of free switch from septic to sewer

• The St. Johns River Management and City of Ocala are trying to remove 850 septic tanks that could be of harm to watersheds and the river.

•The problem they are having is trying to convince the homeowners to agree to the switch. Ocala’s water and sewer director is scratching his head as to way they don’t want to switch, since its practically free and is helping out there local river.

•A description of who has the problem I would guess that the people running the service to these customers are the ones with the problem, since they aren’t having the best of luck getting people to switch. Although, I will say that the people that live new the river and use it could also have a problem too, if seepage in the river becomes too much.

- William Garlock