Assignment 5A - Identifying Local Opportunities

1) "Citrus greening affecting dooryard citrus in Northeast Florida" by Larry Figart 

• https://www.jacksonville.com/entertainmentlife/20190118/citrus-greening-affecting-dooryard-citrus-in-northeast-florida 
• There has been an outbreak of a "devastating citrus disease" affecting citrus trees in Northeast Florida. The disease is transferred from tree to tree by an insect called the Asian Citrus Psyllid. The bug feeds on sap from an infected tree and then transfers the disease when it eats from another tree. Once a tree is infected, the disease affects the tree in many ways, including discolored leaves, smaller fruit and fruit quantity, as well as lopsided fruit or smaller fruit that taste bitter. You can only diagnose the disease by lab testing a sample of the suspected tree. There is currently no cure or treatment for Citrus Greening. 
• The problems: The spread of Citrus Greening throughout NE Florida, with no known cure.
• The people: Anyone who has citrus trees or regularly consumes local citrus from NE Florida.

2)"Those aren't crop circles in your lawn" by Erin Harlow 

• https://www.jacksonville.com/entertainmentlife/20190111/those-arent-crop-circles-in-your-lawn
• There have been large brown circles appearing in peoples lawn, caused by the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. This disease causes large dead circles, that measure feet in diameter, in any warm-season turf grass. Diseases in lawns can be hard to treat because fungicides do not cure the disease, only stop it from spreading to healthy grass.  When managing the patch, don't rely solely on chemicals, also emphasize the importance of proper mowing height and the timing of fertilizer. Practices like improving your lawns drainage, moving higher, and fertilizing at the right time will help a lot in improving your grass so that it will not be as defenseless against the disease in the future.
• The problems: The appearance of dead patches of grass in your lawn caused by the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.
• The people: People who have turf grass in NE Florida are at risk for their grass contracting the disease. 

3)"The Mom Stop: Time to kick clutter to the curb" by Lydia Seabol Avant

• https://www.jacksonville.com/opinion/20190115/mom-stop-time-to-kick-clutter-to-curb
• The author talked about how her grandmother was a good homemaker and she remembers how clean her house always was, meaning no extra clutter and everything had its place. Goes on to say how she wants to be like her but its hard with three kids and a small house. She did say that her grandma was an attic hoarder and had many things hidden up there and she was reminded of that recently when looking at her own attic, finding random items. She concludes by saying her husband wont go in their attic because it gives him claustrophobia and that she will make it her New Years resolution to de-clutter their attic.
• The problems: Claustrophobic and cluttered attic.
• The people: Anyone who has limited storage space or someone who has a hard time of letting go of items. 

4) "Recall: Chocolates could be contaminated with hepatitis A, FDA warns" by Gary Dinges

• https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190110/recall-chocolates-could-be-contaminated-with-hepatitis-a-fda-warns
•  The FDA warns that some chocolates produced by a company based in Kentucky, who sell their products nationwide, could be contaminated with hepatitis A, which is a contagious liver disease that is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter from an infected individual.  The candies are marshmallows dipped in chocolate or caramel and sold at a variety of stores and online. The FDA is encouraging people who have the Modjeskas to throw them out rather than risk contacting hepatitis A, which the agency does say the risk is low. As of the writing of the article, there had been no known cases of anyone getting sick after eating one of the Modjeskas. The symptoms are nausea, vomiting, pale stool, dark urine, and yellowing of the skin and eyes and can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. 
• The problems: Hepatitis A possibly contaminating chocolates in a Kentucky factory
• The people: The people at the factory and consumers of the chocolate

5) "Cold remedies: Some OTC meds could spell trouble for your heart" by American Heart Association News

• https://www.jacksonville.com/lifestyle/20190118/cold-remedies-some-otc-meds-could-spell-trouble-for-your-heart 
• Starts by saying that 6 million people have been infected by the flu this season alone, not including the winter colds. Warns that if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease, you should avoid taking oral decongestants and if you dont suffer from those, you should only take them with the guidance of a doctor or physician. Also warns that decongestants and non steroidal anti-inflammatories, that are found in many cold medicines, can increase blood pressure. Goes on to say that if symptoms are mild or moderate, just rest and drink a lot of fluids, and to try and prevent getting sick in the first place by constant hand washing and lots of sleep. 
• The problems: Taking NSAIDS could increase your blood pressure 
• The people: People who have high blood pressure, heart disease or heart failure