THE TOP STORIES LAST WEEK
Francisco Gonzalez,
Kudos to Sen. Rick Scott for donating his first-quarter U.S. Senate salary to help hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico; and to President Donald Trump who donated part of his salary to the Department of Homeland Security. It’s easy to look at these gestures and say, “but they’re rich and can afford to do so.” Another way to look at it is that they have already sacrificed their private earning potential to offer themselves in public service. On top of that, they are donating their taxpayer-funded earnings to good causes. This is a welcome trend we should all applaud.
J. Matthew Knight,
Gov. DeSantis’ initiative to import drugs from Canada got another boost when a Florida Senate health subcommittee approved of the idea. Pharmaceuticalindustry representatives immediately warned of an influx of counterfeit medications while blaming middleman pharmacy benefit managers (like Express Scripts) for stratospheric prices. Unfortunately, the time for finger-pointing is over. A tube of Alcortin-A, an antifungal cream with decades-old ingredients, lists online for $7,806 — that is, if you print a coupon. Truvada, a critical drug for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, costs $1,750 a month. There are many causes for America’s prescription drug crisis, but there is one remedy: competition.
Cole NeSmith,
UCF continues to bring their performing and visual arts to the community. Today is the close of the fifth annual UCF Celebrates the Arts. Thousands of guests visited the Dr. Phillips Center for dozens of performances and installations by UCF students and alumni. The festival kicked off with “Titanic: The Musical.” And this weekend, The Flying Horse Big Band — UCF’s award-winning big band — presented the music of Ray Charles alongside special musical guests. The festival continues to grow year over year, bringing compelling programming to Central Florida.
Joseph F. Pennisi,
Last week marked the first time since 2012, the end of the Dwight Howard era, that the Orlando Magic qualified for the NBA playoffs and the chance to chase a championship. They have their work cut out for them in their first-round battle with the Toronto Raptors, winners of 58 regular-season games. The team will need boundless energy on defense, laser sharp execution and a lot of luck to go deeper into the chase for the championship. Kudos to coach Steve Clifford, team leader Nikola Vucevic, sixth-man extraordinaire Terrence Ross and the entire team for a great season. We’ll be rooting for them. Jim Philips,
In a runoff election, Winter Park voters decided to unseat incumbent city commissioner Pete Weldon. Todd Weaver will assume the District 4 position. Although he was outspent by his opponent, Weaver won the day by focusing on the yet-to-be constructed new library that some claim is way over budget and out of sync from original plans. Time will tell whether Weaver can persuade his city colleagues to hit the pause button in a rush to further develop 32789.
Stephanie Porta,
In the midst of a local housing crisis, Florida legislators are pushing a bill that will pre-empt local governments to use one of the few tools they have to promote better living conditions for its residents. SB1730/HB7103 eliminates affordable housing mandates for new developers within a municipality. We know the shelter system is at capacity and there is a 1 percent vacancy of affordable-housing units. These bills will benefit rich developers making their participation in providing affordable housing “voluntary” while hardworking families struggle to keep roofs over their heads.
Ed Schons,
Officials estimated that 100,000 visitors watched and waited patiently for the launch of SpaceX’s mammoth Falcon Heavy rocket, proving that tech is good for tourism and our economy. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk calls it the most powerful rocket in the world by a factor of two, equal to 18 Boeing 747s taking off simultaneously. Similar crowds came for the first test launch early last year, but this time SpaceX launched with a commercial payload, including a Saudi Arabian communications satellite. And just think … we watched from our backyard.
Daryl Tol,
We see many patients who inspire us with their strength, resilience and grace. But even among that group, Daniel “DJ” Roberts stands out. DJ, who’s 11, had his right leg amputated due to bone cancer. While recovering, he developed a strong bond with his physical therapist, AdventHealth’s Trevor Hicks. Last year — not long after finishing his chemotherapy — DJ and Trevor began training to run a 5K together. And last weekend — despite wet weather that delayed the race — DJ and Trevor, accompanied by friends and family, crossed the finish line. Congratulations to “Team DJ” and thanks for helping us see the power of perseverance.