LOOKING AHEAD THIS WEEK
Francisco Gonzalez,
Universal Studios will be building a new theme park in Orlando, Epic Universe. Some think this intensifies some kind of “war” between Universal and Disney. To the contrary, it will help both and continue to solidify Orlando as the world’s favorite tourist destination. Despite Universal’s expansion over the past few decades, Disney’s parks and on-property resorts continue to be packed, with demand forcing astronomical ticket prices. Universal will continue to add to that dynamic, bringing in more visitors to Orlando. We just might need to find more runway space for the millions more visitors who will surely land at MCO.
Jane Healy,
While “the squad” — four progressive congresswomen of color — continue to bask in their Twitter war with President Trump, look for another female freshman House member to emerge in a more thoughtful way — Orlando’s Val Demings. Demings, who represents part of Orange County, asked one of the only questions in the Mueller hearings that elicited a surprising answer from Mueller. Unlike most people, Demings actually studied the Mueller report’s appendix, which detailed Trump’s written answers to questions. She got Mueller to concede that Trump wasn’t always telling the truth in his answers that were under oath. Demings’ experience as Orlando police chief should come in handy.
David Kay,
Recent evidence brought to light by Puerto Rican journalist Sandra Rodríguez Cotto shows that the island’s ex-governor, Ricardo Rosselló Nevares, and other government officials were formulating a plan to use social media and other outlets to “finish” Cotto and “change the narrative”, according to an Orlando Sentinel article. As Rosselló Nevares approached the Aug. 2 date his resignation took effect, he was still trying to use his waning influence to name his successor. The legislature is unlikely to approve him, though. More divisive politics are the last thing the embattled American citizens on that island need. The people have spoken — leaders should listen.
A.J. Marsden,
Florida first lady Casey DeSantis has made the issue of mental health in our schools a priority. Because of her advocacy, public schools now will be required to teach students at least five hours of mental health courses aimed to help students deal with depression, cyberbullying, suicide prevention, and substance abuse. Although Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran declared the program will be a “lifesaver,” no data or reports have been released demonstrating positive outcomes of this solution — or if this will have an impact on teacher workloads. Let’s hope first lady DeSantis isn’t just slapping an old Band-Aid on a very real problem. Brendan O’Connor,
The Downtown Orlando Partnership’s Avrio Foundation just succeeded in raising over $13,000 to fund a series of public art projects in the Central Business District. The projects were voted on by a room full of downtown enthusiasts and we’ll be getting some amazing crosswalks, window art, murals, and noodle-filled alleyways by October.
Kathleen Oropeza,
Student-data privacy and the question of whether parents have any control over their child’s most personal information is a matter of utmost importance. As districts embrace technology and move toward completely digital classrooms, it’s essential that school boards, educators and politicians recognize that opportunities for tech vendors to mine and monetize our children’s data, monitor and sort their behaviors and draw conclusions about them with farreaching repercussions are baked into the process. Ongoing privacy breaches and the startling revelations about Facebook are a sobering reminder that behind every digital convenience lies an unimagined consequence.
Joseph F. Pennisi,
Coming soon to a theme park near you: a new Epic Universe at Universal Orlando. While details are scant, the new park will reportedly create 14,000 new jobs at a minimum salary of $15 per hour. This represents a mixed bag for Central Florida. While more tourists and employment opportunities are certainly welcome, the new development will only skew the region more toward the lower end of the wage scale when we have a crying need for a high-tech economy providing incomes sufficient for families to afford housing, to live lives marked by financial stability and, ultimately, to prosper.
Stephanie Porta,
From Orlando to the Amazon, we walk on native land that has been colonized, stripped of its sovereignty and its people and rebranded as the land of the “civilized”. On Friday, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, take a moment to dig deeper into how colonialism has impacted us and the land. In losing people’s culture and their language, we have lost generations of learning that have been whitewashed from history books and replaced with fantasy. But indigenous people are still here and fighting for what is sacred. Are you willing to fight alongside indigenous communities?