A big part of the Tampa Bay area has rescinded the mandatory requirement to wear facial masks.
Students, faculty, and visitors of Pasco County schools will be required to wear a mask during academic hours, but the mandate for the general public was lifted this week by executive order. As Florida continues to see over 5,000 new COVID-19 diagnoses each day, there have been mixed reactions to this change.
Currently, about 70% of people in Pasco over the age of 65 have been vaccinated, and 57% of people over the age of 50 have received at least one dose. To some, this is sufficient to allow residents their comfort back.
Though there is no longer a mask mandate for the Pasco community, public transportation guidelines continue to uphold the requirement to wear a mask.
Florida Waste Prevention Week combats food waste
Forty percent of all food in America goes to waste due to the overproduction of food combined over 62 million tons of that food being thrown out per year.
This food going uneaten is alarming because one in five Floridians in particular do not have access to enough nutritious food. Because Florida is a hot spot for tourism and agriculture, food is often produced at high rates and amounts. Unfortunately, $165 billion worth of food is tossed into the trash annually by Americans. Not only is this harmful to the environment, it hurts the economy as well.
Florida government agencies and non-profit organizations have come together to create Florida Waste Prevention Week, which is from April 5th- April 9th of 2021 and has a mission to inspire families to combat food waste in their homes.
“By reducing food waste, your family can save on average $1,500 a year,” said Hollywood environmental sustainability coordinator Elaine Franklin.
Twenty-one percent of the fresh water supply is used to produce food that ends up going to waste, which also contributes to the greenhouse gasses that are released from the decomposing food. Reversing this trend will ultimately lead to a healthier and happier community.
Nonprofit organization offers mentorship to children, young adults in school
A nonprofit organization in Tampa Bay is offering educational services to children and young adults in high school that could potentially be affected by poverty.
G3 Life Applications, created by Ronnie McCullough, designed this program to give back to his community. This mentorship provides guidance with not only school subjects such as arithmetic and science, but allows a space to teach older students how to apply for college, attend college tours and expose them to different career possibilities.
“We have plastic surgeons come in, and dentists, and engineers, and these kids get to go through and they get to build supplies, they get to build, um, certain, um, they get to build certain projects,” said McCullough.
G3 Life Applications has helped over a hundred students from underserved communities to get into college and even play college sports. Many former students hold this program near to their heart and have come back to visit and speak to the new youth.
For more information about G3 Life Applications, you can visit G3lifeapps.org or follow them on social media at @G3lifeapp.
Credits
Anchors: Dylan Zuccarello, Ginette Troya
Producer: Carla Ibanez
Reporters: Leonardo Santos
Writers: Courtney Patterson, Niamh Larkin
Graphics editors: James Birmingham, Chloe Benjamin
Video Editors: Courtney Patterson, Niamh Larkin, Payton Kirol
Show Editors: Sean Stover, David Rose
Videographer: Courtney Patterson,
Associate Producers: Dylan Zuccarello
Web Editor: Chioneso Obie
Executive Producer: Payton Kirol
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Adviser: Jeanette Abrahamsen, Wayne Garcia
