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Cycling in Tampa
A recent study ranked Tampa as the third most dangerous city in the nation for cyclists. The study emphasizes the city’s need for better bike infrastructure.
National Train Day
Children and adults alike shared delight at the excitement of hearing the whistleblowing on a train arriving from New York on its way to Miami on Saturday. Model train enthusiasts and historians gathered at Tampa Union Station to celebrate National Train Day.
Floating solar panels could cut carbon emissions
A form of solar power in which panels float on water has several advantages over the traditional kind and is gaining traction. Floating solar panels don’t take up land; the water keeps the panels cooler, which makes them produce more electricity, plus the arrays prevent the loss of water from evaporation. A recent scientific paper says many countries could produce more than the electricity they use from floating solar. One contributor to the study, an associate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, said in the United States, counties across Florida, Nevada, and California have the potential to generate more power than they use. Duke Energy says it is aiming to achieve net zero carbon emissions from electricity production by 2050. It just launched a small floating solar pilot of almost 1 Megawatt in Bartow in Polk County.
Migrant teen dies in Safety Harbor holding center
On Saturday, Florida Senator Rick Scott toured a holding center in Safety Harbor. That’s where a 17-year-old migrant teen from Honduras was found unconscious before being pronounced dead in a hospital last week. The boy’s mother said her son had epilepsy but showed no signs of being seriously ill before he left for the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said a review of healthcare records was underway and a medical examiner was investigating the death.
Healthcare protest
Across Florida last week, some healthcare workers led protests against what they called unacceptable working conditions. Between inadequate pay and patient juggling, workers are fed up. HCA, the largest healthcare system in the United States, says the protestor claims are equivalent “to bullying.” The company will meet with its Margate employees tomorrow.
Information from the Florida Public Radio network, News Service of Florida and Associated Press was used in this report.
