2:27 am UTC May. 16, 2021
Debbie Wertz, DeSoto County Chamber of Commerce
Reliable internet access used to be more of a want than a need. But especially after COVID-19, we realize that it is a lifeline.
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Just a few weeks after the first COVID-19 case was discovered in Florida – early in March, 2020 – the state began to realize that reliable access to the digital world has become a necessity. Education, health care, employment, social services and many other aspects of our lives moved online – all things we suddenly needed more than ever.
But in order to have effective digital access, people need three equally important tools: a reliable broadband connection, the right technology and digital literacy.
Last modified on Fri 14 May 2021 16.01 EDT
Tony Sammartino has no idea when he will next hug his three-year-old daughter, but itâs almost guaranteed it wonât be for another year at the earliest.
âThese are the best years of her life, and they should be the best of mine too. And theyâre slipping away.â
Tony hasnât seen Maria Teresa, nor her mother and his partner, Maria Pena, since March 2020, when he was in the Philippines with their other daughter, Liliana.
Before the pandemic, the family of four split their lives between Melbourne and Subic, a coastal city north-west of Manila, spending roughly half a year in each parentâs home country.
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From General McLane to the White House Climate advisor Ali Zaidi to speak at Global Summit by Liz Allen
Contributed Photo
Ali Zaidi, a 2004 graduate of General McLane High School, emigrated from Pakistan with his parents in first grade, settling in Edinboro. Since then, he s earned a role as Deputy National Climate Advisor to President Joe Biden u2014 and a speaking engagement during the Jefferson Educational Society s all-virtual Global Summit XII on Tuesday, May 11.
When Ali Zaidi graduated from General McLane High School in 2004, he aspired to go to med school after his undergraduate studies at Harvard College. Someone else is living that dream. It just wasn t me, said Zaidi with a smile.