Local Connection: Shortage of day-care workers, supply-chain issues, searching for 10,000 friends

Finding and keeping good child-care workers has been tough for many years, but it is becoming more difficult amid the Covid-19 pandemic, The Washington Post reports. In some cases, child-care workers are balking at the low pay when they can make as much as $2 an hour more at places like Dunkin'. Without enough employees, day care centers have to turn away children, leaving their parents unable to return to work. “Child care is a textbook example of a broken market,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week. In a report, the Treasury Department said, the U.S. child-care system is “unworkable,” citing high costs for parents, low wages for employees and not enough spots for kids. 

Although it's only September, shoppers are growing concerned about whether favorite toys and other gifts will be available during the holiday season in December, WCBS TV reports. Toy aisles in some stores are already sparsely stocked. This is one of many signs that the pandemic is disrupting workflow, from factories to stores, and that transportation is a continuing problem. A record-breaking cargo surge has pushed up prices for ocean shipping and trucking companies are having trouble hiring drivers. This affects a wide range of industries, including automotive, computer and groceries.

Finally, Rob Lawless of Philadelphia was on a years-long mission to meet 10,000 new people and spend an hour with each individual face to face. But when the world went into lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic, he had to change his approach. Lawless started meeting people online, which allowed him to widen his source of new friends to the entire world, ABC New Now reports. So far he's met more than 4,500 people and he has found that listening — truly listening — works wonders in helping people find common ground.

PLUS: A pro tip from Peter Marks, chief drama critic for The Washington Post.

THE STORY: EXPERTS ADVISE SHOPPING EARLY AS PANDEMIC-RELATED SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES CONTINUE

Although it's only September, shoppers are growing concerned about whether favorite toys and other gifts will be available during the holiday season in December, WCBS TV reports. Toy aisles in some stores are already sparsely stocked. This is one of many signs that the pandemic is disrupting workflow, from factories to stores, and that transportation is a continuing problem. A record-breaking cargo surge has pushed up prices for ocean shipping and trucking companies are having trouble hiring drivers. This affects a wide range of industries, including automotive, computer and groceries.

LOCALIZE IT: Check in with your local retailers. Are they having trouble with supply issues? Particularly look at stores that carry toys and holiday gifts. Do shoppers need to be taking action now to prepare for the holidays?

Here are some questions to ask:

• Are you encountering problems related to the supply chain?
• What products are difficult to stock?
• What do you see as the reason for those difficulties?
• Do most of your products come from the United States or overseas?
• Is ocean shipping a problem in terms of availability of products or cost of transportation?
• Is domestic trucking a problem in terms of availability of products, cost of transportation or time in transport?
• Are you doing anything different this year to try to keep products available for customers?
• What advice do you have for customers in dealing with shortages, especially as they relate to the holidays?

THE STORY: ROB'S 10,000 FRIENDS

Rob Lawless of Philadelphia was on a years-long mission to meet 10,000 new people and spend an hour with each individual face to face. But when the world went into lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic, he had to change his approach. Lawless started meeting people online, which allowed him to widen his source of new friends to the entire world, ABC New Now reports. So far he's met more than 4,500 people and he has found that listening — truly listening — works wonders in helping people find common ground.

LOCALIZE IT: There are several ways to localize this story. One would be to schedule a meetup with Rob Lawless (Instagram: @robs10kfriends) and write a story about what the experience was like. (I met with him before the pandemic and it was a lovely hour. He's a very good listener.) Another would be to interview Lawless to get his insights about maintaining communication. You would also want to find out if he has made friends with anyone in your area. A third approach would be to talk with people in your area — especially experts in this topic — about maintaining lines of communication.

Here are some questions to ask:

• How important is the human connection, especially during pandemic times?
• During the pandemic, what ways of meeting new people have emerged?
• What are the important elements to making new friends?
• How often do people need to improve in those skills?
• When communicating while wearing a mask, are there certain things that can improve the result?
• What tips do you have for improving communication online?
• Is online communication better than older forms of connecting, like the telephone?
• What about unusual forms of communication? Have ham radio operators been active during the pandemic?
• After periods of isolation, do people get out of practice with in-person communication?
• What can people look forward to regarding communication when masks and lockdowns become things of the past?