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  • Grant funds revoked for UNC Charlotte researchers

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    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A research team supporting LGBTQ+ people is facing uncertainty after funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health was revoked.

    Annelise Mennicke is an associate professor of social work at UNC Charlotte.

    She’s also the co-founder of the Violence Prevention Center.

    What You Need To Know

    •  A UNC Charlotte research team learned grant funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health was canceled

    • The funds were expected to last through 2027

    • The NIH’s letter stated the researchers work was not a priority for the agency 

    • The research team was supporing sexual violence survivors in the LGBTQ+ community 


    “As a faculty member who gets to do research, I really value the creativity we have,” Mennicke said. “In the tenure track position, we get to think deeply about plaguing societal problems and come up with creative solutions. Especially at UNC Charlotte, we get the pleasure of doing that with students.”

    Mennicke is part of a grant research team relying on federal funds supporting LGBTQ+ people. Her group consists of a principal investigator, one grad student and five undergraduates.

    “The goal of this program was to help sexual violence survivors who are LGBTQ+,” Mennicke said.

    Since 2018, Mennicke said they’d tried securing grant funds to advance their efforts, but had little success.

    Then in April 2024, the NIH awarded them $469,000. The grant was budgeted from May 1, 2024, through April 30, 2027.

    However, things recently changed, after Mennicke’s group received a letter from the NIH stating the remaining funds were being canceled.

    “It was abruptly and unexpectedly terminated,” Mennicke said. “[It’s] a real loss.”

    “The Charlotte area is really a hub for the LGBTQ community. [They] are contributing members of our society [and] are experiencing sexual violence at much higher rates. The recension of this grant undermines our ability to increase that safety and provide the supportive services folks need,” Mennicke said.

    The NIH letter stated: “This award no longer effectuates agency priorities. Research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific, have little identifiable return on investment and do nothing to enhance the health of many Americans. Many such strategies ignore rather then seriously examine biological realities.”

    Mennicke said the NIH’s reasoning for canceling the grant isn’t adding up.

    “The NIH has established strategic plans, and our grant [was] issued as part of those priorities,” Mennicke said. “It is incompliant for them to change their research priorities without going through established policies and procedures.”

    The federal agency provided this statement in response to questions about why the grant was canceled:

    “NIH is taking action to terminate research funding that is not aligned with NIH and HHS priorities. We remain dedicated to restoring our agency to its tradition of upholding gold-standard, evidence-based science. As we begin to Make America Healthy Again, it’s important to prioritize research that directly affects the health of Americans. We will leave no stone unturned in identifying the root causes of the chronic disease epidemic as part of our mission to Make America Healthy Again.” 

    UNC Charlotte associate professor Jessamyn Moxie is principal investigator on the grant project. She’s also a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

    Jessamyn Moxie, a principal investigator on a grant project supporting LGBTQ+ sexual abuse survivors, says she’s concerned about the NIH revoking funding already promised. (Spectrum News 1/Jennifer Roberts)

    Moxie said the revocation of federal funds sends a troubling message.

    “I think part of this is a larger signaling that we don’t matter, and we don’t need to address specific issues of subpopulations,” Moxie said. “Things that work for one population have not historically for decades worked for other populations.”

    “As a queer person, a lot of it is two-fold for me,” Moxie said. “It’s the work — but outside of work, we’re all battling what this looks like [moving forward]. Our advocacy doesn’t stop, it just signals they refuse to put money behind something we know is important.”

    The NIH has been cutting research funding on universities nationwide as the administration calls on campuses to end diversity, equity and inclusion and practices unaligned with President Donald Trump’s polices.

    Most recently, the Trump administration instructed Harvard University to meet certain conditions or risk losing billions in federal funds, raising questions about how far the government can go with stopping universities cash flows.

    Susan Roberts, a professor of political science at Davidson College, said some universities are heavily dependent on federal dollars for medical research.

    “I’m not sure the extent to which they would freeze certain programs, and not the vast majority,” Roberts said. “I think Harvard is saying we’re not going to yield to your demands about the funding and what you’re going to collect from the university.”  

    When it comes to the legality of revoking approved federal dollars, experts differ.

    Either way, Roberts said some of the questions and concerns posed could be decided in litigation.  

    “[Campuses] may be joining other universities in lawsuits,” she said. “This may open a Pandora’s box for Trump.”

    “I think colleges and universities have to be careful about whether or not they yield too broadly,” Roberts said. “I think the colleges are trying to figure out how to get a unified front. I think in a week we’ll have more of an idea of what universities are doing.” 

    As for Mennicke, her research team is exploring next steps.

    “The university is working with us to issue an appeal of this in the hopes [of reissuing] the grant,” Mennicke said.

    Mennicke said there’s still over $300,000 remaining grant dollars unused. A big portion of the money was supporting the researchers’ salaries.

    “The undergraduate students were planning to work another two years on the project,” Mennicke said. “The university is going to cover them through the rest of the semester, but they were planning on working much longer.”

    “To finally have achieved [this] and went through the most rigorous peer review process in the country and to have that taken away represents an emotional loss,” Mennicke said. “It’s a difficult time.”

     

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    Jennifer Roberts

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  • Pinellas Schools teacher apprenticeship program helping to fill vacant positions

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    PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Schools became the first district in the state to offer a teacher apprenticeship program.

    Now, those apprentices are halfway through the two-year program. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Pinellas County Schools became the first district in the state to offer a teacher apprenticeship program

    • The program is helping people like Tiffany Reilly reach their dreams and helps the school district fill critical teaching positions

    • It’s a two-year apprenticeship that allows employees to earn their bachelor’s degree in education while working in schools with veteran teachers as mentors full time

    • All tuition, books, and fees are fully covered, and apprentices receive a salary increase in while in the program


    Spectrum News Bay News 9 first introduced Tiffany Reilly last spring. She’s a teacher apprentice at the Nina Harris ESE Center, and she says this unique program is helping her reach her dreams and helps the school district fill critical teaching positions.

    Reilly has worked as a paraprofessional for six years. Last spring, she became one of the first teacher apprentices in Pinellas County.

    “I’m doing my paraprofessional work, I’m also being an online student, and I’m also a teacher apprentice. It’s a lot, it’s a lot,” she said.

    It’s a two-year apprenticeship that allows employees to earn their bachelor’s degree in education while working in schools with veteran teachers as mentors full time. There are 25 in this cohort, and Dr. Nicole Gallucci-Landis, who oversees the program, says it’s proving to be a success.

    “We have some apprentices when we look at their data, when they work directly with students, they’re excelling, and students’ achievement levels are going up, and so it is, we’re really seeing a great return,” she said.

    Reilly says this apprenticeship is allowing her to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, and she says working with her mentor, “Ms. Fitzpatrick”, helps her learn more about teaching than she ever could, sitting in a traditional college classroom.

    “As we work together, it’s incredible because we are so alike — it’s funny. We feed off each other, but I just enjoy watching her because I’m like, I would do that too, and then she sometimes gets things from me, and I just couldn’t ask for a better mentor,” said Reilly.

    While Reilly admits it can be challenging juggling work and school, she says her faith and her love for her students keep her going, and in the end, she knows it will all be worth it. 

    The teacher apprenticeship program is a partnership between Pinellas County Schools and St. Petersburg College. All tuition, books, and fees are fully covered, and apprentices receive a salary increase in while in the program. 

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    Fallon Silcox

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  • Local electrical company sparks bright future for students

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    MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Earn and learn: that’s the mission for one local electrical company with the growing trend of young adults entering the trade industry.

    New Dawn Electric in Manatee County is hiring high school graduates and paying for their education.

    What You Need To Know

    • New Dawn Electric in Manatee County is hiring high school graduates and paying for their education
    • Manatee Technical College says their overall enrollment has increased by more than 25 percent from 2024 to 2025. And those enrolled in the electrician apprenticeship program increased by 140 percent

    • New Dawn Electric hires three high school graduates for their apprenticeship program each year and hopes to expand that number

    Joseph Berloni is an eager student.

    “What I like about this job is just being able to learn,” Joseph Berloni, New Dawn Electric employee, said.

    For the past nine months, Berloni has been in an apprenticeship program with New Dawn Electric.

    “I like working around it, it’s a good opportunity. Everyone needs electricians in the world,” Berloni said.

    He is working full time at job sites like this one, getting paid and trained to become an electrician.

    “Right now, we’re securing the transformer to the wall just to make sure that’s all secure,” Berloni said.

    He graduated last May from Braden River High School.

    “I never had the ambition to go to college. I thought maybe that wasn’t for me,” Berloni said. “I didn’t know anything about this trade coming out of high school. Alan and Kelly really took a chance on me.”

    A chance Berloni isn’t taking for granted. He’s been taking night classes twice a week at Manatee Technical College since the fall. He’ll graduate from the electrician registered apprenticeship program in 2028.

    “We are learning about electrical theory right now, which is basically a very advanced physics class,” Berloni said.

    New Dawn Electric doesn’t just provide him with a paycheck — the company also pays for his education.

    “I feel like it’s a very good opportunity for me to kind of prove that they’re paying for something, that they’re going to get a good return on,” Berloni said.

    Manatee Technical College says their overall enrollment has increased by more than 25 percent from 2024 to 2025. And those enrolled in the electrician apprenticeship program increased by 140 percent.

    “Eventually, I want to own my own electrical company and kind of do the same thing that the company that I’m at right now is doing — helping apprentices,” Berloni said.

    Berloni is staying wired for success, using his apprenticeship role to power his future.

    New Dawn Electric hires three high school graduates for their apprenticeship program each year and hopes to expand that number.

    The company just received its commercial license last fall.

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    Julia Hazel

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  • AI in the classroom: How artificial intelligence is helping teachers

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    NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Some of us only remember classrooms having chalkboards or whiteboards.

    What You Need To Know

    • Pepin Academies in New Port Richey is utilizing AI to help students answer questions and teachers plan lessons

    • The programming comes from Scholar Education, which now has its program helping 4,000 students in six different schools

    • A teacher who uses the resource at Pepin says the AI has helped her with student data collection that is required to see their progress in school

    • Dayspring Academy also uses this program


    It was a simpler time that Amy McBride saw when she started teaching in the 1990s.

    “There was no internet,” said McBride, who teaches U.S. History at Pepin Academies in New Port Richey. “So, I tell the kids I’m like, yeah, I went to college, there’s no internet and they’re like, how did you do anything?”

    It’s wild to think of a time when the internet wasn’t our go-to for everything and in the modern classroom, laptops and tablets are as ubiquitous as pencils.

    But something new is joining the curriculum at Pepin Academies and that’s BaxterBot.

    “He’s our AI,” McBride said. “And we just click it and they can ask him any question.”

    Think of him like a teacher’s assistant.

    When the kids are working on an assignment and, say, McBride is busy helping one specific student, the other kids can ask Baxter their question and he will either answer it or pose another question to get the kids thinking toward the right solution.

    “In the beginning they would ask, and he would just give them the answer,” she said. “Then he catches on that they’re not thinking it on there, and he’ll go, well, what do you think?”

    This programed pup comes from Scholar Education, which uses the likeness of two dogs, Baxter and Professor Bruce, to help the students with their coursework.

    It also helps McBride with lesson planning and data collecting.

    “It makes my data crunching at that time of year when, you know, we’re also doing exams and end of the course, you know, all the stuff they ask for us above and beyond the classroom,” McBride said. “It helps with that considerably.”

    That’s why McBride thinks AI like this isn’t detrimental to learning, because she says it actually helps students who may be shy and don’t want to speak up to ask questions, while also assisting kids with learning disabilities.

    “Never did I think I’d be, you know, relying on a dog to help me teach my class or help my students answer their questions,” McBride joked.

    But now that Baxter and Bruce are there, McBride says it has made the modern classroom an even better learning environment.

    McBride says this is the first semester she has implemented the program into her teaching.

    Aside from Pepin Academies in New Port Richey, Dayspring Academy is also using Baxter and Bruce.

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    Nick Popham

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  • Controlled burn smoke cancels classes at River Ridge High School

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    PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — River Ridge High School and Middle School canceled classes Wednesday due to excessive smoke from a controlled burn in Starkey Park near the New Port Richey school.

    What You Need To Know

    • Classes at both River Ridge Middle and High School were canceled due to heavy smoke from a controlled burn nearby

    • The Southwest Florida Water Management District said they had a controlled burn at Starkey Wilderness Preserve Tuesday to prevent future wildfires

    • They said it took longer than expected because of a large number of dead trees from a 2017 wildfire and hurricane debris leading to lingering smoke
    • Pasco County School District officials are confident that students will return to class Thursday


    According to Pasco County school officials, it was determined it was not safe to host classes on campus due to smoke in classrooms. 

    School officials advised students and parents that all campus activities and students should remain home Wednesday. When the first school staff members arrived a little before 6 a.m., they immediately noticed the smoke.


    “Our plant manager at River Ridge High School arrived around 5:45 and saw there was a dense smoke around the campus, but also, that smoke had gotten into the classrooms,” said Pasco County Schools spokesperson Toni Zetzsche.

    Officials said students who were picked up by bus transportation were returned to their bus stop.

    Student Ashton Adams was expecting a short school week thanks to a planned day off on Friday, but when his mom woke him up and told him about the smoke, it took him a second to realize what was happening.

    “She was saying that there is a controlled wildfire, and that smoke got into the school, into the classrooms,” Adams said. “She said no school, so turned my alarm off, went to the bathroom, went right back to bed.”

    The Southwest Florida Water Management District said they had a controlled burn at Starkey Wilderness Preserve Tuesday to prevent future wildfires. The burn was close to the school. They said it took longer than expected because of a large number of dead trees from a 2017 wildfire and hurricane debris leading to lingering smoke.

    Adams lives close to the school, and by the time he went outside later that morning, he says there wasn’t much to see.

    “I didn’t see anything, no, but if I tried hard, I guess you could say you could smell a little smoke, but barely,” he said.

    With little to no lingering smoke around the school by the afternoon, the school district is confident that students will return to class Thursday.

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    Matt Lackritz, Spectrum News Staff

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  • Lakewood Ranch High School student heads to D.C. for national competition

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    LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. — From the classroom to the national stage.

    Lakewood Ranch High School senior Addison Shea is heading to Washington, D.C., on Thursday after earning a spot in the nation’s top science competition.

    What You Need To Know

    • A Lakewood Ranch senior submitted her research project, and it landed her a spot in the top 40 of the Regeneron Science Talent Search — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors

    • According to the National Science Foundation, from 2011 to 2021, women in the STEM workforce grew by 31%

    • The winner of the competition will receive $250,000 in scholarship money

    When it comes to finding information, you can find Shea at her computer.

    “The Arctic is warming at least twice as fast as other biomes on Earth, according to recent climatology reports,” she said.

    She was reading her research paper, part of a project she completed during her AP Research class last year titled “Bowhead Whale Migration Amid Changing Circulation Patterns in the Beaufort Gyre.”

    “The Beaufort Gyre is a sea current located in the Arctic,” Shea said. “During the 1900s, it was really interesting because it used to switch direction every five to seven years.”

    But in the past 21 years, Shea says, that current has not changed direction — leading to changes for the whales.

    Photo of Addison Shea from Society of Science website.

    “The whales’ migration has changed. The scope of my study cannot derive an exact cause for this change. What could be happening is that perhaps the bowhead whales have begun migrating earlier, or their summer location has shifted,” she said.

    This project landed her a spot in the top 40 of the Regeneron Science Talent Search — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

    She applied in the fall and got the news in January.

    “I’m just incredibly honored to have gotten this far,” she said.

    More women like Shea are going further in STEM. According to the National Science Foundation, from 2011 to 2021, women in the STEM workforce grew by 31%.

    Meantime, 54% of applicants for the Regeneron competition this year were women.

    The Society for Science says that since 2006, more than half of all entries have been female.

    “I think it’s really incredibly important to encourage women to enter STEM fields,” Shea said. “I am actually president of my school’s Girl Up club, which is a female empowerment organization here at Lakewood Ranch High School. And it’s really important for young girls to be able to see that there are girls in STEM and that it’s possible.”

    According to the organization, whoever wins first place in this competition will receive a $250,000 scholarship.

    “That would be life-changing — being able to go to a top-tier university and graduate without student debt,” Shea said.

    She’s already been accepted to several schools, including Yale, but hasn’t made a decision yet.

    “I intend to double major in environmental science and computer science in college, because I really want to be able to use programming skills to analyze large datasets in the environmental science discipline. My overarching objective is to analyze and help mitigate climate change,” Shea said.

    She is ready to share her findings — but also use this competition as a stepping stone for her future.

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    Julia Hazel

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  • Dogs Inc hosts pre-vet college students for educational tour

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    MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Manatee County dog service training organization hosted pre-veterinary students to teach them more about the job of a veterinarian. They say it’s a way to encourage more people to enter the industry.

    What You Need To Know

    • Dogs Inc is a nonprofit organization that trains dogs to become service dogs

    • According to studies, there is a veterinary shortage
    • Dogs Inc provided an educational tour to show students what it is like to be a vet

    • Students such as Brinn Dameron say the tour was beneficial and helped her better understand the industry


    Devon Smith is the senior director of medicine at Dogs Inc.

    “Inevitably, we’re going to need more people for nonprofit work,” she said. “We’re going to need more people for those other career options that might be less advertised in vet school, but they definitely exist, and they’re definitely in need. And it’s a really strong career path.”

    Dogs Inc welcomed pre-veterinary students on Tuesday from Florida Southern College. On their tour of the facility, they learned some new techniques, like how to put on sterile gloves.

    Senior Brinn Dameron has wanted to be a veterinarian since she was five years old.

    “I’m a dog owner myself, and I love my dogs. They’ve changed my world. So I would love to help with that for other people,” she said.

    According to a study by the Association of Medical Colleges, 75% of veterinarians focus on health care for domestic pets — a specialty Dameron is interested in.

    “I think this is really cool, to be honest,” she said.

    That same study also reported a significant shortage of full-time veterinarians, with the industry needing up to 6,000 more doctors.

    “I think that the shortage is really important to focus on, because animal medicine connects with humans so much more than we even understand. And I think that helping people understand the different pathways they can take into veterinary medicine would help decrease that need — not decrease the need, but decrease the shortage,” Smith said.

    Dameron says learning more about the equipment used and seeing experts at work has helped her better understand the field.

    “This has been even better than I expected,” she said.

    Now, she’s preparing her applications for veterinary school.

    “I think being able to do some good, building connections with people and animals, and helping people be more aware is really important,” she said.

    Dameron is still in the learning process, but gaining hands-on knowledge from experts is guiding her toward success.

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    Julia Hazel

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  • Pasco County Schools adding walls to 700 open classrooms

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    LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — A few changes are coming soon to hundreds of Pasco County classrooms.

    What You Need To Know

    • Permanent walls are being built in 700 open classrooms throughout Pasco County Schools

    • District officials say the idea came from teachers throughout the district who noticed an uptick in student distractions

    • Each classroom repair will run about $3,000, with their cost being covered by the district’s budget

    • Repairs will take place over the next 18 to 24 months, covering the span of a two-year budget cycle


    Walls are being built in open classrooms throughout the district as part of a move designed to help students concentrate, while also keeping them safe.

    “They’re a majority of our elementary classrooms and they’re all throughout the county,” said Pasco County Schools Superintendent John Legg.

    At schools throughout Pasco County, classrooms are getting a facelift — permanent dividing walls are being constructed in what the county calls “open classrooms.”

    “While that concept was well intended back in the 70s and 80s, it just doesn’t meet with today’s day and age,” Legg said. “What we’re looking at doing is providing some structure and walls to those classrooms in order to make them distraction free so students and teachers can focus on academics.”

    District officials say the idea came from teachers throughout the district who noticed an uptick in student distractions. Since the district has come back from COVID about five years ago, Legg said they’ve seen an increase in behavior issues. 

    “Kindergarten students were getting very distracted,” said Fox Hollow Elementary School principal Jessica Pitkoff. “They hear what the other teachers are doing. They see what the other kids are doing. Sometimes we pull small groups into the middle and they saw that kids were doing something in a small group and, by nature, they have a lot of curiosity and they would start wondering toward the middle.”

    Legg said the walls will also add a depth of security to the classroom.

    “Under the open floor plan concept, if someone were to get in one classroom, they’re in all classrooms,” he said. “What this will do is isolate it to a single classroom, so it enhances our security in all of our schools.”

    A total of 700 classrooms will have new walls constructed. The cost is being covered by the district’s budget.

    “Each classroom repair is going to run about $3,000,” Legg said. “We’re looking at doing these repairs over the next 18 to 24 months, which would be about a two-year budget cycle. We believe we have enough money in our existing budget right now to take care of most of these classrooms.”

    And he said the reception has been positive.

    “So far, with the kindergarten teachers, they’re loving it,” said Pitkoff. “I walk into the classrooms and the kids are all in their groups, they’re doing their thing and the teacher is teaching. It’s already made a huge impact at my school.”

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    Calvin Lewis

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  • A+ Teacher recognized by former student turned colleague

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    NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Andrea Maltese has been teaching for 30 years at Moon Lake Elementary. She has a true passion for education.

    What You Need To Know

    • Andrea Maltese is this week’s A+ Teacher

    • Maltese helps teachers create plans to make sure the students are successful

    • She was nominated by a former student

    • Would you like to nominate an A+ Teacher for a future story? Click here


    “I love seeing the looks on the kid’s faces, the adult’s faces, when something finally clicks. That is probably the most rewarding aspect of this job,” said Maltese.

    She is currently a humanities coach focusing on instructional training for reading, writing and social studies. Maltese helps teachers create plans to make sure the students are successful.

    “I visit classrooms and do walk-throughs to see if everything we’ve planned is coming to fruition and our students are positively responding. I get a chance to still connect with my kids and ask them how things are going,” said Maltese.

    Maltese also works with students in small groups, which helps her build relationships with them.

    “I think it’s that trust, that connection that we have with our kids and making sure that learning is fun and I try to make it fun every day for them, but also [let them] know that I believe in them,” said Maltese.

    Maltese was nominated to be featured as our A+ Teacher this week by a former student. Kiley Witfoth was in her second-grade class. She now teaches kindergarten at Moon Lake Elementary.

    “She’s made such a big impact to the school, to the community, because my brother also had her as a teacher and my parents still talk about her sometimes,” said Witfoth.

    “You do everything and you set them off and you hope you’ll see them again so the fact that she came back to work here but then she nominated me is just very humbling and very inspirational to others I think,” said Maltese.

    “This is a pure example of when we have great education and fun learning and engaged learning that we can have our students want to come back and teach again and do the same thing for kids they have in front of them.”

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    Jorja Roman

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  • New changes to Manatee County school speed zone cameras

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    BRADENTON, Fla. — Voting to enforce school zone speed limits at the beginning and end of every school day, instead of all day long, Manatee County commissioners have agreed to reduce the length of the time that drivers can be ticketed for speeding in a school zone.

    What You Need To Know

    • The speed detection cameras will only be on at the beginning and very end of the school day this new policy went into effect Wednesday, February 5
    • Drivers will still be fined $100 if they go 10 miles over  the limit

    • Manatee commissioners also approved a universal 20 mph school zone speed limit that has not gone into effect until a date is given by the county

    • According to county officials, residents will still have to pay existing speeding tickets 

    “Right now, I’m looking at $300 dollars,” Liz Gabrick said, who received three citations in 24 hours last month.

    She said it was in the middle of the day, and the school zone lights were not flashing.

    “They said that the school zone speed limit is 30, and one I was going 40, another 44, and one at 46,” she said.

    And it’s left a negative impact.

    “Is it going to hurt my pocketbook? You bet it is. I’ve spent sleepless nights, a lot of time, and went to the commissioners’ meeting,” she said. “And if I try to fight this in court, it’s thousands of dollars and time off work. It’s a hardship.”

    It’s a hardship that other residents can speak to as well, which is why commissioners changed the school zone policy after receiving several complaints from residents about receiving tickets.

    Manatee County Commissioner Bob McCann said the overall idea is to protect school children, not punish speeders.

    “We got rid of the red light cameras for that purpose,” he said. “We aren’t there to monitor or change behavior. What we are there for is to protect the child’s safety during a school zone, period.”

    The Manatee County Board of Commissioners voted to enforce school zone violations for a one-hour period — 30 minutes before the first bell, and 30 minutes after the last bell. County officials also voted to enforce a universal 20 mph school zone speed limit, rather than varying speeds at different schools. 

    They were all moves that Gabrick said she agreed with.

    “I’m the first one to believe in child safety, but be transparent with us,” she said.

    Driving on Linger Lodge Road East, where Gabrick was ticketed while driving past Tara Elementary School, she said one big issue is the lack of a speed limit sign when driving from Tara Preserve Lane to Linger Lodge Road East.

    “What I don’t like about driving through there is if there was such a concern about speeding through the school zone, there should have been a speed limit sign there,” she said.

    Many residents have asked if they still have to pay for the tickets they received before the new rule change on the Feb. 4. The simple answer from the county is: Yes, drivers still have to pay for existing tickets.

    As for the universal 20 mph school zone speed limit, the county did approve it, but there is no set date when that will go into effect.

    Manatee County officials addressed the issue in a statement:

    “At this time, a specific date has not been determined; however, staff will begin developing a plan for the fabrication and installation of the new signage. Additional details will be shared with the community as they become available.

    Individuals who received a School Speed Zone Camera Notice of Violation (NOV) prior to the policy change approved by the Manatee Board of County Commissioners on February 4 are still required to pay the assigned penalty. For any questions regarding an NOV, please contact the Public Safety Department at code.enforcement@mymanatee.org or call Red Speed customer service at 888-213-0715.”

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    Julia Hazel

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  • Citrus County’s Marine Science Station re-opens after Hurricane Helene

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    CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — Citrus County students are finally able to return to a popular field trip location that was closed for months after being damaged during Hurricane Helene.

    What You Need To Know

    • Marine Science Station, a popular field trip location for Citrus County students, was closed for months after being damaged by Hurricane Helene

    • The station was closed from September until January, but the outdoor areas have since been reopened
    • Efforts to repair classrooms at the station are on-going, with the hopes of having indoor learning available again soon


    The Marine Science Station, a well-known learning center for students to observe and learn about marine life, was closed after being damaged during Hurricane Helene. Now, months after the storm, the station is welcoming back eager students.

    “It’s a way to bring alive the standards that the teachers are teaching these kids in the classroom,” said station supervisor Earnie Olsen.

    The station is a popular field trip destination for elementary students and even high schoolers enrolled in life science courses.  

    Storm damage kept the station closed from September until January.

    “There was marsh debris logs everywhere,” said Olsen. “When that water comes in from the Gulf, your marshes and your mangrove swamps help buffer some of that impact from the storm, but it still raises up vegetation that’s buoyant and that floats in here. When the water recedes, all of that material stays behind.”

    While indoor areas have suffered, the outdoor areas have rebounded.

    “Do you see all the land out here?” Olsen asked a group of fourth-grade students from Central Ridge Elementary. “And all the wetlands out here? We call those parts of our watershed. Because what does the water do when it hits the land? It sheds.”

    Olsen said the center supplies fantastic views of the surrounding ecosystem for students.

    “Until you get out in it and experience all the ways to experience it, that’s probably going to be the best way for a kid to learn,” Olsen said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to have that opportunity to serve our kids in that way.”

    Olsen said efforts to repair indoor classrooms at the station are ongoing, and he hoped the work would be completed soon.

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    Calvin Lewis

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  • Florida Polytechnic designs tech that activates bodycams for Lakeland PD

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    LAKELAND, Fla. — Every Lakeland Police Officer is now wearing brand new technology that activates their body cameras, and that new technology was designed by a student and fabrication specialist at Florida Polytechnic University.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Lakeland PD contacted Florida Polytechnic to design brackets for their new holsters to hold a sensor that activates their body cameras

    •  A student, and a fabrication specialist at Florida Polytechnic University invented the carbon fiber bracket that fits into Lakeland PD’s holsters

    •  A patent is pending on the new technology


    When the Lakeland Police Department purchased new firearms for officers, they ran into a problem. The vendor hadn’t created a bracket for the holsters for it yet that would work with the body cameras, so they turned to Florida Poly for help.

    Mike Kalman, a fabrication specialist at the university, says within hours he and a student came up with a unique invention.

    It’s a carbon-fiber mount that holds a sensor that detects when a firearm’s metal is no longer present in the holster, meaning the officer has drawn the weapon.

    This movement would trigger the bodycam to begin recording if it hasn’t done so already.

    “When I draw, that right there activates the body-worn camera,” said Lieutenant Frank Fitzgerald with the Lakeland Police Department, demonstrating how the bracket works.

    A carbon-fiber mount holds a sensor that detects when a firearm’s metal is no longer present in the holster. (Spectrum News)

    Students used 3D printers to make enough for everyone on the force, and Kalman says creating something actually being used by law enforcement was a great experience for students.

    “A lot of what I do is in university, it’s for classroom use, or maybe it’s for learning use of some kind, but a lot of what I do is not actually out in the real world,” he said. “So this being out in the real world, and on top of that, it’s saving lives, and helping police, helping citizens, that’s really cool.”

    Back at Lakeland PD, Fitzgerald says thanks to Florida Poly, officers can focus on the task at hand in stressful situations, knowing all evidence is preserved.

    “When a Lakeland Police Officer, or any officer, responds with a body-worn camera on their person, it’s a tool for investigative means, it preserves best evidence, and it’s for transparency and accountability so the public can see what we do, and what we don’t do,” he said.

    The department is also using the brackets in their taser holsters. 

    Right now, the patent is pending for the brackets. 

    Florida Polytechnic officials say prior to producing the brackets for Lakeland PD, they tested them for about six months for safety and durability.

    It took almost three months to print all of them.

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    Fallon Silcox

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  • Polk Schools temporarily suspends volunteer applications to address legislation

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    LAKELAND Fla. — Polk County Schools is no longer accepting new volunteer, or renewal volunteer applications.

    The district says it needs time to revise its current background screening process in order to comply with new legislation that requires all school volunteers to pass a level two background check, which costs $97.

    What You Need To Know

    • Senate Bill 676 passed in 2023 and requires all school volunteers to pass Level 2 background checks starting March 1, 2025

    • Level 2 background checks cost $97, and some school volunteers are worried that cost will be passed on to volunteers

    • Polk County Schools temporarily suspended all volunteer applications to allow the district time to figure out where funds will come from to pay for the background checks


    Some school Parent-Teacher Organizations are worried this could result in losing a lot of volunteers, depending on how the district ends up handling the additional fee.

    Monica Sims is the type of mom who does it all — she works a full-time job from home, and volunteers at her kids’ schools.

    “I would say we do a lot of the grunt work so that it frees up resources for the administration and the teachers,” she said.

    Sims also heads the Parent Teacher Organization, too, but going into the spring semester, she is worried schools may lose a lot of their volunteer support because of background checks.

    “The way I understand it, is going just from a local check to state, and national checks on volunteers within the schools,” she said.

    Sims says the Level 2 background checks are an excellent safety measure, however, the cost associated with it is her concern. She paid $25 for her level 1 background check to volunteer in schools, and the new level 2 check costs $97.

    “My hope is they don’t pass that cost along to the volunteers. I think that could end up causing some folks to rethink whether they do the volunteer work, so that cost associated may be too much for some folks to be able to do it,” she said.

    The district posted to their website saying they temporarily suspended all volunteer applications to give them time to figure out how to pay for the background checks. The legislation requiring it passed in 2023, and Sims says she wishes the district would have figured this out sooner.

    “If they appropriated money when they passed the bill, why wouldn’t that be appropriated towards the actual costs to offset that so the volunteers don’t have to do that, but they’re currently working on that, so we’re in a wait and see mode right now,” she said.

    While she’s waiting to see, Sims says she’ll continue volunteering, and she hopes other parents do the same. 

    The new legislation goes into effect on March 1. It does include $4.4 million in appropriations.

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    Fallon Silcox

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  • New Angeline Athletic Complex a product of ‘Penny for Pasco’ surtax

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    LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — Student athletics are on their way to the new Angeline Academy of Innovation.

    What You Need To Know

    • Angeline Academy of Innovation is adding student athletics through the new Angeline Athletic Complex

    • Athletics, originally, were not in the plans for the school, but the demand from parents and students is helping put a state-of-the-art facility on the map
    • Funding for the new facility is thanks, in part, to the “Penny for Pasco” surtax
    • The facility is the first artificial turf field in Pasco County


    It’s thanks, in part, to the “Penny for Pasco” — a voter-approved infrastructure surtax. Originally, athletics were not in the plans for the school. But the demand from parents and students is helping put a state-of-the-art facility on the map.

    “This is the first turf in Pasco,” said Matthew Wicks, senior supervisor for Athletics and Electives with Pasco County Schools.

    “We originally did this in partnership with Day Spring Academy,” said Wicks. “We’ve had this land for quite a long time. It used to be cows. It was a big field of cows.”

    Now, it’s the new Angeline Athletic Complex. 

    It will be home to the county’s first artificial turf field where a variety of sports, like football and soccer, can be played. It includes a rubber track and more.

    “We have these green granules and it’s, actually, a cooling pellet that we paid for because we thought it was important to keep the field a little bit cooler for our athletes,” Wicks said. “Obviously, we live in the state of Florida and it gets really hot. I’m not going to sugar coat it — it’s still going to be hot out here. But these pellets keep it 15 to 20 degrees cooler than it would on a normal turf field.”

    The facility is also home to a full-sized gym.

    “We installed live stream cameras in all of our gyms and all of our stadiums across Pasco County,” said Wicks. “This one is a huddle camera where parents are able to log-in. If dad’s on the road or mom’s on the road, grandparents live in Indiana or whatever; they can log-in and watch that game and watch their child or their grandchild play. Which I think is a pretty cool experience.”

    It was all made possible thanks to the “Penny for Pasco” sales tax.

    “It’s taxpayer dollars,” said Wicks. “It’s showing our community that we’re going to spend those dollars wisely and be fiscally responsible about it. This is one of the projects that helps with that. In the future, we want to do some more projects for some of our aging schools to be able to add facilities like this for our student athletes to be able to participate on.”

    The facility will host all sports, except golf and swimming. Angeline Academy does not field football, baseball or softball teams. However, Wicks said they will host middle school sports along with community tournaments in the near future.

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    Calvin Lewis

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  • Students at Saint Leo University make election predictions

    Students at Saint Leo University make election predictions

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    ST. LEO, Fla. — Political Science students at Saint Leo University have been working hard since the semester started in August to prepare their presidential election predictions for their campaigns and elections class.

    What You Need To Know

    • Students are making presidential election predictions for the campaigns and elections class at Saint Leo University

    • The class is only offered during election years, and the sole purpose is for students to make educated predictions

    • Each student is assigned a state, and a total of 21 states are covered this year

    • Spectrum Bay News 9 Voting Guide


    The class is only offered during election years, and the teacher says it goes beyond a lot of college classes because it teaches students things they will need to know in life regardless of what career paths they choose. Among those, Frank Orlando said it teaches them all about elections, polls and politics.

    And on Tuesday, the students will get to see how accurate their predictions were, as the country votes to elect former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris to the highest office in the country.

    Orlando teaches the campaigns and elections class and said, students spend the entire semester putting together predictions on who they think will win the presidential race.

    “Each student in the class is assigned a state, and they have to become the undisputed expert in that state,” he said. 

    Students take turns explaining key points in their respective states, which includes, of course, Florida.

    “I’ve been working on learning more about my home state of Florida,” said sophomore Hunter Compton.

    Compton said he has taken many factors into consideration when making his prediction.

    “Looking at demographics, voting trends historically, different polling resources from different media outlets, or seeing a candidate spend more time and more resources in an area, how could this effect this, things such as that,” he said.

    He thinks Trump will win Florida, but admits he could be wrong.

    “I did not expect there to be so many non-party affiliates in Florida,” he said. “Which, of course, means there are lots of votes up for grabs for both parties — which, like I said, could have a very big effect on who’s going to win the state.”

    Regardless of who wins the election, Orlando says his students learned valuable skills this semester that they’re nearly guaranteed to use in life.

    “With political science, beyond just majors, literally everyone is going to be practicing politics, everyone is a citizen and at some level, they have this duty to kind of be a part of the process. So I think that this is something that’s important for everyone,” Frank said.

    On Election Day, all of the students will meet at school after the polls have closed so they can watch all the results come in to see how their predictions went.

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    Fallon Silcox

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  • Manatee County students tour cancer treatment center

    Manatee County students tour cancer treatment center

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    BRADENTON, Fla. — As part of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, students around Manatee County got firsthand experience with treating cancer patients using medical devices at HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton.

    What You Need To Know

    • November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and students in Manatee County got the chance to learn more about patient treatment

    • According to HCA Florida Blake Hospital officials, more than 127,000 Americans losing their lives to lung cancer each year

    • Emma Harlow, a senior at Parrish Community High School, hopes to go to college and enter into the medical field 

    The hospital is among the leading institutions for general thoracic surgery in the United States and Canada, according to HCA Florida Blake Hospital officials.

    Dr. Robert Ferguson, a thoracic surgeon, explains that devices like the Da Vinci robot have helped lung cancer patients recover faster.

    “Traditionally, we used to have to completely open the chest, and people would stay in the hospital for upwards of a week. Nowadays, we’re doing some procedures with the robot where people are going home on the exact same day,” he said.

    Emma Harlow, a senior at Parrish Community High School, sees herself using this kind of medical device one day.

    She has wanted to be in the medical field since she was a kid.

    “I just want people to feel better. I’ve always had this empathetic streak, and seeing people suffer really hurts me,” said Harlow.

    Coming from a family of nurses, Harlow wants to take things up a notch and hopes to become a surgeon specializing in pediatric oncology.

    “It’s a calling,” she said. “With oncology, which is something I really enjoy and want to do, I know I won’t be able to bring everybody home, but at least I can help parents have more time with their children and make kids feel better.”

    She has even had the opportunity to volunteer at the hospital.

    “In the ER, which will be my next shift, I’ll be working with stretchers, getting them ready for when patients come in, responding to call lights, stocking supplies, and bringing items to patients in the ICU,” said Harlow.

    Harlow is gaining as much experience as she can now to set herself up for the future.

    Next month she’ll be applying to colleges, with plans to major in pre-med.

    HCA Florida Blake Hospital awarded $5,000 to two schools—Nolan Middle School and Parrish Community High School—each receiving $2,500.

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    Julia Hazel

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  • ‘These kiddos have to have a safe place to learn’: Ensuring school safety

    ‘These kiddos have to have a safe place to learn’: Ensuring school safety

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    RALEIGH, N.C. — School safety is a focal point of many campaigns, including governor and school superintendent.

    One question is how many school resource officers should be in schools and on what campuses, but what’s not in question is whether safe and secure learning environments for our students are the number one priority of SROs. 

     

    What You Need To Know

    School resource officers are fully trained law enforcement officers who work on public school campuses

    They often function as mentors, confidants, and security 

    Both candidates for state superintendent of public instruction support SROs in schools

     

    Sgt. Robert Tichenor has been an SRO on four school campuses in Garner and loves building bonds with students. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    “These kiddos have to have a safe place to learn, and that’s our number one goal as SROs and as police officers,” Sergeant Robert Tichenor with the Garner Police Department said. “Number two goal is student engagement. Positive engagement, making sure that we’re making a difference in their lives.”

    Not only do they enforce laws and maintain order, but they also build positive relationships with students, some of whom would not have any outside positive interaction with law enforcement. SROs are often where first impressions of law enforcement start.

    “It provides not only safety and security to the school, the students, but it’s creating that positive engagement in the community so that later on we can have the crime prevention that we need,” Tichenor said. “Community policing is the way of the world now. It’s what works. An SRO is on the front line for that.”

    Tichenor says this is by far the best and most rewarding job he’s had as a police officer. He’s served as a school resource officer in all four of Garner’s secondary schools. 

    “This is our chance to make an impact on them and make sure that they see us in a positive light and know that we’re here to help, not just necessarily take people to jail,” Tichenor said.

    Sgt. Tichenor gives a final high five to a student after walking them safely to school. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

    He says the relationships built between an SRO and students can be extremely important to preventing threats on or off campus. 

    “If you have a good relationship with the student, they’re willing to tell you more,” Tichenor said. “They’re willing to explain what they may have saw on the bus, what they may have heard on Instagram, things like that.”

    Both high schools in Garner have two SROs and each middle school has one. Officers have the jurisdiction to make arrests and conduct investigations on school grounds; however, they defer to school administrators and school policy whenever possible.

    Being in schools is not only about locked doors and secure campuses, but it’s the opportunity to develop bonds with students that may change the trajectory of their life.

    “It does feel a lot safer just by having them as a visible presence,” Liem Mai, a Wake County student, said. “But they also not only see you as a student, but also as an individual that’s in there. And they’ll talk to you, kind of ask you about your future, your plans, your goals.”

    The issue of school resource officers has been hotly debated in our state superintendent campaign. Both candidates agree they are needed in schools and serve an important role, but Republican Michele Morrow would like to see more of them and on every single school campus in the state. Democrat Mo Green has said he believes there are some cases where an SRO would be redundant for certain schools and that decisions have to be made case by case.

    Both candidates lay out their school safety plans on their websites.

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    Rachel Boyd

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  • Eckerd College reopens to students for first time since Helene

    Eckerd College reopens to students for first time since Helene

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In-person classes resumed at Eckerd College on Monday morning for the first time since the campus was evacuated prior to Hurricane Helene in September.

    Tonya Womack, the college’s Executive Director of Risk Management and Safety, says the campus sustained some damage in the back-to-back hurricanes.

    What You Need To Know

    • Flooding impacted some academic buildings during Hurricane Helene 

    • Wind damaged some structures and trees during Hurricane Milton

    • More than 80% of Eckerd students are from out of state

    • Just shy of 90% of undergrads live on campus 
    • View more Hurricane Milton coverage


    During Hurricane Helene, storm surge brought water from Boca Ciega Bay into some of the academic buildings and residence halls. The hurricane also affected power, air conditioning units, and the school’s network. A remediation company worked to clean the affected buildings and as the campus was almost ready to reopen they were hit with Hurricane Milton.

    “After we got back from Helene, we knew about 70% of our buildings were up online but then Milton happened and kind of knocked us back down,” Womack said. “So we’re still trying to get it all back on, we have power across campus except one or two buildings but that doesn’t delay us from reopening our campus.”

    Hurricane Milton brought wind damage and some water intrusion from wind-swept rain. The school’s iconic ‘teaching tree’ lost a major limb and one of the dining halls had damage to its outdoor structure.

    Students were told they had to be off campus by mid-day on September 25 to prepare for Hurricane Helene and were welcomed to move back to campus on October 26, just over one month later. Remote instruction and classes continued as the campus remained closed.

    Only 17% of Eckerd’s roughly 1,900 students are residents of Florida, which Womack says poses some unique challenges when an evacuation order is in place. Almost 90% of students live on campus.

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    Angie Angers

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  • Northern Kentucky University students get immersed in vampire lore

    Northern Kentucky University students get immersed in vampire lore

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    HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Everyone knows the classic vampire tropes: they come out at night and want to suck your blood, etc. But you might not know the real life folklore that influence these stories.

    What You Need To Know

    • After spending some time in Romania, Northern Kentucky University English Professor Kelly Moffett wanted to share that experience with her students

    • So she came up with the idea for “Creative writing in Transylvania,”  a class that culminated with a trip to Romania

    • Students traveled through Transylvania where vampire folklore is steeped in the culture

    • Students went to the Dracula castle, studied the rituals, history and folklore of vampires and how the two are intimately intertwined


    A group of Northern Kentucky University students now do after a trip to Transylvania.

    After spending some time in Romania, NKU English Professor Kelly Moffett wanted to share that experience with her students. So she came up with the idea for “Creative writing in Transylvania,” a class that culminated with a trip to Romania. Students traveled through Transylvania, where vampire folklore is steeped in the culture.

    “Their main job was to go to Romania, and soak everything in,” Moffett said. “And they wrote some of the best writing I’ve seen in ages.”

    Upon learning about the class, Lily Hotkewicz couldn’t sign up fast enough.

    “I’ve always loved folklore and especially vampires. When I told friends and family that I was going to be going on this trip, they were like, yeah that makes sense for you,” she said. “You’re in this country that has such a rich history, and you feel the weight of that and all the stories they tell for every second that you’re there.”

    Students went to the Dracula castle, studied the rituals, history and folklore of vampires and how the two are intimately intertwined. Folklore specialist Sara Moore Wagner came to help Moffett after immersing herself in vampire folklore for a year.

    “It turned from this sort of peasant monster who represents the plague or disease, who kind of prays on families, prays on the villages, into this grand sexy, rich vampire that we have now,” Wagner said.

    While the popular Bram Stoker Dracula story is highly influential and would have people think Dracula and Vlad the Impaler are one in the same, Wagner came to learn that’s not the case, and that Vlad has plenty of his own lore in Romania.

    “He’s a very heroic figure to the Romanians. And he is and isn’t Dracula. It’s very strange that those things kind of evolve,” she said. “Bram Stoker himself had never actually been to Romania.”

    Vlad was also vicious in his own right, as Ezra Knapp, an English major who signed up for the class, learned.

    “The field of stakes. And it’s talking about how all of his enemies, he would impale on these stakes, and then not only would leave them out there as a display of power, but would have a dinner table in the middle of this field, where he would invite adversaries or people who wanted to try to ally with him,” Knapp said.

    Knapp, who wants to be a writer, said the experience was so influential, they’re applying for a scholarship to go back to Romania to teach. Knapp learned the most from just talking to Romanian students.

    “What’s their country like? What’s the political climate? What their interests? What do they like to do? It was good to just get to know someone,” Knapp said. “My writing changed when I was in the Romania trip for the better, and it now reflects that.”

    From haunted forests to ancient architecture, it was an experience not many people at their age get to have. 

    “Supposedly sometimes people go there and they never return, but luckily all of our students came back,” Moffett joked.

    And for this particular fan of vampire lore, it only enhanced her appreciation.

    “Getting to live and using that as inspiration is so much more impactful than just being told write this about this,” Hotkewicz said.

    Moffett said she just returned from another trip to Romania. Her hope is to return with another group of students.

     

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    Sam Knef

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  • Pinellas County School Board to vote on updated calendar following storms

    Pinellas County School Board to vote on updated calendar following storms

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    PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Another piece of the recovery puzzles is figuring out how to make up time missed at school.

    Pinellas County’s school boards will try to figure that out at a meeting this Tuesday.

    Students missed nearly 50 hours of class time between hurricanes Helene and Milton.

    Superintendent Kevin Hendrick proposed a new calendar earlier this week. It includes adding a handful of days that were previously scheduled as early release or teacher planning days.

    Middle and high schoolers would also have their first semester exams waived. That would give them another full week of classes.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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