Through the week of the Super Bowl, Sheriff Chad Chronister led undercover detectives through a massive human trafficking operation aimed at stopping sexual exploitation.
Starting on Feb. 1 and extending through Saturday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office participated in an investigation labeled as “Operation Game Over.” This sting resulted in 75 people being arrested who were looking to buy or sell sex.
Chronister said, “The sickening practice of human trafficking is a crime that is nothing less than modern day slavery.”
With the Super Bowl being the most frequent national event for sex trafficking, detectives aimed their efforts at known spots that are hot beds for this kind of behavior. They arrested 32 people at hotels and motels, over 25 on the side of roads in the Tampa area, and a handful of people through online message forums.
The success of this operation did not come solely through arrests, however. Six women were rescued from human traffickers, with the youngest being a 17-year-old girl.
“While the Super Bowl has come and gone, our fight against human trafficking is far from over,” Chronister said. “We will remain vigilant to rescue individuals from the cruel and miserable underworld of human trafficking and pursue those who propagate this despicable practice.”
Florida becomes epicenter of new COVID-19 strain
Florida is now the capitol of the most contagious COVID-19 mutation.
The Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, says that Florida has over 340 cases of variant B.1.1.7 out of the 932 total that is affecting the rest of the nation. Because of this outbreak, the White House has said that they are considering banning travel to Florida.
Florida has recorded 1,798,280 cases of COVID-19 to this date. With this mutation being up to 50% more contagious, experts are predicting a big rise in new cases within the coming weeks.
The CDC has just released new directions on how to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. They say that wearing two masks can prevent the transmission of the virus by up to 95%. The CDC is urging people in high-risk areas to abide by these new directions.
International Women in Science Day brings reflection on lack of women in STEM fields
Women are disproportionately represented in research and STEM throughout the world.
According to the American Association of University Women, only 30% of research is done by women and just 35% of students enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math majors are female. To add on to this discrepancy, men in the same fields make on average $15,000 more than women.
Ruthmae Sears, an associate professor of mathematics education at USF, says, “It goes back to stereotypes and stereotypical tracks relative to how we situate who is it for and who should have access to it,”
To combat this divide, nonprofit organizations such as Girls Inc. of Pinellas mentor young women about opportunities and paths in the STEM community. This association aims to give kids a safe space to learn about STEM along with a variety of other life skills that will help them later in life.
PokemonGO! but for birds
A new online challenge can put you at the forefront of the avian conservation effort.
Through the Great Backyard Bird Count, you can submit pictures and keep tally of the birds you see. By doing this, it will help researchers analyze a multitude of factors that are important to the bird’s species. These factors include habitat, weather and population.
This process is done through the E-bird app, available on the Google Store and on the Apple Store. This app lets you submit your list of birds and their information to the researchers in charge of the effort. If you need some help identifying different species then download the Merlin Bird I.D. app to help you classify a bird by its height and color.
This activity can take you just 15 minutes and makes a real impact on your ecosystem. You can find out where to sign up at Birdcount.org and you have until this Monday to count your birds. So get out there and count them all!
Credits:
Anchor: Demi Asensio, Hannah Halili
Reporters: Courtney Patterson
Producer: Payton Kirol
Writers: Carla Ibanez, Bryony Deighton
Graphics editor: Sean Stover
Video Editor: Carla Ibanez, Bryony Deighton
Show Editor: David Rose
Associate Producer: Gabe Castro
Executive Producer: Brad Haft
Web editor: Austen Prager
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Advisers: Jeanette Abrahamsen, Wayne Garcia
