School Officer Fired After Gun Incident
A school resource officer has been terminated a couple of months after he accidentally discharged his gun in a cafeteria full of middle school kids.
Officer Jonathan Cross has been on administrative leave since April 30 when his gun fired off in a cafeteria room full of middle school kids.
At the time, it was believed that there was something wrong with the firearm, but according to Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, “FDLE the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted independent tests of the weapon they found that there was nothing wrong with the duty weapon,” said Nocco.
The case was additionally presented to the state attorney’s office for culpable negligence according to Nocco, but the state attorney decided not to criminally charge the officer.
Vaping Investigation
Vaping has been in the national spotlight as of late with more studies showing that it can be just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.
In Florida, one in four high school students has admitted that they vape. This is surprising considering the Florida Department of Health has updated its reported cases of E-cigarettes and vaping caused illnesses to 68 and their deaths to include one in their latest report.
This has led to Attorney general Ashley Moody launching an investigation into more than 20 vaping companies.
“Our investigation will focus on the marketing practices and online sales strategies of these companies to determine if they have intentionally targeted minors, tempting them to vape, and will also seek information to determine if these companies can support their marketing and health claims,” Moody said. “I commit to you, that we will get to the bottom of this issue so important to the future of Florida’s youth,” said Moody.
The CDC and FDA are still investigating the cause of over 800 lung illnesses reported across 46 states.
USF Students Rally for Sexual Assault Rights
Students at the University of South Florida are protesting the recent increase of sexual assaults on campus.
Members of SDS were protesting on campus demanding that offenders of sexual assault be held accountable and survivors are given more protection.
“We want USF to create a lot more programs and also expel the rapists off of campus,” said one student.
According to USF’s annual security report, four rapes were reported in 2016, eight were reported in 2017 and 18 rapes were reported on the Tampa campus last year.
Moxy Hotel Construction
Tampa Heights is preparing for a new addition to the area. Construction is currently underway for the 25-floor mixed-use building.
The hotel will consist of 300 apartments that will be available for rent to the residents of the area. The hotel will have 153 rooms and several retail stores.
Uber Pets
Uber is launching a new feature for those who just can’t bear to leave their pets at home while going on a ride.
The company launched a new feature called “Uber Pets” that will allow pet owners to notify the Uber driver that they are bringing their pet along for the ride.
While pets have previously been allowed in Ubers, there has never been a way to notify the driver prior to pick up that you’d like to bring your pet with you, which could result in some drivers canceling the trip.
The feature, however, will have a $3 and $5 surcharge for those who choose to use it unless the animal is a service animal. Drivers can also opt-out of this feature if they are not comfortable with pets in their car.
The program begins Oct. 16, 2019, and will be available in Austin, Denver, Nashville, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, Phoenix and the Tampa Bay area.
Credits: Anchor- Nataniel Conkel
Producer- Sonu Trivedi
Director- Will Polston
Technical Director- Austin Peet
Graphics- Davis Jones
Audio- Mahmoud Bennett
Prompter- Brianna Froncillo
Camera Operator- Jeslyn Santiago
Reporters- Nate Lovely, Natalie Conkel, Ti’Anna Davis
Graduate Assistant- Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Advisor- Catherine Gugerty, Jeanette Abrahamsen
