https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/5btws47s<\/a><\/p>\nHillsborough crime down for fourth year straight<\/p>\n
TAMPA \u2013 For the fourth year in a row, crime in Hillsborough County is down, Sheriff Chad Chronister says.<\/p>\n
According to 2025 data submitted through the FBI\u2019s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), overall crime has declined 12.79% compared to the previous year, Chronister reported last week.<\/p>\n
This is the largest single-year reduction during this four-year trend.<\/p>\n
Since 2022, Hillsborough County has seen a consistent decrease in crime:<\/p>\n
2022: Down 6.2%<\/p>\n
2023: Down 8.23%<\/p>\n
2024: Down 12.30%<\/p>\n
2025: Down 12.79%<\/p>\n
\u201cThese numbers aren\u2019t just impressive, they\u2019re historic,\u201d said Chronister. \u201cWhile communities across the country are experiencing turmoil and rising crime, we are not, because we won\u2019t allow it here. People continue to move to Hillsborough County, and despite that growth, crime is going down. That doesn\u2019t happen by chance. It happens because we are relentless about protecting this community and making sure Hillsborough County remains a safe place to live, visit, and raise a family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Significant reductions were seen in some of the most serious crime categories according to the FBI report.. Homicides, as categorized by NIBRS, dropped 55%, from 49 in 2024 to 22 in 2025. Firearm-related violent crime declined 10.55%, while overall violent crime fell 13.85%. Vehicle burglaries and property crimes were also reduced by 29% and more than 22% respectively, as compared to last year.<\/p>\n
Hillsborough College gets $250,000 for AI center<\/p>\n
Hillsborough College has been awarded $250,000 in federal funding to support the development of a new Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center, following passage and enactment of the federal appropriations package.<\/p>\n
The funding was secured with the support of U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, whose advocacy was instrumental in advancing the College\u2019s request through the federal appropriations process, HC said in a press release.<\/p>\n
The funds will provide new classroom resources and technology that support an advanced educational experience for students interested in applied artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis funding represents a significant investment in our students and educators as we expand our artificial intelligence education and workforce preparation through the implementation of the new Innovation Center,\u201d said Dr. Ken Atwater, president of Hillsborough College.<\/p>\n
County high schools named to Advanced Placement honor roll<\/p>\n
TAMPA \u2013 Some 16 of Hillsborough County public high schools have been named to the 2025 Advanced Placement\u00ae Program (AP\u00ae) School Honor Roll, earning three platinum, four gold, two silver, and seven bronze distinctions.<\/p>\n
The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs \u201cdeliver results for students while broadening participation,\u201d HCS said in a press release.<\/p>\n
This annual recognition is based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.<\/p>\n
Platinum<\/p>\n
\u2022 Durant High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Steinbrenner High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Plant High School<\/p>\n
Gold<\/p>\n
\u2022 Alonso High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Newsome High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Robinson High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sickles High School<\/p>\n
Silver<\/p>\n
\u2022 Middleton High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Riverview High School<\/p>\n
Bronze<\/p>\n
\u2022 Bloomingdale High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Freedom High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Hillsborough High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 King High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Leto High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Gaither High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Wharton High School<\/p>\n
USF Health launches center for voice, hearing, swallowing care<\/p>\n
TAMPA \u2013 The University of South Florida is celebrating the grand opening of the new USF Health Institute for Voice and Hearing Innovation, which the university is touting as a first-of-its-kind center that combines clinical research and comprehensive patient care for voice, hearing and swallowing disorders.<\/p>\n
The new institute establishes USF as the first in the nation to bring together multidisciplinary patient care and clinical research for disorders of communication and swallowing in a single, fully integrated space, USF said in a press release.<\/p>\n
Designed to accelerate discovery while improving patient outcomes, the institute will embed research directly into the clinical experience. Every patient seen at the institute becomes a research partner, helping drive innovations that can quickly move from the lab to real-world clinical practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe created this institute because research and clinical care work better when they\u2019re brought together,\u201d said Yael Bensoussan, MD, director and co-founder of the USF Health Institute for Voice and Hearing Innovation and assistant professor of otolaryngology at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. \u201cBy housing everything in one shared space, we\u2019ve created a model where discovery is part of everyday care. It allows us to move faster, work more collaboratively and develop new treatments that directly benefit patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
The institute features a large acoustics laboratory, a full simulation suite for clinical training and research, a wellness and movement studio, dedicated therapy spaces and advanced technologies for voice, speech, hearing and balance evaluation and treatment. The space also includes a grand piano and performance studio areas, along with 3D printing and virtual reality tools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Three Hillsborough cheerleading teams named tops in U.S. ORLANDO \u2013 Three Hillsborough County high school cheerleading teams have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[113,276,48035,135,75373,137,136,75372],"class_list":["post-157180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-education","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-hillsborough-county-sheriff","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-business-coalition-for-the-arts","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-uca-national-high-school-cheerleading-championship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}