Year: 2014

The New Boom

January 7, 2014 Brody No Comments

This article appeared in The St. Petersburg Times in August 1997:

Joey Holloway remembers quieter days.

Born and raised in Land O’Lakes, Holloway, 36, recalls days when traffic whispered through town.

Now it roars.

“Everything’s moving north up here,” said Holloway, owner of Holloway’s Farm Supply on U.S. 41. “Tampa’s filling up. People are coming here to get away from the violent areas.”

Growth, like death and taxes, is a fact of life here.

Where cattle and citrus trees once dominated, dirt-hauling trucks and minivans roam.

“I don’t mind the growth really,” Holloway said, “as long as county commissioners control it and make sure we have sufficient water and sewage and roads to keep up with the growth.”

Local districts continue response to Newtown tragedy

January 7, 2014 Brody No Comments

This article appeared in The Herald-Sun in December 2012:

Orange County Schools may take the unprecedented step of putting school resource officers in elementary schools in the wake of Friday’s shootings in Newtown, Conn.

For at least this week, before breaking for the holiday, law enforcement officers are on campus in collaboration with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Hillsborough Police Department. But they could become as permanent as the SROs already found in middle and high schools.

“They will be providing an increased presence through the end of the week,” said Michael Gilbert, OCS public information officer. “Over the break (Superintendent Patrick) Rhodes and the (Board of Education) will be discussing the possibility of placing SROs in our elementary schools with our local law enforcement agencies.”

In a statement issued to parents, Rhodes wrote: “We are all deeply saddened by Friday’s tragic incident in Connecticut. While we hope such incidents never happen, Orange County Schools and our law enforcement partners view the safety of our children as our top priority.”

He outlined several steps taken to improve school security and emergency response planning, such as:

— Site-specific school safety plans.

— Specialized training in threat assessment.

— Crisis response measures.

— Regular presence and close monitoring of schools by the Sheriff’s Office.

— Full-scale and tabletop drills with law enforcement and emergency responders.

— Video surveillance in all schools.

Journalism, Non-Fiction, Sample News Articles

State may consider 11 new charter schools in Durham

January 7, 2014 Brody No Comments

This article appeared in The Herald-Sun in January 2013:

DURHAM — Public charter schools in Durham could more than double in the next two years.

As of last week, the state Department of Public Instruction had received 161 letters of intent for new charters. Of those, 11 are in Durham, including one virtual school. It’s not quite the same as filing an official application – those aren’t required until March.

But the numbers still give Natalie Beyer pause.

“To me, it comes to a question of what our vision for all our local schools is, and to me this feels very chaotic,” said Beyer, a member of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education. “If the state board granted 10 additional charters to join the 10 already promised here, we’d be closing doors of existing schools.”

Journalism, Non-Fiction, Sample News Articles

Durham school leaders grapple with troubling statistics

January 7, 2014 Brody No Comments

This article appeared in The Herald-Sun in March 2013:

DURHAM — While the state’s rate of reportable crimes in schools dropped slightly last year, the rate in Durham Public Schools took an unpleasant climb – especially when it comes to alcohol, drugs and weapons.

Overall, reported crimes in grades K-12 for DPS jumped from 277 in 2010-11 to 333 in 2011-12. Local high schools, grades 9-12, accounted for 183 of those acts, up from 153 the year before.

“Most of the increase is in controlled substances,” said Tina Ingram, DPS security director, in a presentation to Board of Education members during Tuesday’s support services committee meeting. “We know Durham followed a statewide trend.”

Journalism, Non-Fiction, Sample News Articles