Bethany Barnes
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Not here anymore! Find me on Bluesky! Deputy investigative editor @TB_Times. Contributor @LMattersNews. Past: @Oregonian, Vegas papers. bbarnes@tampabay.com.
Articles by Bethany Barnes
Pinellas rape exams in flux as county pulls funding Original
Pinellas County hospitals are scrambling to figure out how they can provide rape kits to sexual assault survivors after the nonprofit Suncoast Center declared it is ending the service next year and county commissioners pulled funding. The forensic exams are critical for victims who seek treatment and for investigators who collect evidence after assaults. Suncoast has had trouble offering rape kits consistently.
Problems easing after Hillsborough juvenile detention center’s abrupt closure, officials say
The chaos caused by the state's sudden closure of Hillsborough County's only juvenile detention center has lessened substantially, according to a Wednesday meeting of members from the area's juvenile justice advisory board. The board — which includes a prosecutor, judge and county and school officials — was blindsided by the shutdown and in response created a subcommittee to handle what it said amounted to a local emergency.
Problems easing after Hillsborough juvenile detention center’s abrupt closure, officials say
Florida recently closed the only juvenile detention center in Hillsborough County. The sudden shift caused chaos in juvenile courtrooms in the 13th Judicial Circuit, but lawyers say disruptions have eased in the last two weeks. ©Dirk Shadd The chaos caused by the state’s sudden closure of Hillsborough County’s only juvenile detention center has lessened substantially, according to a Wednesday meeting of members from the area’s juvenile justice advisory board.
Problems easing after Hillsborough juvenile detention center’s abrupt closure, officials say
Bethany Barnes is the deputy investigations editor. She can be reached at bbarnes@tampabay.com. Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Community Guidelines.
Hillsborough courts left with chaos after state’s juvenile detention center closure
Bethany Barnes is the deputy investigations editor. She can be reached at bbarnes@tampabay.com. Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Community Guidelines.
Hillsborough courts left with chaos after state’s juvenile detention center closure
The 16-year-old stepped to the courtroom lectern, ready to take responsibility. If she agreed to follow a diversion plan drawn up by prosecutors, she could go home. At least that was how it was supposed to work. But the 11th grader, charged with battery, found herself on the sharp end of a justice system thrust into chaos. No one in the Hillsborough County courtroom knew how to do something as simple as get her back to her parents.
Rays stadium project ‘displaced’ Hillsborough juvenile detention center, email shows
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice announced the closure of Hillsborough County's only juvenile detention center earlier this month. | Join the Conversation Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Community Guidelines.
Sudden detention center closure leaves Hillsborough juvenile justice board frustrated
Bethany Barnes is the deputy investigations editor. She can be reached at bbarnes@tampabay.com. Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Community Guidelines.
Sudden detention center closure leaves Hillsborough juvenile justice board frustrated
An emotional meeting of the area's juvenile justice advisory board threw into stark relief how little local officials know about the state's abrupt closure of Hillsborough County's only juvenile detention center. The state attorney's office is worried children are already being moved — and farther than people thought.
Lawmakers demand answers about Hillsborough juvenile detention center closure
State officials declared Hillsborough's only juvenile detention center will close. It sits near Raymond James Stadium and George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. | Join the Conversation Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Community Guidelines. • Crime • Crime • Crime • Crime • Crime • Crime • Business • Crime • Crime • Crime
Lawmakers demand answers about Hillsborough juvenile detention center closure
A week after the state declared it will close Hillsborough County's only juvenile detention center, Florida lawmakers are scrambling to learn basic information about the massive change. Still unclear: Where exactly children will go, when they will move and why this is happening so suddenly. State Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman, D-Tampa, said parents with detained children are calling her office seeking answers she can't give.
Live updates: Florida polls closed, November races shaping up
Elections officials are tallying votes in primary races across Florida. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican, and former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a Democrate, will compete to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis in November after handily winning their parties' contests. In Tampa Bay, races for judges, school board members, county commissioners and representatives in Congress and the state Legislature are becoming clearer.
Live updates: Florida voters hit the polls on primary day
Floridians who haven't voted early are set to cast ballots from 7 a.m. until polls close at 7 p.m. local time. The primary has big implications for the state. On the ballot in Tampa Bay are candidates seeking to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as contenders for St. Petersburg mayor. Other races include judges, school board members, county commissioners and representatives in Congress and the state Legislature.
Live updates: Florida voters hit the polls on primary day
Bethany Barnes is the deputy investigations editor. She can be reached at bbarnes@tampabay.com. Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Community Guidelines.
Hillsborough juvenile detention center is closing, state says Original
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has suddenly declared it’s closing Hillsborough County’s only juvenile detention center, pushing the children housed there farther from their families, lawyers and the courthouse. Although state officials have plans to open a new detention center, that site isn’t ready yet. The current center has 80 beds for children who are awaiting trial or placement in long-term rehabilitative programs, according to the state’s website.
Hillsborough emergency director fired after HR probe finds retaliation, high turnover Original
Hillsborough County has fired its once-celebrated emergency management director after a lengthy internal investigation found problems with his leadership. Timothy Dudley Jr., who saw Hillsborough through harrowing back-to-back hurricanes in 2024, was fired Tuesday, the county said. The Tampa Bay Times previously reported that he was placed on paid administrative leave in March. Until now, the county had shared little information about Dudley’s removal.
Pinellas rape kit provider put on corrective plan over staffing issues Original
The nonprofit responsible for giving victims of sexual assault rape kits in Pinellas County has 90 days to improve its services or risk being decertified. The Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, which oversees rape crisis centers, put the Suncoast Center on a corrective action plan last week after finding the organization failed to provide timely access to critical forensic exams.
Hillsborough emergency director put on leave months ago. The county won’t say why Original
Hillsborough County’s emergency management director was placed on leave months ago amid an investigation that is still ongoing less than two weeks before the start of hurricane season. Timothy Dudley Jr. — who saw Hillsborough through harrowing back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 — has been on paid administrative leave since March 13. But why the county is investigating him is unclear. The county has not provided records related to why Dudley was placed on leave, citing an ongoing investigation.
Incendio de USF en St. Pete deja posibles pérdidas irremplazables
Al día siguiente de que el mundialmente famoso Laboratorio de Ciencias Marinas de la Universidad del Sur de Florida se incendiara, estudiantes y profesores se esforzaron por calcular lo que parecía una pérdida incalculable. Ahora habrá que buscar desesperadamente espacio de oficinas y laboratorios para profesores y estudiantes. Además, surge la pregunta de cómo se mantendrán en marcha los proyectos de investigación de verano y los programas de doctorado.
Potentially lost in USF St. Pete fire, irreplaceable marine research
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Potentially lost in USF St. Pete fire, irreplaceable marine research Original
The day after the University of South Florida’s world-renowned Marine Science Lab went up in flames, students and faculty struggled to calculate what felt like an unfathomable loss. There will now be a scramble to find office and lab space for professors and students. Then there is the question of how summer research and doctoral degrees will stay on track.
Potentially lost in USF St. Pete fire, irreplaceable marine research
When the vessel was lost in 1918 after being torpedoed by a German submarine in the Bristol Channel, all 131 people on board died, making it the …
Scenes from the USF St. Petersburg fire show billowing smoke, roof ablaze
A massive 2-alarm fire broke out at the Marine Science Lab on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus Saturday evening, likely destroying the building. Share your thoughts on the Marine Science Lab in the comments below, or reach out to higher education reporter Lucy Marques at lmarques@tampabay.com. Onlookers watch as smoke and fire rises from the Marine Science Lab on the campus of USF St. Petersburg. Firefighters spray water from a ladder truck.
How Florida survivors of sexual assault can get help
In Florida, rape crisis centers support survivors of sexual assault immediately and direct them to critial care, like forensic exams called rape kits. After the Tampa Bay Times reported that sexual assault survivors couldn’t get kits overnight for a year in Pinellas County because of a staffing gap at the Suncoast Center, we talked to a forensic nurse about the help people are entitled to and how they can access it. Suncoast said it has since started staffing a night nurse.
Pinellas sex assault victims couldn’t get rape kits at night — for a year Original
For a year, sexual assault survivors seeking a rape kit overnight in Pinellas County were forced to wait. The forensic exams are a critical tool for protecting people’s health and boosting criminal investigations. But the Suncoast Center, which gets public funding to offer rape kits in Pinellas, quietly stopped staffing nurses between midnight and 8 a.m., the Tampa Bay Times found. The decision led survivors to wait for hours, even if they went to emergency rooms.
Florida state senator says he has a fix for dirty waters
A paddler plies the spring-fed Weeki Wachee River in Hernando County. Pollution has contaminated the waterway. Some chemicals stem from the thousands of septic tanks used around the spring. A Florida state senator has filed legislation aimed at cutting water pollution and improving efforts to restore tainted water-ways after contending that lawmakers have ignored obvious fixes for years. The bill filed last week by Sen.
Florida senator says he has a fix for dirty waters Original
A Florida state senator has filed legislation aimed at cutting water pollution and improving efforts to restore tainted waterways after contending that lawmakers have ignored obvious fixes for years. The bill filed last week by Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat, would task the Department of Environmental Protection with implementing an inspection program for septic tanks. It would also call for monitoring to ensure that the state’s pollution reduction projects work.
Florida state senator says he has a fix for dirty waters
Two people were killed in a shooting inside a Boynton Beach office building on Monday, according to police. Authorities said the received a report …
Analysis: Water pollution puts Floridians at risk, but government monitoring is scant
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... When they arrived in Longboat Key this February, Carol Leone and her family were excited for two weeks of relaxation in the salty breeze. Within days, they started to cough. Soon, Leone’s voice vanished. “I just kept getting worse day by day,” she said. By the second week of her stay, the 76-year-old struggled to breathe. Legions of dead, rotting fish washed up on the beach.
Analysis: Water pollution puts Floridians at risk, but government monitoring is scant
What college football bowl games are on today? Full schedule, TV, kickoff times for December 27 Saturday will bring the grandaddy of the 2025 College Football Bowl Season as eight games featuring five ranked teams will run from 11 a.m. until …
6 ways Florida could start fixing its water pollution problems Original
After starving manatees washed up dead in the Indian River Lagoon, the Tampa Bay Times wanted to understand what the crisis signaled about Florida’s waters. Reporters uncovered a grim picture: Hundreds of waterways are dangerously polluted and many were getting worse or no better over roughly two decades. Millions of pounds of pollution from development and agriculture — two of the state’s dominant industries — overloads waterways from Tallahassee to Miami.
6 ways Florida could start fixing its water pollution problems
“I just thought it was best that I got out of there” – Draymond Green says “tempers spilled over” in heated exchange with Steve Kerr Green wouldn’t return until the fourth quarter and didn’t get back into the game. Draymond Green has been one of the most fiery competitors the NBA …
Water pollution puts Floridians at risk of severe health problems Original
When they arrived in Longboat Key this February, Carol Leone and her family were excited for two weeks of relaxation in the salty breeze. Within days, they started to cough. Soon, Leone’s voice vanished. “I just kept getting worse day by day,” she said. By the second week of her stay, the 76-year-old struggled to breathe. Legions of dead, rotting fish washed up on the beach. Leone saw the carnage as confirmation of a creeping suspicion: Something foul in the Gulf was making her sick.
Florida lets big companies pollute with impunity. Waterways suffer
In Silver Springs, below glass-bottom boats full of tourists, rampant pollution feeds slime that coats river grass and a limestone floor that once shone like ithad been polished. In Homosassa, swimmers dodge spiderwebs of gunk that float to the surface and cling to the anchors of pontoons. In Weeki Wachee, home to Florida’s famed underwater mermaid shows, volunteers dive intosprings that should be dazzlingly clear to remove heaps of stringy algae tarnishing the water.
Wasting Away: Florida lets big companies pollute with impunity. Waterways suffer
Florida is supposed to police the state’s biggest sources of water pollution: agriculture and development. Instead, regulators and lawmakers have protected the major industries at nearly every turn, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found.
Gotten sick from Florida algae blooms? We want to hear from you Original
Florida is a state where life revolves around the water. But sometimes toxic algae blooms — in particular red tide and blue-green — plague the beaches and bays where we swim, work, boat and fish. The Tampa Bay Times has spent more than a year writing about the state’s water quality, and now we want to hear from you about how algae may have affected your health. Fill out the form below and share your story.
St. Petersburg protesters rally around rainbow crosswalk Original
It had always been easy for Julia Vasquez to counter friends who questioned her choice to move to Florida. She would simply text a photo of the rainbow crosswalk down the street from her home. The mural embodied what she felt was so special about her city: its inclusivity. Now, that symbol is going away.
Exploring CDK4/6-Dependencies in ex vivo Ovarian Cancer Models
Abstract Ovarian cancer (OC) is a clinically and molecularly heterogeneous disease with limited treatment options for the majority of patients, particularly those with homologous-recombination-proficient high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) and rarer subtypes such as low-grade serous ovarian cancer. Deregulation of the G1/S cell cycle network is common across all subtypes, suggesting subtype-agnostic vulnerabilities.
5 things to know about GardaWorld, one of the contractors behind Alligator Alcatraz
As Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration rushed to open an immigrant detention center deep in the Everglades, it picked a contractor with a troubled history to help it. GardaWorld, an international security company whose U.S. headquarters are in Boca Raton, is one of several contractors hired to do work for Alligator Alcatraz. The site began taking detainees last week. Gov.
Miles de residentes de Tampa Bay se reúnen en las protestas "No Kings" en toda la región
Miles de manifestantes tomaron las calles frente al City Hall durante la protesta nacional "No Kings" el sábado en Tampa. Los residentes se congregaron en masa el sábado en toda el área de Tampa Bay para protestar contra el presidente Donald Trump, su desfile militar programado en Washington D.C., sus recientes políticas migratorias y las deportaciones masivas que ocurren en todo el país.
Tampa Bay residents gather in 1,000s at ‘No Kings’ protests across region Original
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Residents gathered in droves across Tampa Bay on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump, his scheduled military parade in Washington D.C., his recent policies over immigration and the mass deportations happening across the country. Rallies began Saturday morning in Largo, where a line of protesters grew to several hundred along East Bay Drive in front of Largo Central Park. Attendees waved signs as drivers passed, many honking and waving in support.
By Bea Lunardini, Bethany Barnes Verified, Divya Kumar Verified, Lucy Marques Verified, Chris Urso Verified, Colbi Edmonds, Erika Kengni, Luis Santana Verified
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Tampa Bay Times
Verified
Screening a living biobank identifies cabazitaxel as a strategy to combat acquired taxol resistance in high-grade serous ovarian cancer
Keywords ovarian cancer chromosome instability drug resistance centrosome amplification spindle assembly checkpoint intrinsic apoptosis pathway ABCB1 MDR1 taxol paclitaxel Introduction High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most prevalent and lethal ovarian cancer subtype.1 Standard treatment involves cytoreductive surgery followed by paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy, with maintenance therapy where appropriate, e.g., PARP inhibitors for homologous recombination-deficient disease.2...
1 dead, several hurt after hit-and-run boat crash into Clearwater Ferry
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CLEARWATER — One person died and several passengers were injured Sunday night, April 27, after an aquatic hit-and-run crash slammed the Clear-water Ferry, a public water taxi touted for its convenience and safety, into a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway bridge. Clearwater officials announced three hours after the collision that the driver who they said fled the scene had been found by a partnering law enforcement agency.
By Emily Mahoney Verified, Bethany Barnes Verified, Christopher O’Donnell Verified, Chris Tisch Verified
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Florida Courier
Verified
Wasting away: Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve and Florida waters are getting worse
Editor’s note — about this story: This story is part of the Pulitzer Center's nationwide Connected Coastlines reporting initiative. For more information, go to pulitzercenter.org/connected-coastlines. This story was originally published by the Tampa Bay Times and shared in partnership with the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a multi-newsroom initiative founded by the Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Orlando Sentinel, WLRN Public Media, and the Tampa Bay Times.
1 dead, several hurt after hit-and-run boat crash into Clearwater Ferry
CLEARWATER, Fla. - One person died and several passengers were injured Sunday night after an aquatic hit-and-run crash slammed the Clearwater Ferry, a public water taxi touted for its convenience and safety, into a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway bridge. Clearwater officials announced three hours after the collision that the driver who they said fled the scene had been found by a partnering law enforcement agency.
1 dead, several hurt after hit-and-run boat crash into Clearwater Ferry
CLEARWATER, Fla. — One person died and several passengers were injured Sunday night after an aquatic hit-and-run crash slammed the Clearwater Ferry, a public water taxi touted for its convenience and safety, into a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway bridge. Clearwater officials announced three hours after the collision that the driver who they said fled the scene had been found by a partnering law enforcement agency.
1 muerto y varios heridos tras choque de embarcaciĆ³n con Clearwater Ferry
CLEARWATER - Una persona murió y varios pasajeros resultaron heridos la noche del domingo tras un accidente marítimo de atropello y fuga que chocó el Clearwater Ferry, un taxi acuático público elogiado por su conveniencia y seguridad, contra un banco de arena cerca del puente Memorial Causeway. Funcionarios de Clearwater anunciaron tres horas después de la colisión que el conductor, quien había huido de la escena, había sido encontrado por una agencia de policía asociada.
1 dead, several hurt after hit-and-run boat crash into Clearwater Ferry Original
CLEARWATER — One person died and several passengers were injured Sunday night after an aquatic hit-and-run crash slammed the Clearwater Ferry, a public water taxi touted for its convenience and safety, into a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway bridge. Clearwater officials announced three hours after the collision that the driver who they said fled the scene had been found by a partnering law enforcement agency.
1 dead, several hurt after hit-and-run boat crash into Clearwater Ferry
CLEARWATER, Fla. — One person died and several passengers were injured Sunday night after an aquatic hit-and-run crash slammed the Clearwater Ferry, a public water taxi touted for its convenience and safety, into a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway bridge. Clearwater officials announced three hours after the collision that the driver who they said fled the scene had been found by a partnering law enforcement agency.
Florida waters are getting more polluted. Here’s what the Times found
After hundreds of manatees starved in the Indian River Lagoon, the Tampa Bay Times decided to trace the crisis to its roots. That meant examining water quality across Florida. Manatees’ main food source — seagrass — was wiped out following decades of pollution in the Lagoon. Miles of once-lush seagrass beds transformed into underwater deserts. Manatees washed up dead and emaciated.
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