90.7 WMFE's Intersection

The Orange County School Board just voted to approve next year’s budget. Included in the budget- extra funding for School Resource Officers. 

Activists say putting additional resource officers in schools elevates the risk of over policing and helps foster a school to prison pipeline. 

On this episode of Intersection, Matthew Peddie talks with Denise Diaz of Jobs with Justice about what her organization says are the drawbacks of school resource officers. We also hear from Orange County School Board Member Angie Gallo who says SROs boost safety in schools.

Later in the show- we revisit some of the conversations around the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer, including a discussion about defunding police with Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and community activist Rell Black. 

We’ll also listen back to a conversation with Dr. Eric Smaw, associate professor of philosophy at Rollins College and Pastor Roderick Zak of Rejoice in the Lord ministries about how the protests now differ from the marches and sit-ins from the 1960s, and why systemic change is needed.

Protests that swept the country after the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May--- have continued. The shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Wisconsin last month prompted a new round of protests and calls for an end to police brutality. 

And in Orlando- activists are protesting the fatal shooting of 22 year old Salaythis Melvin. He was shot while Orange County deputies were serving an arrest warrant for one of his friends at the Florida Mall last month. Activists are calling for reform and Melvin’s family wants answers.

On this episode of Intersection we discuss the ongoing protests and efforts to change police policy, with Tina Wilson of the Juneteenth Protest Coalition and Miles Mulrain of Let Your Voice Be Heard. 

NBA players are also using their platform to protest police brutality. The Milwaukee Bucks sat out game five of the first round of the playoffs against the Orlando Magic last week to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake. We talk about the NBA, Black Lives Matter, the protest movement- and the power of the bubble where teams have gathered for this unusual NBA season during the pandemic- with Orlando Sentinel sports editor Iliana Limon Romero and basketball trainer and coach Irwin Hudson.

Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana this morning as a powerful and destructive category 4 hurricane after tracking across the warm waters of the gulf. The peak of hurricane season hasn’t arrived yet, but already records have been broken for the number of named storms. On this episode of Intersection we talk with Spectrum News 13 chief meteorologist Bryan Karrick about the hyperactive hurricane season. 

Orange County has started an eviction diversion program, in a bid to help stave off what advocates are describing as a potential tidal wave of evictions. We'll talk to Jeff Harvey, CEO of Community Legal Services of Mid Florida about helping keep a roof over the heads of Floridians hit hard by the pandemic and the recession. 

And the pandemic, with the threat of deadly disease, social isolation and disruption to daily routines and the economy is stressing people's mental health. But the pandemic is just one stressor. NAMI of Greater Orlando executive director Eric Welch discusses who's most at risk and what resources are available to help.

Florida’s primary was marked by high turnout- especially in Democratic races, a high proportion of mail in votes, and in Central Florida, a wave of women winning election. 

Amy Mercado won in the race for property appraiser, ousting Rick Singh; Monique Worrell defeated a field that included former chief judge Belvin Perry in the race for state attorney in Orange and Osceola County. 

On this episode of Intersection, 90.7’s Matthew Peddie talks to political reporter Scott Powers about what the election tells us about the campaigns that resonated for voters in some of the high profile races- and what it might mean for November. 

The pandemic has put enormous strain on households- and it’s had a big impact on women in the workforce in particular. Reporter Chabeli Carrazana with the nonprofit newsroom The 19th joins us to explain why the last three months has wiped a decade of economic advancement away for women. 

And with the challenges of the pandemic come new legal challenges for businesses, governments and other institutions. We’ll talk to attorney and professor Josie Balzac about the emerging field of pandemic law.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his pick for running mate this week- California Senator Kamala Harris- ending months of speculation over a list that included Orlando congresswoman Val Demings. 

Meanwhile President Donald Trump’s campaign kicked off a bus tour in Kissimmee on Monday, and Florida’s primary election is just around the corner. 

On this episode of Intersection, we discuss the 2020 election season hitting high gear with political analysts Dick Batchelor and Tico Perez. 

Then- as teachers and students return to class- online and in person- Florida Education Association president Fedrick Ingram says the state needs to do more to keep teachers, staff and students safe- and he says school districts need more flexibility to make decisions on whether to reopen brick and mortar campuses.

Ingram talks about the challenge of teaching in the pandemic and what he thinks a safe reopening plan looks like. 

With coronavirus cases continuing to surge, researchers are moving quickly to develop a vaccine and therapies for COVID-19. 

Vaccines usually take years to develop, but the hope is a workable vaccine could be ready in a matter of months. Some of that research is happening right here in Central Florida. 

On this episode of Intersection, 90.7’s Matthew Peddie talks with three people contributing to the fight to get COVID-19 under control. 

Seminole County elementary school teacher Jinx Coleman volunteered to take part in a vaccine trial; Dr. Bruce Rankin is the medical director of Accel (Excel) Clinical Research in Deland- the Central Florida site for the nationwide trial; and Dr. Steven Smith Smith is chief scientific officer with Advent Health, where research into treatment is underway. 

Then- we talk about the successful Crew Dragon mission, marking a return to human spaceflight from the US with Space reporters Brendan Byrne with WMFE and Emilee Speck with WKMG. 

We discuss the weekend splashdown of the “Space Dads”, and what comes next for the commercial crew program.

The Coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 150,000 Americans, tanked the economy and changed the way we live. 

Every aspect of this catastrophe presents a challenge, from treating the disease to squashing the spread of the virus and dealing with the economic fallout. 

Reporting on the pandemic has stretched the resources of news organizations… and there’s also politics and mistrust of the media complicating an already complex story. 

On this episode of Intersection we’re joined by Jessica Malaty Rivera of the Covid Tracking Project about the challenge of reporting on the pandemic. Also joining the program is University of Central Florida Journalism instructor Rick Brunson about rebuilding trust in the media. 

And– as tropical storm Isaias heads towards Florida, emergency managers are figuring out how to prepare for evacuations and shelters with the pandemic still surging- that means finding extra space for people to shelter while social distancing, and even spacing out the lines for people to fill up sandbags. 

Seminole County emergency manager Alan Harris talks about the challenge of facing hurricane season during the pandemic. That’s ahead on Intersection, first the news. 

Unemployment in Osceola County skyrocketed after the pandemic hit. According to the Department of Economic Opportunity, the unemployment rate last month was 22%: the highest in the state. 

As the pandemic continues, Osceola County has implemented tough measures to get people to adhere to mask wearing and social distancing orders- including penalties for people who don’t follow the guidelines. And, like other counties statewide, schools are preparing to reopen against this backdrop of unemployment and surging coronavirus cases. 

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by Kissimmee Mayor Jose Alvarez and Osceola County School Board Member Kelvin Soto, talking about how Osceola County is coping with the economic turmoil triggered by the pandemic. 

Later in the show- Rev. Mary Lee Downey with the Community Hope Center in Osceola County talks about how her organization saw a spike in demand for food. She also talks about the impact the crisis on affordable housing. 

Orange County’s school board meeting Tuesday ended with no decision on how to reopen in fall. Meanwhile other school districts have rolled out reopening plans – giving parents a choice of classroom learning or virtual school. 

On this episode of Intersection we discuss the challenge of reopening in Orange County and other school districts as coronavirus cases continue to surge: what it means for public health and the economy.

We’re joined by 90.7’s Amy Green who’s covering the story; pediatrician Dr. Candice Jones; and Dr. Kenneth Alexander, Chief of the Division of Infectious Disease at Nemours Children’s Hospital. 

Also on the show: Farm Share is organizing a drive through food distribution event in Holden Heights this weekend. Farm Share says demand for food statewide is growing. 

We talk with the organizers of the event: Yvette Shelton-Edmonds and Matthew Galen about the growth in food insecurity as the pandemic intensifies.

This week Florida’s education commissioner Richard Corcoran released an executive order telling school districts that they will have to open up brick and mortar campuses five days a week in fall. 

The directive has superintendents scrambling to figure out how to reopen safely- and teachers worried about their health and the health of their students. 

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie talks to Elizabeth Albert with Volusia United Educators about the concerns of teachers in Volusia County. 

The Orlando Police department says it’s banning chokeholds and no knock warrants. Police chief Orlando Rolon joins us to talk about steps to reforming the police department. 

Later in the show, journalist and activist TJ Legacy Cole discusses the protest movement and his perspective on police reform. 

And Sherry Paramore of Elevate Orlando talks about fostering dialog between the young people her non-profit mentors and law enforcement, and how the Black Lives Matters movement is an opportunity for real change.