90.7 WMFE's Intersection

Orange County hit the 10,000 case mark for coronavirus this week, but Central Florida health experts say mask mandates may be having an impact on slowing the surge. 

With July 4th around the corner- city and county leaders have cancelled large scale fireworks events- keen to avoid the gatherings like Memorial Day that they believe triggered the latest wave of COIVD-19 cases. 

Joining Intersection host Matthew Peddie to discuss the surge and the response- both in Florida and across the country- are Dr. Amesh  Adalja  with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and WMFE health reporter Abe Aboraya. 

Later in the show: Citizens Police Review Boards are in the headlines as cities grapple with the issue of police reform following the wave of nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice. Caila Coleman with the Orlando’s Citizens Police Review Board joins the program to explain the role of the board and how it could help shape reform.

Theme parks are opening up – slowly. Universal and SeaWorld have opened their doors and Disney is planning to reopen next month, but that doesn’t mean everyone is going back to work. 

On this episode of Intersection, 90.7’s Matthew Peddie talks to Jeremy Haicken with Unite Here Local 737 about what the reopening means for thousands of food, beverage and hospitality workers. 

We’re also joined by Danielle Raniere, a server at one of the restaurants who’s part time and doesn’t know when she’ll be back at work. Raniere says it’s been a struggle to get any help from state or federal unemployment. 

Later in the show- UCF’s new president, Dr. Alexander Cartwright joins us for a conversation about his first months in the role. He started at the helm of Florida’s largest university right as the pandemic was impacting the US. 

Cartwright explains plans to bring people back to campus, concerns over the latest surge in coronavirus cases and some of the permanent changes brought about by the pandemic to how the university operates. 

And he talks about how the university is addressing systemic racism. 

Florida passed a grim milestone this week: More than 3,000 people have died from COVID-19. It comes after the state department of health reported the highest single day coronavirus case count since the start of the pandemic. 

Is this the second wave that health experts were warning about… and what needs to happen to stop the spread? 

On this episode of Intersection we take a closer look at the data with former Florida Department of Health data scientist Rebekah Jones-who built her own website after she was fired by the department of health. 

Also joining the program to talk about the surge in cases: 90.7 health reporter Abe Aboraya and Dr. Scott Brady, senior vice president of ambulatory services for the AdventHealth Central Florida Division and president of AdventHealth Centra Care.

In the weeks of protest across the country after the death of George Floyd, there have been calls to change police use of force policies- and calls to defund the police. 

And law enforcement agencies are making changes to their use of force policies- in some cases requiring officers to step in if they see inappropriate use of force. 

But what does ‘defund the police’ actually mean? 

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie is joined by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, and Rell Black, community activist and founder of the Daytona Beach non profit Community Healing project, for a conversation about protest and police reform. 

Then-  it’s a hectic time for news coverage- from the pandemic to nationwide protests- news organizations are on the front lines reporting these momentous stories. But many local papers are doing it with smaller and smaller newsrooms. 

UCF journalism instructor Rick Brunson joins us to talk about a project the journalism school launched to try and fill part of the void left by the departure of local newspapers… and other challenges facing the news business. 

Four former Minneapolis police officers have now been arrested and charged in the death of George Floyd, after more than a week of nationwide protests over the killing of Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police. 

 Will those arrests change the dynamic of the protests? 

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by Dr. Eric Smaw, associate professor of philosophy at Rollins College, and Pastor Roderick Zak of Rejoice in the Lord ministries, for a discussion about police brutality and racism, the nationwide demonstrations and the response to those demonstrations. 

Then- it’s the first week of hurricane season. Already we’ve had a couple storms spin up in the Atlantic, and Tropical Storm Cristobal is expected to head for the US through the gulf later this week. What are the challenges of preparing for hurricane season with the country still in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic? 

 Environmental reporters Amy Green and James Bruggers join Intersection to talk about their reporting. And we talk with Fernando Rivera, director of UCF’s Puerto Rican Research Hub, about how Puerto Rico is bracing for hurricane season. 

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will have to wait a little longer to blast off into orbit. Bad weather delayed the launch of their historic mission yesterday- but when they do lift off they will be the first astronauts in nearly a decade to launch from US soil. 

What does this mission mean for the next generation of astronauts and for American aspirations to explore the far reaches of space? And what impact did the pandemic have on spectators’ plans to watch this historic launch?

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by 90.7 space reporter Brendan Byrne and UCF planetary scientist Addie Dove- talking about the return to human space flight from the United States. 

Later in the show – the pandemic has changed the way we do business- but what effect has it had on the legal system? What are the limits of online platforms like zoom when it comes to holding trials and other legal proceedings? 

We’ll talk to Orlando attorney Conti Moore about how people are navigating the legal system during the pandemic.

The State of Florida is now in full phase one of reopening. As more businesses open up, health officials and civic leaders are watching the data closely to see what impact the reopening may have on Coronavirus cases. And in the meantime, they’re continuing to test- in the hopes of identifying people who may not know they have the disease… but are still spreading it.

So what happens if things open up too fast? Could cases start to peak again? 

On this episode of Intersection– we’ll talk about who’s most at risk as the peak of the pandemic recedes and the economy comes back to life. Joining the show are WMFE health reporter Abe Aboraya and Orlando City Commissioner Bakari Burns. 

Later in the show- the official start of hurricane season is just around the corner. The Atlantic has already spun up its first named storm, but just how well prepared are Floridians for this storm season with the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic? 

We’ll chat about the upcoming hurricane season with Spectrum News 13 chief meteorologist Bryan Karrick. 

Coping with the coronavirus pandemic, with the challenge of home schooling, isolation and health concerns, is stressful for the abled, but what kind of resources are out there for the disabled in this crisis?  

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie talks to Orlando area disability advocates- Kyle Johnson, Roderick Thomas, Cathy Matthews and Brittany Pilcher- about how disability organizations are navigating the challenges of the pandemic.  

For some Central Floridians, the pandemic is evoking painful memories of Hurricane Maria. WFTV Channel 9 morning anchor and reporter Nancy Alvarez joins us to talk about the Spanish language information gap in the early weeks of the crisis and the impact of the pandemic on Orlando’s Hispanic community. 

Edwin Alicea has a simple belief as a hospital chaplain: No one should die alone. That isn’t easy when hospitals are putting restrictions in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.Alicea talks to 90.7 Health Reporter Abe Aboraya about the challenge of ministry in the time of coronavirus. 

Floridians are out of work in massive numbers- either laid off due to the coronavirus or furloughed with a return to work uncertain. So what does that mean for those whose health insurance is tied to their employment? 

What are insurance companies doing to help people worried about losing their coverage, and what impact has the pandemic had on enrollments in the affordable care act? 

On this episode of Intersection we take a closer look at health insurance in the time of coronavirus with Anne Packham, marketplace network director with the Primary Care Access Network and Tony Jenkins, Market President for the Central Region with Florida Blue.

Then- when Beau Guyott lost his job in hospitality- he wanted to do something- not just for himself but for the tens of thousands of Floridians in the same predicament: out of work and struggling with an unemployment system that isn’t doing what it should. Guyott is walking from South Florida to Tallahassee to draw attention to the plight of the suddenly unemployed. We talked to Guyott as he stopped in Orlando. 

Businesses around the state are getting ready for a post pandemic future- but what exactly does that future look like?

Governor Ron DeSantis has outlined his step by step plan for getting businesses reopened- starting with restaurants and retail stores next week. 

But what does reopening safely actually mean- and what about businesses that have to keep their doors closed for now? 

On this episode of Intersection we talk with Dale Brill of the Orlando Economic Partnership- and Winter Park business owner Latria Graham about business in the shadow of the pandemic. 

Then- a conversation with three tech entrepreneurs who’ve had to radically rethink what they do in the pandemic- Joe Moye, Spencer Elliott and Mauricio Toro.