90.7 WMFE's Intersection

A new report from the Marshall Project and the New York Times examines the case of  Johnny Smith, a prisoner who died while being transported from Florida to Kentucky in 2011.

The report also details the quest by Smith’s children to recover damages awarded by a judge.

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with Eli Hager, staff writer with the Marshall Project, about the prisoner transportation business, and what can go wrong when prisoners are transported across the country.

Psychotherapist and counsellor Linnda Durré says the secret to being in control of your time is psychology.

Durré joins us to talk about how to get control of your life and make the most of 24 hours.

Right now the future may seem a bit grim. But optimistic futurist Joe Tankersley says the future may be a bit brighter than you imagine- and he’s on a quest to encourage people to think differently about what’s to come.

 

One of the issues on the minds of lawmakers in Tallahassee this session is immigration… and there’s a bill making its way through the legislature to ban so-called sanctuary cities.

A report from the News Service of Florida revealed that a hardline anti-immigration group worked with lawmakers to draft the bill.

Meanwhile- the Sunshine State is touted by politicians as a low tax, business-friendly environment. Yet Florida Trend magazine reports lobbyists representing businesses ranging from rental car companies to theme parks are pushing for more tax cuts.

Whether it’s clamping down on immigration or lowering taxes- who writes the laws that shape life in Florida? Joining the discussion on Intersection are Jason Garcia, associate editor with Florida Trend; Ana Ceballos, state government and politics reporter with the News Service of Florida, and Chris Carmody, attorney and lobbyist with Gray Robinson. 

Three nights a week you can catch singer-songwriter Bryan Malpass honing his craft at Disney Springs. Sometimes he’s leading the crowd in a singalong of a 90’s classic- like Zombie or You Oughta Know. But Malpass is also making a name for himself with originals from his new album Change The Room.

Malpass joins us in studio accompanied by Billy Jones on Cajón. He performs Change The Room and Wildfire.

Central Florida is facing a severe shortage of affordable housing for low and extremely low income renters, according to a new report.

Finding a place to live and taking care of all the other essentials is tough…but there is help for renters- and people looking to either buy a home or hold onto the one they own.

On this episode of Intersection, we talk to Jodi Pena Castaldi, with Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, about navigating the affordable housing crisis.  

College educators across the state of Florida are joining forces to promote access to higher education in prisons.

Dr. Pamela Cappas Toro explains how Stetson University’s community education program helps incarcerated students work towards a degree, and how she’s working with other programs to support more college in prisons.

And along with the physical destruction from Hurricane Maria came psychological damage. Dr. Deb Beidel with UCF Restores and Rev. José Rodríguez are taking PTSD treatment into the community to help hurricane survivors. 

The mass shootings one week ago at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, left 50 people dead and dozens wounded and plunged the country into mourning.

The massacre also sent shockwaves through the Muslim community here in the United States.

On this episode of Intersection- we take a closer look at the impact of a terror attack on a house of worship halfway around the world.

Imam Tariq Rasheed and Rabbi David Kay join Intersection to reflect on the sense of security among faith communities after the shooting. 

What does it take to keep a waxwork model looking fresh? At Madame Tussauds Orlando, David Beckham gets his hair shampooed, and Albert Einstein just got a new sweater. We talk to Jade Sparks and Erin Ruth about maintaining the models at Madame Tussauds- and meet the newest member- The Flash.

And- does music have the power to bring people together? We’ll have a conversation with the Jacobsen Brothers- Colin and Eric- who have performed together in concert halls around the world, but were rivals in ping pong and tennis growing up.

Boeing’s newest aircraft- the 737 Max – remains grounded after the second fatal crash in the space of just a few months.

Boeing says its working with investigators to figure out what caused the Ethiopian Airlines crash this month… and the Lion Air crash last October.

On this episode of Intersection  we talk to former test pilot Clint Balog about what’s next for the 737 Max, and what the grounding means for aircraft safety.

The Lake Mary High School community is in mourning after a 17 year old student took her own life on campus last week.  We check in with pediatrician Dr. Candice Jones about how to talk to teens about suicide and mental health.

And will NASA’s big rocket ever get off the ground?

The Space Launch System, designed to launch the Orion capsule into deep space, has been dogged by delays. Now there’s a suggestion that commercial space companies could be brought in to help the Orion program.

90.7’s Brendan Byrne and Laura Forczyk discuss the future of the SLS.

Is Tallahassee really the best place for Florida’s state capital? State Senator Kevin Rader wants to study the idea of moving the capital to Orlando,  partly to make it easier to get to.

So where’s the best place for the state capital… and would it really make sense to move it?

Miami already has an unofficial title of capital of Latin America, and the Miami metro area including West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale is home to more than five million people. So should Miami be the state capital?  What about Jacksonville or Tampa?

Joining Intersection to discuss the pros and cons of moving the capital are Orlando Weekly editor in chief Jessica Bryce Young, Republican political analyst Frank Torres and University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett.

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says he’s considering running for president. Schultz has been touring the country promoting his book From The Ground Up. 

Schultz tells Intersection he thinks the Democratic party has moved too far to the left, and what’s needed is a “centrist, common sense approach.”

Opera Orlando is rehearsing for its spring performance. The opera company is pairing Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella in collaboration with the Orlando Philharmonic and Orlando Phantasmagoria.

Stage Director Octavio Cardenas and conductor Clinton Smith join Intersection for a conversation about how they are putting together this opera within an opera.

A group of activists and historians has been working to recognize the victims of the Ocoee massacre on election day in 1920.

The massacre wiped Ocoee’s African American community off the map, but the efforts of the Truth and Justice Project of Orange County aim to retell the history of that community.

It’s also part of a nationwide movement to create memorials to lynching victims and help the communities where those lynchings took place come to terms with the pain of the past.

On this episode of Intersection we’re joined by John Ashworth and Margaret Vandiver with the Memphis Lynching Sites project, and historian Joy Wallace Dickinson with the Orange County Truth & Justice Initiative for a conversation about making sure the history of these events is not lost.

Nerd Nite Orlando turns 6 this week. The monthly “thinking and drinking” event is designed to take learning out of the classroom.

Nerd Nite Orlando founder and host Ricardo Williams joins Intersection for a closer look at how this gathering satisfies a desire and need that everyone has to learn new, cool stuff.

 

A lack of affordable housing, rising rent and a growing population makes it hard for many Central Floridians to find a home to fit their budget.

The Sadowski fund- set aside for affordable housing- is typically used for other things. But governor Ron DeSantis is proposing to leave it alone this year, and affordable housing advocates are urging lawmakers to follow the Governor’s lead.

Leaving the Sadowski fund for housing alone is only one part of the solution. So what else can be done to alleviate the need for more housing?

On this episode of Intersection we talk affordable housing with Sarah ElBadri, special projects manager with the West Lakes Partnership; Amanda Gill, Government Affairs Director with the Florida Apartment Association and Shannon Nazworth, president and CEO of Ability Housing. 

The legislative session kicked off with Governor Ron DeSantis’s state of the state address Tuesday. We talk to Trimmel Gomes, the host of the Rotunda podcast about how DeSantis set the tone for the session, and how issues like immigration and criminal justice reform could play out over the next two months.

And we revisit a conversation with CeCe Teneal and Chris Baptiste, with Orlando blues and soul band CeCe Teneal and the Soul Kamotion.

The environment, the economy and education are just a few of the big issues Governor Ron DeSantis has focused on since taking office in January.

The governor delivers his first state of the state address Tuesday as the legislative session gets underway, laying out his goals for the session and his first year in office. 

On this episode of Intersection, political analysts Dick Batchelor and Frank Torres join host Matthew Peddie for a conversation about what appeals to political leaders from both sides of the aisle about Governor DeSantis and where they’re likely to diverge.

Then, late last year the Orlando Sentinel announced new editorial leadership. The newspaper said it was part of a renewed commitment to growing its audience and focusing on topic areas like the environment, politics and public health.

Editor in chief Julie Anderson and opinions editor Mike Lafferty join us to explain the new direction for the Sentinel – and why they think readers are hungry for watchdog journalism.

And Taylor Mali is a veteran of poetry slams. Mali talks to 90.7’s Brendan Byrne about his craft- and rolling what he calls “metaphor dice” to spark creativity in young poets. That’s ahead on Intersection- first the news.

SpaceX is preparing to launch its Crew Dragon to the International Space Station this weekend. The capsule won’t have astronauts on board for Saturday’s test run, but this is the spacecraft that will ferry astronauts into low earth orbit.

On this episode of Intersection- we’re taking a closer look at the impact of private business on what was once the domain of government- human spaceflight and what it means for America and for Florida.

NASA has been working with SpaceX and Boeing on the multi-billion dollar commercial crew program since 2011 when the shuttle flew its last mission.

It’s a point of pride for the United States- and more than that, it ushers in a new era of spaceflight, laying the foundation for human missions even deeper into space.

Space Florida’s Dale Ketcham joins Intersection to talk about the commercial crew program. And 90.7’s Brendan Byrne joins the program to discuss what the launch means for the space coast economy and NASA, along with the Orlando Sentinel’s Chabele Herrera and Laura Forczyk with Astralytical. 

And later in the program– Orlando based writer Brian Turner talks about the jazz album he recorded in tribute to his late wife, poet Ilyse Kuznetz.