90.7 WMFE's Intersection

After a long, gruelling campaign season, election day is finally here. Depending on who you talk to, this midterm election is the most important in our lifetime, a blue wave or a red wave, a reaction to the Kavanaugh hearings or a referendum on President Trump his policies- or maybe a combination of all of the above.

Candidates made their final pitch to voters over the last few days, with some high profile support, whether it was President Obama, Jimmy Buffett and Eva Longoria stumping for the Democrats, or President Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Senator Lindsey Graham for the Republicans.

On this episode of Intersection, we talk turnout, early voting, and the races and issues that have been driving voters to the polls wit Democratic analyst Dick Batchelor and Republican analyst Michelle Ertel.

Six days ago eleven people were shot to death inside a synagogue in Pittsburgh. The grief and shock – and anger- over the shooting has reached far beyond the Tree of Life synagogue and the Jewish community.

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by the Rabbi Steve Engel, Imam Muhammad Musri and Reverend Bryan Fulwider for a conversation about keeping the faith in the face of a tragedy in a house of worship.

Three weeks after Hurricane Michael walloped the Florida panhandle – some advocates are worried the public- and the media’s- attention is shifting elsewhere.

The estimated cost of rebuilding after Michael is 4 point 5 billion dollars… and a coalition led by a couple former Florida lawmakers is trying to keep the spotlight on the recovery effort. A conversation with Ron Sachs about the effort to ensure Floridians don’t forget about the so-called Forgotten Coast.

And, E-Turn has a new album out. Young World is the Orlando based hip hop artist’s 3rd full length album. She joins Intersection for a performance- and a conversation about making that album and rapping with hip hop legends like KRS-One

A report that the Federal government could narrow the definition of gender is raising alarm in the LGBTQ community.

According to the New York Times a memo shows the Department of Health and Human Services is leading an effort to define a person’s gender as biological, immutable and defined by their genitalia at birth.

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by Christopher Cuevas of QLatinX and trans rights advocate Jordyn Victoria Laos for a conversation about how the LGBTQ community in Orlando is reacting to the news, and the level of support they’re finding at the local and state level. 7

The sexton of Orlando’s Greenwood Cemetery, Don Price, is retiring after more than 3 decades with the city.

Part of Price’s role has been helping Central Florida families through their worst moments, and he’s also developed a following for his popular Greenwood Cemetery tours, telling stories of the history of Orlando. Although Price is moving on- he says he’ll continue his guided tours of the cemetery. 

And the technology that powered the Pokemon Go craze finds new expression in the world of art. From drawings that assemble into 3D objects before your eyes, to a door that opens into an artist’s studio, a new exhibit called City Unseen reveals the potential of Augmented Reality art. Patrick Kahn of Snap! gallery in Orlando explains how it works. 

Blue-green algae hit the headlines in 2016,  clogging the waterways around the St. Lucie river with Toxic slime.

The blue-green algae is still around, and now there’s another aquatic menace spreading along the Atlantic coast and littering the beaches with dead fish: red tide. So what’s behind these blooms? How much do scientists know about what causes red tide and how and why it spreads?

Today on Intersection we take a closer look at the problems fouling Florida’s waterways. We’re joined by 90.7’s environmental reporter Amy Green,  Stetson University Water Institute executive director Clay Henderson, and Mote Marine Program Manager for Environmental Health, Dr. Tracy Fanara.

Then- it’s hockey season- and yes the sunshine state has its share of hardcore hockey fans. We’ll meet someone whose passion for hockey is also his business. Justin Cirillo keeps the ice slick for the puck at the Daytona Ice Arena.

And- we revisit an interview with a Florida raised surf rocker- now making music in Boston. A conversation with Kaley Honeycutt about writing songs and carving a niche in the music industry.

Top issues for Orange County sheriff candidates include school safety, tackling the homicide rate and putting more resources into policing a growing county

On this episode of Intersection,  conversations with the candidates for Orange County sheriff. John Mina is retiring from his position as Orlando Police Chief- his last day at OPD is this friday. Joe Lopez is a retired Florida Highway patrol chief who now heads up security at Disney’s Epcot. And Darryl Sheppard says he’s running to bring more transparency and accountability to the office.

Then- how a trip to space camp led to a career working to inspire the next generation of young minds in the quest to explore beyond planet earth. A conversation with NASA education specialist Lynn Dotson.

And- the power of the pen- or the tablet. Andy Marlette and Dana Summers talk about political cartoons in the time of Trump. 

With houses flattened in Mexico Beach from the storm surge and 155 mile an hour winds of Hurricane Michael, and cellphone towers, power lines and roads destroyed, recovery and rebuilding will be a long slow process.

Search and rescue teams completed their work this week, but first responders from across the state remain in the panhandle.

On this episode of Intersection a conversation about how Central Florida is helping with the recovery effort after the most powerful hurricane on record to hit the Panhandle. We’re joined by Michael Wajda of Orange County Fire Rescue, Greg Higgerson of Second Harvest, Kate Jay of Verizon and Rebecca DeLorenzo with the American Red Cross. 

The Reformation Project is a grassroots organization that promotes inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. The organization is in Orlando this weekend for its national conference, and we’ll hear from mother and son Tammye Hicks and Myles Hicks about their journey of faith and acceptance after his coming out. 

And we revisit a conversation and performance from three musicians inspired by the Ozark sound. Chris Blevins, Patty Kenoly and Caleb McGee perform original songs and talk to 90.7’s Brendan Byrne about their songs. 

As Northwest Florida digs out of the devastation from Hurricane Michael, political candidates are balancing campaigning with coordinating the recovery effort. Democrat Andrew Gillum’s running mate Chris King joins Intersection to talk about their priorities.

While King and Gillum are running to be the first Democrats in the Governor’s mansion in two decades, Republican Mike Miller wants to flip Florida’s 7th congressional district blue to red. And he says he’ll be taking lessons learned from the state capitol to Washington.

And we hear from incumbent congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, campaigning to hold on to her seat in district 7.

As Hurricane Michael battered the panhandle Wednesday, candidates running for election in the mid terms suspended their campaigns and rolled into disaster response mode. But even as the eye of the storm came ashore, some attack ads were still flying… prompting cries of foul play.

A major hurricane- or any disaster- is a test of leadership. But what impact does a catastrophic storm have on a political campaign? And what about the impact of the storm on voter registration? Joining Intersection to talk about the political legacy of Hurricane Michael are Trimmel Gomes, host of The Rotunda podcast, Osceola County supervisor of elections Mary Jane Arrington and Aubrey Jewett, political science professor at the University of Central Florida.

Also on the show we hear from Republican candidate for Florida House District 47 Stockton Reeves, executive director of the Center for Public Safety- which focuses on research and planning for police, fire and other first responders building new facilities.

And Beemo has a new album: Bustin’ Out.  Dan Harshbarger, Matt Juliano, Justin Braun & Tony Mickle join Intersection to perform the track Barricades, and talk about what’s next: performances that showcase the new album, sharing a stage with Brett Michaels and adding new instruments to deepen the sound of the band.

In the hyper partisan politics of 2018, some candidates are hoping partisanship into votes. But in Florida’s House District 47 where Democrat Anna Eskamani is working to flip the district from red to blue, she says that’s not her strategy.

On this episode of Intersection Eskamani joins us to talk about her campaign for Florida’s House District 47. 

How big a deal is education for voters as they head to the polls in November? One candidate in Florida’s gubernatorial race wants to pump a billion dollars more into education in the sunshine state. WLRN’s education reporter Jessica Bakeman joins us for a closer look at the Gubernatorial candidates’ platforms.

And, do you ever wonder what goes into training a companion dog?

We meet a couple of the volunteer trainers- and their puppies- who are getting their dogs ready for a life helping people with physical and developmental disabilities.

Orlando’s new rules around vacation rentals- like Air B n B– kicked in on July first. The city’s identified hundred of properties that are being rented out on vacation rental websites… and they’re in the process of trying to bring the owners into compliance. One aspect of the ordinance- the owner has to live on property and be there when paying guests are staying.

On this episode of Intersection we hear from property owner Jenny Morrison who says the city is over-reaching with the ordnance. And chief city planner Jason Burton lays out what Orlando is doing to regulate vacation rentals- and to keep neighboring property owners happy- in one of the most visited cities in the country.

Then- with the midterm elections just over a month away, candidates are crisscrossing the state of Florida, trying to shore up their base- and get their message out to independent and undecided voters in this purple state. That makes for some heated rhetoric and a barrage of attack ads.

We check in with the Orlando Sentinel’s politics editor Steve Lemongello, about how the home stretch of the mid terms looks from the I-4 corridor.

And- from the Rolling Stones to Daft Punk… former record store owner Hanna Skrobko talks about some of her favorite records from the 70s through today.