90.7 WMFE's Intersection

The Senate judicial committee hearings for Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh galvanized voters on both sides of the aisle.

USF distinguished professor emerita and political scientist Susan MacManus tells Intersection the hearings are going to spike turnout in November. 

Then- the Orlando Magic’s embarking on its 30th season.  It’s been a roller coaster ride for fans over the last three decades. Now they’re hoping for a change in fortunes.

We talk to basketball trainer and Magic fan Irwin Hudson, who’s been following the Magic for 27 years, about his hopes for a new coach for this new season. 

And Eatonville is one of the oldest black towns in the United States. We revisit a conversation with N Y Nathiri and Everett Fly about the internal strengths that have allowed Eatonville to survive where other black towns did not.

First responders in more and more cities across the US are being forced to confront the question of just how prepared they are for a mass shooting.

This week 90.7’s Abe Aboraya and ProPublica brought you an in-depth look at how firefighters and EMTS  are training to get to victims of violence and start medical treatment sooner.

On this episode of Intersection- how Pulse changed the conversation about responding to a mass shootings, how the ‘rescue task force’ model for EMT response could help save more lives in these tragedies, and what still needs to change.

Joining the show are 90.7’s Abe Aboraya, Edward Reed Smith, medical director of the Arlington County VA Fire Department & Captain Scott Quirarte, battalion chief with the Ventura County Fire Department.

Then- Chris Ferguson- who flew the shuttle as a NASA astronaut- is headed back to space. This time he’ll be piloting the Boeing Starliner, one of the commercial spacecraft designed to take astronauts into orbit from US soil. He talks with 90.7’s Brendan Byrne about the mission and the new spacecraft.

And- the Orlando Philharmonic launches its new season with a trip around the globe- featuring music that evokes Scotland, Rome, and Puerto Rico. A conversation with concertmaster Rimma Bergeron-Langlois and music director Eric Jacobsen. 

Port Orange Elementary School has won recognition as one of America’s healthiest schools. The driving force behind the award is the school’s PE teacher Julie Kirton, who recovered from anorexia as a teenager… and who’s now teaching kids about eating right and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Kirton joins Intersection along with Port Orange elementary principal Tennille Wallace for a conversation about becoming a healthier school.

And for nearly 46 years, the Orlando Sentinel has carried photos by Red Huber. Now the veteran visual journalist is retiring- this is his last week at the Sentinel.

Huber reflects on a career documenting the shuttle program, the horror of the Pulse nightclub shooting, and through all of it, the importance of connecting with the community and telling the stories that need to be told.

A dozen constitutional amendments- ranging from the restoration of felons’ voting rights to a ban on greyhound racing-  are on the ballot this November. Voting yes on some of these amendments would trigger change in more than one area of Florida’s constitution.

Political analysts Dick Batchelor and Chris Carmody join Intersection for a closer look at what’s behind these amendments and what they mean for Florida.

The Global Peace film festival continues this weekend. We’ll hear from director Nina Streich about inspiring peace through film, what peace really means, and tales from her former life as New York City film commissioner.

And- guitarist Amy Robbins fronts the band Maple Sparrow. Robbins teams up with banjo and fiddle player Gailanne Amundsen for a performance.  

This week marks a year since Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico. The death toll in the aftermath of the storm sparked public outrage- and denial from the Trump administration.

An investigation from the news website Quartz, the Associated Press and Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism explores the stories behind the numbers- interviewing hundreds of family members of victims and reviewing the testimony of many more.

The investigation shows how lack of medical care after the storm contributed to the deaths of hundreds of Puerto Ricans with treatable ailments.

Journalist Ana Campoy joins Intersection to explain how the investigation was carried out and what can be learned from how Puerto Rican and Federal authorities responded to the disaster. 

Then- a conversation with UCF professor Fernando Rivera about his research hub established in the aftermath of the hurricane.

Rivera is focused on what the influx of evacuees has meant for the Puerto Rican community in Central Florida, and how this community responded to the disaster.

And Journalist Maria Padilla is writing a book based on oral histories of evacuees who left Puerto Rico and relocated to Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. She joins Intersection to explain how she and co-author Nancy Rosado are recording those stories and what they say about the impact of the storm on the island and the Puerto Rican diaspora. 

With Hurricane Florence making landfall in the Carolinas, and a handful of other storms roiling the Atlantic, Hurricane season is at its peak.

Some coastal communities in Florida are still rebuilding, a year after Hurricane Irma slammed into Florida, and Puerto Rico continues to struggle in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Are these powerful storms, like Irma, Maria and Florence, a sign of things to come as the oceans warm? What does it mean for Florida and other coastal states? South Miami Mayor and FIU professor of biological sciences Philip Stoddard, UCF Professor of Environmental Science and Public Administration Chris Emrich and Journalist Cynthia Barnett, who’s currently Environmental Fellow at UF’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service, join the conversation. 

Then- Pluto’s identity crisis continues. The debate over whether Pluto is a planet reignites with a new research paper. 90.7’s Brendan Byrne talks with the study’s co-author Phil Metzger for more.

And singer songwriter Jordan Foley finds inspiration for his country infused Americana ballads in some unexpected places- like a movie spoiler. Foley joins us for a performance and conversation ahead on Intersection. First the news.

We take the convenience of smartphones for granted: the ability to call, text, send a tweet or get on facebook whenever, and pretty much wherever we want, and during a hurricane, communication is vital.  As residents of the Carolinas prepare for Hurricane Florence  later this week, Intersection takes a closer look at what it takes to keep our communications networks running, especially when disaster strikes.

We visit the Verizon superswitch- a building where millions of calls and data sessions are processed every day.

Making a home in a new place sometimes means learning a new language. Gina Berko Solomon and Claudia Cardozo from the Adult Literacy League join us for a conversation about challenge of learning English and the league’s need for more tutors. 

And  if you lived through Hurricane Andrew in 1992,  you may remember meteorologist Bryan Norcross, who kept Floridians informed on their radios and portable TVs for nearly 24 hours as the storm devastated South Florida. 90.7’s Brendan Byrne talks to Norcross about Hurricane Andrew- and storm preparation in Florida.

Disney employees voted to ratify a new contract this week- with a deal to boost minimum pay to $15 an hour by 2021.

Union leaders say it’s an historic agreement- Disney says it will boost the local economy.

When Disney raises its pay, will other companies follow? Is $15 an hour enough to live on? 

Orlando Sentinel reporter Gabrielle Russon, Unite Here! local 362 president Eric Clinton, and assistant professor of economics Hector Sandoval with the University of Florida’s  bureau of economic and business research join Intersection to discuss.

Then- a trip to a big cat sanctuary. We revisit a conversation with Simba Wiltz about the big cats on his Central Florida reserve.

And – 25 years ago, K.D. Lang released Ingenue.

The Canadian singer-songwriter talks to Intersection about performing the album in its entirety. 

While some of the results in last week’s primary election defied expectations, turnout was also high. So what does that mean for the general election in November?

On Intersection this week we take a closer look at the impact of the Puerto Rican vote in Florida on the midterm elections. Joining the show are Betsy Franceschini with Hispanic Federation, Prof. Jorge Duany with Florida International University and Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington. 

It’s peak storm season, and we revisit a conversation with former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate. Fugate reflects on how communities need to prepare for hurricanes of increasing strength, and his ‘Waffle House index.’

And-  Bethune Cookman’s Marching Wildcats band is the focus of a Netflix series. “Marching Orders” follows the band, which is regarded as one of the best in the nation, as it prepared for another marching season. 90.7’s Brendan Byrne sits down with Band Director Donovan V. Wells and Drum Major Bree’shawn Watson.

On Tuesday Andrew Gillum surged to success in Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. While Gillum addressed supporters in Tallahassee, GOP gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis celebrated with his base at an election night party in Orlando.

On this episode of Intersection, we discuss what the victories of Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis mean for the Democratic and the Republican parties with Democratic political analyst Jason Henry and Republican political analyst Molly Nardella.

The deadly shooting at an E-Sports tournament in Jacksonville last weekend shocked the gaming community and raised questions about security. We talk to E-sports promoter Alex Jebailey about how he’s addressing gamers concerns in the wake of the shooting.

Heading to college, Chris Belt wanted to be a spy. Now, Belt is a classical guitarist and champion of avante garde music in Orlando. An encore performance from Chris Belt on Intersection.