90.7 WMFE's Intersection

August 28th is primary day in Florida. Candidates statewide are vying for their party’s nomination in the race for the Governor’s mansion. Agriculture commissioner and attorney general are also on the ballot.

More than 1.6 million Floridians already voted- either by mail or at early voting sites, beating out the 2014 tally.

Issues like toxic algae, gun safety, healthcare and education funding have grabbed headlines. On this episode of Intersection, political analysts Dick Batchelor and Michelle Ertel talk candidates and policy ahead of the big races. 

What does the word sustainable mean to you? A group of students at Rollins College are putting sustainability into action. They’ve been selected as Millennium Fellows- and given the task of advancing United Nations sustainability goals. We’ll hear from Rollins College provost Susan Singer and student Christina Fuleihan about the fellowship and what sustainability means to them.

And- Jacksonville joins a grim list of cities rocked by the violence of a mass shooting. We’ll revisit a conversation with journalists who cover trauma… and learn about the network of journalists figuring out how to tell the stories of these recurring tragedies.

Trade and agricultural products, water quality and concealed weapon permits are just some of the issues in the race to be Florida’s next agriculture commissioner.

On this episode of Intersection, a special presentation from WLRN and Florida Public Radio: a conversation with the Democrats running to be their party’s nominee for commissioner of agriculture- Roy David Walker, Nikki Fried and Jeffrey Porter.

NASA confirmed something scientists have suspected for some time: there’s water on the moon.

The presence of ice at the lunar poles is a big deal with implications for a potential moon base and exploration of deep space.  Companies looking to mine the moon are interested too. But how easy is it going to be to extract that water? Physicist Addie Dove joins us to explain.

Carl Maultsby and Gale Jones Murphy’s music appears in a new African American hymnal, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. 

Murphy started playing piano at the age of 3 and Maultsby also grew up surrounded by music. They join Intersection for a conversation about sacred- and secular- music. 

Water quality, citrus greening and the impact of tariffs are just some of the issues on the minds of the candidates running to be Florida’s next commissioner of agriculture and consumer services.  On this episode of Intersection, a special presentation from WLRN and Florida Public Radio- a conversation with two of the Republican candidates running to be their party’s nominee for state agriculture commissioner: Matt Caldwell and Denise Grimsley.

Central Florida’s Muslim community opens its doors for a celebration of faith. Thousands of people are expected to attend the Eid Al Adha- or feast of sacrifice- at the Sanford Civic Center. Dr. Shakeil Ahmed joins us for a conversation about fostering understanding and acceptance.

And Central Florida’s diversity is reflected in its culinary offerings. We’ll hear a panel discussion about the latest trends in taste, recorded at the WMFE studios, with some of the finest minds in Orlando’s culinary scene.

The race for governor is not the only statewide political contest during primary season. Republicans and Democrats also will choose their favorite candidate to run for Attorney General. Stand Your Ground, the opioid crisis and the environment are some of the issues in the race.

On this episode of Intersection,  GOP candidate Ashley Moody, who’s hoping to be the state’s top prosecutor, talks to Tom Hudson from member station WLRN and the editorial boards of the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Since 2010, students and faculty from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University have been bringing drinking water filtration systems to Haiti. Mechanical engineering senior Rachel Hunt and Associate professor of mechanical engineering Dr. Mark Compere talk to 90.7’s Crystal Chavez about the Project Haiti Initiative.

What’s life like for patients who’ve been diagnosed with dementia? One support group helps patients keep their brains limber. A conversation with Peggy Bargmann, the founder and director of Brain Fitness Club, club member Nick Pettine and his husband and caregiver Daniel Loza. 

Stand your ground, the opioid crisis and the environment. These are some of the issues in the primary race for Florida’s attorney general. On this episode of Intersection,  a special presentation from WLRN and Florida Public Radio: a conversation with Sean Shaw and Ryan Torrens, the two Democratic candidates vying to be their party’s nominee for attorney general.

Meanwhile, Democrats are banking on a so-called ‘blue wave’ this year. They’re hoping to flip congressional seats from red to blue and take back the house. And they’re eyeing governor’s mansions across the country, including in Florida. We’ll talk to Wisconsin Democratic congressman Mark Pocan about the upcoming elections.

And Orlando weekly music columnist Bao Le-Huu returns to Intersection with a fall concert guide. Bands- and musical trends- from the nineties are making a comeback.

With early voting poised to start next week in Florida’s primary elections, political analysts Dick Batchelor and Michelle Ertel join Intersection to recap the GOP Gubernatorial primary debate and unpack some of the Congressional races. Meanwhile Senator Bill Nelson raises the specter of election interference. Is this an issue that’s top of mind for voters in this primary? 

We revisit an interview with Don R Colee Jr, who outlines the history of broadcasting in Florida in his book Towers In The Sand. Colee started his career spinning rock n roll records as a teenage DJ in Orlando. He reflects on the influence of the broadcast media on the civil rights movement.

And the founder of the Swamp Sistas, Beth McKee, has a new album out. McKee and Grant Peyton join Intersection and perform songs from the album Dreamwood Acres.

Veterans Affairs secretary Robert Wilkie who was sworn in last week, is due to address Amvets at the veterans service organization’s annual convention in Orlando this week.

On this episode of Intersection we speak to Sherman Gillums Jr. and Lana McKenzie of AmVets about the challenge facing Wilkie, including improving access to healthcare for veterans.

Metroplan has a new executive director. Gary Huttmann, who takes over the job in September, joins Intersection to talk about helping a growing population get around Central Florida. 

And the Parker Solar probe is scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center Saturday. The spacecraft will fly within four million miles of the surface of the sun, the closest a spacecraft has ever gotten to the sun. 90.7’s Brendan Byrne talks to physicist Alex Young about the mission.

 

 

Central Florida Community Arts is launching a new school of the arts. The school promises experiences for people with a range of ages and abilities- and aims to include arts programs for under served communities and people dealing with cognitive and physical disabilities.

On this episode of Intersection, we look at how this new school fits into the landscape of arts and culture in an era of shrinking arts budgets with CFCArts founder and executive director Joshua Vickery, and Leah Porrata, the Senior Director of Education and Outreach.

Athletes are wrapping up a week of competition at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games at the Orange County Convention Center. We check in at the games and talk with Steve Kirk of paralyzed veterans of America about how the games have evolved, and some of the technology that goes into adaptive sports.

Opera and classical music can be intimidating. But Opera del Sol’s founder Nicole DuPre wants to break down the barriers to opera. We talk to DuPre, soprano Stephanie McCranie and Theresa Smith-Levin of Orlando Light Opera about bringing new audiences to the artform. 

The Florida primary election is just weeks away. Monday was the last day to register to vote in the primary, and early voting starts next week.

In the wake of allegations of Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election, just how secure is the voting system in your precinct? And what are supervisors of elections doing to ensure that your vote counts and that hackers can’t break in? On this episode of Intersection we talk to Seminole County supervisor of elections Mike Ertel about the ‘digital moat’ he’s created, and some low-tech ways to keep things safe.

There’s been an explosion in education technology in recent years. Whether it’s social media or augmented reality, technology plays a big role in the classroom of today. Education technology professor Josh Murdock joins us to talk about how teachers are using twitter, how VR and AR is transforming the classroom, and what you can learn from the online game Fortnite.

And Cox Enterprises is exploring options for ownership of 14 television stations, including WFTV in Orlando. What could a sale or merger mean for television news in Central Florida, and what does it say about the state of local media? Tim Brown from UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media, and Jennifer Choi with CUNY’s graduate school of journalism join Intersection for a discussion about news deserts and the state of local media. 

Responding to a domestic violence call is the most dangerous call a law enforcement officer can get. This was highlighted by an incident last month in Orlando that ended with the death of four children and the perpetrator, and left a police officer critically injured.

On this episode of Intersection, 90.7’s Brendan Byrne takes a closer look at domestic violence calls and the dangers they pose to law enforcement officers. And we talk to agent Cyndi Young with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office about how her office is training first responders to look out for a critical indicator for domestic violence: strangulation. 

It’s summer time at the ER. We revisit a conversation with emergency room physician, Dr. Christopher Hunter, about what keeps staff at the ER busy and why Orlando has such a unique mixture of patients.

And singer songwriter Zoya Zafar may be fairly new on the Orlando music scene, but she’s garnering critical praise. An encore performance from Zafar on Intersection.