90.7 WMFE's Intersection

SunRail is rolling out its Southern expansion. Trains will begin picking up passengers at four new stations for the Central Florida commuter rail system- at Meadow Woods, Tupperware, downtown Kissimmee and Poinciana- next week. 

For more on what the expansion means for ridership on SunRail, and for the future of the system, we speak with former Central Florida congressman and chair of the house transportation committee, John Mica.

Mica says there’s no better way to move people around than rail, if you can solve the last mile problem of getting passengers to and from the stations. And he says cities and counties in Central Florida still have to figure out how to fund SunRail long term.

In a world where many media organizations are cutting back on staff, the arrival of a brand new operation is noteworthy. The Florida Phoenix launched in Tallahassee this month. We talk to editor in chief Julie Hauserman about how this start up plans to dig into the stories behind the political headlines. 

And it’s shark week. The TV marathon draws big viewership for the Discovery Channel, but Florida Institute of Technology shark biologist Toby Daley Engel hopes it can spark an interest in marine biology that goes beyond the entertainment factor.

Candidates for the Orange County school board are making their pitch to voters. On this episode of Intersection, we hear part of a forum recorded at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando last Tuesday, where candidates talked about teacher retention and school safety.

Tariffs have businesses on edge, worried about the price on components they import, and retaliatory tariffs on things they export.

Alice Ancona with the Florida Chamber of Commerce weighs in on what tariffs mean for our $1 trillion economy, and the way forward for businesses as a trade war heats up.

And Orlando singer songwriter Luke Wagner channels the spirit of red dirt music and evokes his childhood heroes The Eagles. Wagner and violinist Tanner Johnson join us on Intersection to perform songs from Wagner’s upcoming album.

Entrepreneurship is hard. One third of all startups fail by their second year. Combine that with the challenges veterans face on their return to civilian life, veteran entrepreneurs could use some support. To help veterans get their businesses up and running, UCF’s business incubation program is partnering with Veterans Florida, to provide training and mentorship.

On this episode of Intersection, we check in with UCF’s Veteran Entrepreneurship Manager Ricardo Garcia and John Burns, president and CEO of Eagle Six,  about the unique challenges of starting a business as a veteran.

Then, a summer camp with a difference. Page 15 in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood focuses on writing skills for students. Part of the challenge though, is getting kids to put the phone aside. We revisit a conversation with Julia Young and Paul Driscoll of Page 15, about writing, editing, and learning to love the process of creation as much as the finished text.

And- after the July 4th holiday- animal shelters typically get an influx of dogs, scared by fireworks. It’s kitten season too, which means kennel space is at a premium. And it’s not just cats and dogs- Lake County has a lot of pigs, and a stray Emu. So how are shelters dealing with the summer time menagerie? Whitney Boylston, director of Lake County Animal Services and Diane Summers, program manager with Orange County Animal Services, join Intersection to explain. 

The Orlando Police Department is testing real time facial recognition software. The trial involves volunteer officers and city cameras. The initial trial began in December, and wrapped up in June. Then the city announced they’d continue testing the software.

Police chief John Mina says further assessment is warranted to see if the technology could help enhance public safety. But civil liberties organizations are alarmed. They’re calling on the city to stop using the software.

On this episode of Intersection we talk about the implications of police departments using real time face recognition software with Deputy Chief Mark Canty from the Orlando Police Department, Clare Garvie with Georgetown Law’s Center for Privacy and Security and Roger Rodriguez with Vigilant Solutions. 

In Puerto Rico, thousands of people lost power- again- as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl rolled over the island. Some 10 months on from the devastation of Hurricane Maria- how’s the infrastructure holding up? And what about the psychological impacts from the storms? Wilton Vargas, editor of the Puerto Rico based technology website tecnetico.com joins us for an update. 

And poet Brian Turner debuts a new work, an experimental jazz album inspired by the poetry of his late wife, Ilyse Kuznetz. We talk to Turner and Ben Kramer who also performs on the album. 

It feels good to recycle. But do you ever wonder just what happens to those cans, bottles and cardboard boxes once the truck empties out your recycling cart? Not all of ends up where you might expect. And, as the cost of recycling goes up, cities and counties are looking at ways to improve the quality of material that’s getting shipped out.

On this episode of Intersection, a visit to the Orange County MRF facility where solid waste manager David Gregory and Waste Management employee David Reed explain what not to put in the cart.  Then, a discussion about how counties and cities are having to rethink their recycling strategy with Waste Management communications director Dawn McCormick & UF engineering professor Fazil T. Najafi. 

It’s been a chaotic and stressful week for evacuees from Hurricane Maria who’ve been living in hotels and motels since the storm forced them from their homes in Puerto Rico. A FEMA program that’s been helping with accommodation has been extended for a few more weeks while advocates go to court seeking more assistance. So what’s the outlook for those evacuees? We’re joined by Denise Collazo of Faith In Action and Republican State Rep. Bob Cortes. 

And, music from Carly Jo Jackson. We revisit a performance from the Florida singer songwriter that first aired in July 2017. 

John Dearie of the Center for American Entrepreneurship says rates of entrepreneurship – the creation of  new businesses- are in decline across the country. Dearie wants to turn that around. So what does a new business needs to succeed, besides a great idea?

On this episode of Intersection we discuss the state of entrepreneurship with John Dearie, Jerry Ross of the National Entrepreneur Center and John F. Davis of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

How do you teach a university course at a maximum security prison? Dr. Pamela Cappas-Toro says the students she teaches at Tomoka Correctional Institution are committed to learning, but it takes creativity bringing a college course to a prison without the educational resources of a college campus.

Cappas-Toro helped establish The Stetson University Community Education Project, and she says the project is expanding the classes on offer for incarcerated men, with the help of a grant.

And July 4th means its time to fire up the grill. It’s no holiday for Thomas Ward though- he barbeques for a living.  We revisit a conversation with Ward. First the news

Immigration is dominating the national conversation.  The Trump administration has walked back a policy that’s seen children and parents separated at the Southern US border, and reporters and lawmakers have gotten a glimpse inside detention centers housing immigrant youth, including a center in South Florida.

As the Florida Republican Party prepares to kick off its summer conference, the Sunshine Summit, in Orlando this week, how will the immigration debate shape that summit? And what impact will it have on elections in Florida this November?

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with the chair of the Florida GOP, Blaise Ingoglia, on the eve of the Sunshine Summit.

Summer holidays don’t have to mean fast food. We talk to a couple chefs about healthy cooking and classes that can put you on the path to eating right. Chef Gary Appelsies is on a tour of Central Florida YMCAs to promote healthy cooking, and chef Dawn Viola is about to open a teaching kitchen, This Honest Food, in Clermont.

One section of Orlando’s historic Greenwood Cemetery started to get a lot more attention since a new arrival last year. Johnny Reb, the confederate statue that was removed from its old location on the shores of Lake Eola, has brought curious visitors to the cemetery’s Confederate section. We chat to Sexton Don Price about what that means for Greenwood. 

President Trump says space dominance is vital to national security. He wants the department of defence to establish a new branch of the military- a space force.

On this episode of  Intersection we ask the question: what would a space force look like and what would its mission be? With more countries eyeing space for resources and strategic interests, is the call for a space force coming at the right time? Or is it militarizing space misguided?

We’re joined by 90.7’s space reporter Brendan Byrne, UCF political scientist Roger Handberg, who focuses on space and military policy, and Laura Forcyk founder of the space analysis and consulting firm Astralytical.

Following an outcry over the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy that’s separated hundreds of children from their parents at the Southern US border, President Trump signed an executive order that he says ends family separation.

So what does it mean for undocumented immigrants including children in detention? For more analysis we’re joined by Orlando based immigration attorney John Gihon..

And we revisit a performance and conversation with Deland based musician Matt Burke. He talks about his soul and funk influences and bringing Chicago Blues to the Sunshine State.

On a recent day in June, parking hit capacity at all three garages at Orlando International Airport, including the garage at the airport’s brand new South terminal.

The new terminal, where airlines will begin service in 2021, is designed to include rail access. But just how soon will trains roll into the airport?

On this episode of Intersection, we tour of the new terminal with the airport’s head of communications Carolyn Fennell, and take a closer look at the airport’s future as a multi-modal transport hub for Central Florida, in a conversation with Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Phil Brown. 

A summer camp run by the Hope CommUnity Center aims to help ease the burden on low income and immigrant families in Apopka. Alex Saunders and Yoseline Rodriguez join Intersection to explain what the Kids Camp offers to kids and their parents.

And as more cities across the US face the trauma of mass shootings, newsrooms, reporters and editors are grappling with the unique challenge of covering these events and their aftermath. We talk to Silvia Foster-Frau of the San Antonio Express-News and Naseem Miller of the Orlando Sentinel about the Journalists Covering Trauma Facebook group they set up to offer practical and emotional support to fellow reporters. 

It’s a crowded field of candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Amid the clamor- whose voice stands out? Meanwhile- there are calls for agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam- running on the GOP ticket for Governor- to resign. What’s behind those calls?

Political analysts Carol Cox and Molly Nardella join us for an update on the race for the Governor’s mansion. 

The White House is mulling turning over the management of the International Space Station to private hands in a few years. What would that mean for scientific research? Could the space station become a destination for space tourists? Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport reflects on the future of the orbiting outpost. 

And we re-air a performance from Orlando’s Handmade, Amigo. Lead singer Kevin James Bond’s submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest was one of the top five local favorites, as voted by WMFE listeners.