90.7 WMFE's Intersection

It’s been two years since a gunman opened fire in the Pulse nightclub leaving 49 dead and more than 50 injured.

On this episode of Intersection, we’re focusing on the Orlando community two years on. We hear from outgoing LGBT+ Center communications director Terry De Carlo, and we talk to Rev. Bryan Fulwider and Imam Muhammad Musri about the impact of the tragedy on the faith community.

Eric Alberts with Orlando Health joins us to explain how Pulse changed the equation for emergency preparedness in the wake of mass casualty events. 

And the outpouring of grief and support brought wave upon wave of memorial items.  Cataloging, storing and displaying those thousands of items presents a unique curatorial challenge. We hear about the Orlando Regional History Center’s plans for memorial items with chief curator Pam Schwartz. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something first responders have been grappling with for decades, but the Pulse nightclub shooting cast a spotlight on the issue.

On this episode of Intersection we hear from first responders, and explore how awareness of the impact of PTSD in first responders is changing the law, and the way PTSD is treated.

And we look at how the Pulse shooting is changing the way police departments, sheriff’s offices, fire departments and others on the front lines of emergency response talk about the mental health impacts of the work they do.

Part one of the program features  90.7’s Abe Aboraya, who is working on a year-long project with ProPublica examining the impact of PTSD on first responders; Jeff Orrange who runs a peer support program with the Orlando Fire Department; US Rep. Val Demings who represents Florida’s 10th congressional district and who worked to get legislation passed to address mental health issues facing first responders; and Daniel Oates, Miami Beach Police Chief  and former chief of police in Aurora Colorado.

Part two of the program features voices recorded at WMFE and ProPublica’s live event at the Orange County Public Library PTSD in first responders- an audiovisual experience and conversation hosted by 90.7’s Abe Aboraya.

The panelists were former Eatonville police officer Omar Delgado, who responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting; Orlando Police officer Allison Clarke, one of the first responders to Pulse; Jessica Realin, whose husband Gerry was on the OPD hazmat team that went into nightclub after the shooting; and former NYPD sergeant Nancy Rosado who’s a 911 first responder.

And for part three, we’re joined by Deb Beidel, Professor of Psychology and Medical Education at the University of Central Florida and Director of UCF RESTORES, a program which helps people with PTSD.

This month the Orange and Osceola County state attorney’s office began recommending non-monetary release for non-violent offenses.

State Attorney Aramis Ayala says the overhaul will end the so-called ‘poverty penalty’ that discriminates against those who don’t have the resources to pay. The move follows similar policy changes in other jurisdictions across the country.

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with State Attorney Aramis Ayala about the push for bail reform.

74 years ago John F, Kennedy took his first solo flight on a seaplane out of Miami. Historians had heard rumors of JFK’s wartime flying lessons, but it took some detective work to confirm the story. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University archivist Kevin Montgomery explains how the mystery was solved.

And Orlando trial attorney John Morgan is calling on Florida Governor Rick Scott to drop his appeal of a court ruling that clears the way for smokable medical marijuana. Morgan tells Intersection he’s prepared to take more legal action on medical marijuana.

Craft beer is booming. Local breweries are springing up in Central Florida- and across the country… and big brewers are paying attention. On this episode of Intersection we take a look at what’s brewing in the beer industry with changing tastes, niche markets and big beer. Joining the panel are Doug Meyer, the owner of Tactical Brewing, Brian Quain host of the “What Ales Ya” Podcast, Daniel Diaz, head brewer with RockPit Brewing  and Phil Palmisano, Florida Market Manager, Cigar City & Oskar Blues. 

The primary campaign season is underway in Florida and already millions of dollars are being spent in the race to be the next governor. It’s pretty clear where some of the money is coming from, as highlighted by a recent controversy that embroiled the Publix grocery chain.  But other campaign funding is a bit more murky. Gary Fineout of the associated press joins us to cut through the fog of campaign finance in the sunshine state.

And we continue our showcase of local bands from the NPR tiny desk contest, featuring CeCe Teneal  & Soul Kamotion, one of the top local favorites as voted by our listeners. Soul Kamotion has been playing the Orlando scene for years, and they’re bringing a fresh take to Blues and Soul music with something they call ‘neo blues.’ CeCe Teneal and Chris Baptiste join Intersection to talk about their Tiny Desk video and their new live album #5or5000. 

Summer’s around the corner, and for Floridians that means hitting the beach, the pool or swimming in one of the state’s many lakes and rivers. As well as rip tides and strong currents swimmers need to be aware of other hazards: bacteria, parasites and amoebas that could make you sick are lurking in the water.

On this episode of Intersection, we discuss some of the more common waterborne pathogens, and how to protect yourself against them, with 90.7’s health reporter Danielle Prieur and Florida Department of Health epidemiologist Alvina Chu. 

When UCF engineering student Albert Manero heard a story on the radio about a 3D printed prosthetic hand, a lightbulb went off. More than five years later, Manero’s non-profit, Limbitless Solutions is embarking on a clinical trial to test the next generation of  3D printed arms. Manero joins Intersection along with Dr. Albert Chi of Oregon Health and Science University, to talk about the goals for the clinical trial, and the technology they want to incorporate into 3D printed limbs in the future. 

The last Apollo mission left the surface of the moon more than 40 years ago. Now there’s renewed interest in exploring and mining the moon, and space archaeologists and historians want to preserve those Apollo landing sites. Non profit For All Moonkind says the first step is to map those sites. For All Moonkind’s co-founder, space lawyer Michelle Hanlon explains the plan to use blockchain technology to map historic sites on the moon. 

Last year 1.7 million drivers license suspensions were issued in the state of Florida.  Losing your license can make it hard to get to work- or drop off kids at school. Some of those drivers can apply for a hardship license. But who’s eligible for a hardship license, and how easy is it to get one?

On this episode of Intersection, we discuss hardship licenses and how they’re awarded with Barry University law professor Eang Ngov and criminal defense attorney Rachel Mattie. 

Colombia is still grappling with the violent legacy of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, and in the city of Medellin, an industry of so-called “Narco Tours” has sprung up. Journalist Jorge Caraballo explored the phenomenon of “Narco Tours” for NPR’s podcast Radio Ambulante. He tells Intersection the tours don’t tell the full story. 

And we continue with our Tiny Desk Contest local favorites- Daytona Beach psych rockers Holy Human join us.

The Florida Department of Corrections is facing a 50 million dollar budget gap in its healthcare budget. To make up for that gap, the department is making cuts to programs that tackle substance abuse, mental health treatment and re-entry into life after prison.  Those cuts are being felt across the state, including at the Transition House in Kissimmee.

On this episode of Intersection we take a closer look at what the Transition House does to help inmates getting ready for release from prison, and what those cuts mean for the program. Joining the conversation are the Transition House’s HR director Melissa Lucas, and Sara Wakefield, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University

Broward County Public Schools is under pressure after the Parkland school shooting. Questions are being asked about the school district’s diversion program that works to keep students from getting arrested, and parents of the victims at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School are running for school board, saying they want to bring more transparency. WLRN’s education reporter Jessica Bakeman joins us to explain how the school board is responding to its critics, and how the students are coping as the academic year wraps up.

And as summer approaches, and Floridians head for the beach, Florida Tech marine biologist Toby Daly-Engel joins us to shatter some misconceptions about sharks.

Gilbert King won a Pulitzer prize for his book Devil in the Grove, a deep dive into the case of four young African American men who were falsely accused of rape in 1949.

King says he hadn’t planned to write another book about Lake County but when a former sheriff’s deputy approached him at a book reading, he began to dig deeper into the actions of sheriff Willis V. McCall.  

His new book, Beneath A Ruthless Sun, chronicles the story of another young man railroaded for a crime he didn’t commit.

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with Gilbert King about his new book, and why the stories about what was happening in Lake County in the 1950’s still resonate today.

The Orlando Fringe kicked off this week. For some veterans of the theater festival it’s a return to familiar territory. And it’s an opportunity for artists to launch brand new works. We’ll talk to Jameson Boyce who’s making his first foray into Fringe, writing the score for a rock musical- Torment: The Musical. 

And we continue to showcase the local favorites from NPR’s Tiny Desk contest- as voted by you. Gayle joins us in studio with a performance. 

Rents are climbing in Orlando at a faster clip than many other major metro areas. Affordable housing is scarce.

Government agencies can- and do- step in to help by building subsidized housing projects. But there are other things housing advocates say should be done to boost the supply of homes.

On this episode of Intersection:  the affordable housing crunch and ideas to fix it. We talk to Shannon Nazworth with Ability Housing about a new affordable housing project in Orlando, and 90.7 economic analyst Hank Fishkind outlines some ideas on how to boost the supply of housing. 

A group of cities, including Orlando, are suing the state of Florida over local regulation of firearms. Political science professor Dr. Robert Spitzer with the State University of New York College at Cortland weighs in on how the battle over local government regulation of firearms is playing out across the US. 

Orlando Fringe starts up this week. It’s the 27th year for the festival the longest running Fringe fest in the US. We’ll hear from  former circus ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson who’s returned to his operatic training with a performance at the Orlando Fringe. And director Eric Pinder talks about finding new audiences for opera. 

A cluster of sinkholes in an Ocala neighborhood has forced some residents to move out. Engineers are testing the ground to see what’s caused the sinkholes and when it might be safe for those residents to return home.

Florida is a sinkhole prone state, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about why they appear and when.

On this episode of Intersection, UCF engineering professor Manoj Chopra joins us to explain the science of sinkholes  and insurance specialist Patrick Joy joins the conversation with tips on how to be sinkhole savvy.

Disney and Universal are in a hiring spree. Is it the usual summer theme park jobs boom or something more? Rich Bilbao from the Orlando Business Journal lays out what’s next in the battle for theme park supremacy. 

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra capped off its 25th anniversary season with a performance from cellist Yo Yo Ma and violinist Colin Jacobsen. Colin and his brother, Orlando Philharmonic artistic director Eric Jacobsen, join us for a conversation about brotherhood, table tennis, and the healing power of music.