90.7 WMFE's Intersection

It’s been a rough ride for the Affordable Care Act this year. Attempts by the GOP led congress to repeal and replace Obamacare have failed but there have been changes, and premiums are going up. So what does that mean for consumers looking to buy health insurance with open enrollment around the corner?

 

Then, Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma wants to create a memorial that pays tribute to the victims of last year’s nightclub shooting and she’s asking for public input. We’ll talk to Poma about the process of creating a memorial.

And, young performers from the Orlando Opera and the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra join us to talk about Brundibar, an opera that was first performed during the Holocaust.

Florida’s citrus farmers saw their crops devastated by hurricane Irma.

They’re asking the federal government to help but it’s unclear what kind of aid citrus farmers will get. And for an industry already struggling with the effects of citrus greening, could this disastrous season spell the end?

Plus, how much scholarship money goes to private schools? It’s a lot of money… but there isn’t a lot of oversight. We talk to reporters from the Orlando Sentinel who spent months following the scholarship money going to private schools in Central Florida.

And as Amazon mulls a second headquarters prompting a scramble from local governments across the country to attract the retail giant to their city or county, we hear from reporters at the Orlando Business Journal about the Amazon effect in Central Florida.

After being denied an opportunity once to speak at the University of Florida, Richard Spencer came back- prompting a state of emergency.

We’ll hear from a reporter about what happened at the University, where a massive law enforcement presence was deployed and we’ll talk about the importance of free speech and how those limits are being tested on college campuses. Plus, the cost of security the University of Florida estimates for the Spencer event.

Then, “The Florida Project” depicts the life of a six year old and her mother, living in a motel near the theme parks. Co-writer Chris Bergoch joins us to talk about creating a movie that’s garnering rave reviews for its tough yet sympathetic portrayal of life on the edge of poverty in Central Florida.

And, Kaley Honeycutt, who has a solo music project under the name Baby, joins Intersection to perform and talk about her debut album- Sunny Florida.

Florida has closed primary system. That means voters can only cast a ballot in the primary election for their own party’s candidate. But when the winner of that primary does not face an opponent in the general election, it opens up the primary to all voters regardless of party affiliation. There’s a way to close up that open primary though, when a write-in candidate runs.

Seminole County supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel says the so-called ‘write-in loophole’ isn’t fair to voters. On this episode of Intersection Ertel joins us to explain what’s wrong with the write-in loophole and how to fix it.  

MacArthur fellow Greg Asbed is the only Floridian on the list this year. Asbed shares the story of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, more than two decades working to improve the lives of farm workers in Florida. 

And we hear from Cole Nesmith, the founder of the Creative City Project. Nesmith wants his arts showcase- Immerse- to put Orlando on the cultural map like South By Southwest did for Austin.

 

To go or to stay, that’s the dilemma facing many Puerto Ricans now as they try to rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

The storm triggered a wave of evacuees to Florida- but for those who remain in Puerto Rico- what challenges are they facing, and how long will it be before life returns to normal?

We’re talking to Central Floridians who’ve been back after the storm, including doctors who went to do life saving medical work

Then, good telescopes are expensive. So when scientists need access to a powerful scope sometimes they split the cost. We talk to Dan Batcheldor about an observatory in the Canary Islands and the schools that use it.

And local composer David MacDonald is showcasing his work with a wind quintet this weekend. We’ll talk to MacDonald about making contemporary classical music.

After hurricanes Irma and Maria, there are questions about the resilience of the power grid- and in Puerto Rico- how to rebuild that devastated grid.  

Efforts to push for more solar power in Florida, the sunshine state, have hit political roadblocks in the past. But could the 2017 hurricane season be a turning point?

Journalist Lyndsey Gilpin joins Intersection to talk about what the storm season can teach us about solar power. And we return to an interview with Michael Cohen, who helped found a solar co-op in Orlando. 

Puerto Rican evacuees are enrolling in Florida’s public school system. Osceola County says it could see as many as 2,000 new students from the island enrolling as families relocate after Hurricane Maria.

Osceola School Board chair Kelvin Soto tells Intersection his district is ready to welcome the influx of new students.

And if you need a laugh, maybe it’s time to try a yoga class. We revisit a conversation between 90.7’s Talia Blake and laughter yoga instructor Pat Conklin. 

After the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Florida’s elected officials weighed in on gun control and Orlando leaders offered support and lessons learned from the aftermath of last year’s shooting at the Pulse nightclub.

Meanwhile, politicians from both sides of the aisle have been visiting Puerto Rico to find out what the island needs as it begins the long road to recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Maria and how it could affect Florida.

We’re talking to political commentators Dick Batchelor and Chris Carmody about the policy in the wake of deadly storms and deadly shootings.

Then-, Florida may be a hurricane prone state but that doesn’t stop people moving here. And the influx of new residents puts pressure on the sunshine state’s natural environment. Bob McClure from the James Madison Institute joins us for a conversation about the environment and property rights.

And the Orlando Philharmonic’s Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen surveys the season ahead from celtic harp to the classics.

A week after Hurricane Maria smashed into Puerto Rico, the federal government suspended the Jones Act, a rule that adds to the cost of shipping goods into the island. But residents still face a massive challenge. As the days stretch on with no power, each day revolves around the search for gas to power generators, clean water and cell service. And hospitals are struggling to care for the sick.

What needs to happen now for Puerto Rico’s recovery, what can you do to help, and what does the disaster mean for Central Florida?

Then, Miami based musicians Negroni’s Trio recorded their latest album in Puerto Rico. Tonight they’re performing in Orlando. We’ll chat to drummer Nomar Negroni about the album which includes new takes on classic standards.

Two weeks after Hurricane Irma, the clean up continue and some Floridians are still waiting for the power to come back on. As the path of the storm shifted, media organizations scrambled to prepare and to cover the story as Irma churned up the peninsula.

Today on Intersection, we’ll hear from reporters at WGCU in Fort Myers and WJCT in Jacksonville about how they covered the storm.

Then, for parents who struggle to help their kids with homework after a long day at school- how about replacing worksheets with reading? That’s exactly what Marion County Public Schools has done. We’ll talk to the superintendent about doing away with homework.

And, as PBS airs a documentary series about the Vietnam War directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. We’ll listen back to an interview with Novick and Daytona Beach resident Dr. Hal Kushner, who was a prisoner of war and is featured in the documentary.

After residents at a nursing home in South Florida died following a power outage at a South Florida nursing home the state suspended the nursing home’s license.

A criminal investigation’s been launched and now Florida Governor Rick Scott’s ordered nursing homes and assisted living facilities to get back up generators.

But questions remain: who bears the blame and how do you protect nursing home residents during a disaster?

NPR’s Ask Me Another is one of the nerdiest game shows on the radio. So what do you have to do to get on the show? Host Ophira Eisenberg explains. And Jonathan Coulton talks about how he comes up with the songs for Ask Me Another.

Then, Orlando rapper Niko Is has a distinct voice blending the influences of American hip hop with the sounds of his birthplace: Brazil. Niko joins us to talk about his journey from school rap battles to the world stage.