90.7 WMFE's Intersection

On this episode of Intersection, we talk with political analysts Frank Torres and Dick Batchelor about the anti-riot bill and other controversial bills in the legislative session.

With tourism and hospitality still reeling from the impact of the pandemic- now may not seem like the best time to be starting a job leading Orlando’s tourism promotion agency. 

But Visit Orlando CEO Casandra Matej says she believes the region is well positioned to bounce back. 

On this episode of Intersection we talk with Matej about where she sees Orlando’s tourism economy headed in 2021. 

Then- a closer look at what the American Rescue Plan means for women in the workforce. Chabeli Carrazana who reports on the economy for The 19th discusses the recession’s impact on women- and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her own family. 

And the space shuttle program helped open the door for a new generation of female astronauts. University of Central Florida history professor Amy Foster talks with WMFE’s Brendan Byrne about how NASA’s focus on science gave women a window to join the astronaut corps.

Visit Orlando CEO Casandra Matej joins Intersection to discuss where she sees the tourism and hospitality industry heading in 2021. Plus we talk to reporter Chabeli Carrazana about how the economic recovery is going for women in the workforce; and WMFE's Brendan Byrne talks with historian Amy Foster about the shuttle program and how it opened the doors for a new generation of women in space.

The $1.9 trillion  American Rescue Plan delivers a shot in the arm to the US economy at the same time as the coronavirus vaccination rollout picks up speed. Business leaders are optimistic about the economic impact of the stimulus and the easing of the pandemic. On this episode of Intersection we talk with John de Armas of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando about how coronavirus has reshaped the way the chamber does business, how they’ve worked to help members stay afloat,  and what he anticipates for the business landscape in 2021. 

SNAP Orlando’s latest exhibition takes another look at Vincent Van Gogh, through the lens of two photographers- Lynn Johnson and Patricia Lanza. SNAP executive director and co-curator Patrick Kahn talks about the exhibition, art in the age of social media, and about running an art gallery in a pandemic. 

And- Carl Hiaasen retired from the Miami Herald last week, after a career at the paper that spanned more than 40 years. He was renowned for his hard hitting columns and his comic crime novels. Back in 2016, a few weeks before the presidential election,  Intersection host Matthew Peddie talked to Hiaasen, fellow columnist and humorist Dave Barry, and Barbara Peterson with the First Amendment Foundation. They discussed free speech, politics and responding to critics. We listen back to that conversation.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan delivers a shot in the arm to the US economy at the same time as the coronavirus vaccination rollout picks up speed. John de Armas with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando is optimistic about the economic impact of the stimulus and the easing of the pandemic.

One year since the start of the pandemic, what have we learned about COVID-19 and how much work remains to curb the disease? WMFE health reporter Abe Aboraya and Dr. Ali Mokdad with the IHME join Intersection to discuss. Plus- conversations about mental health and vaccine disparity.

Scientists, farmers, environmental advocates, engineers and politicians have wrestled with Everglades restoration for decades. 

In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed into law a plan to restore the Everglades and reverse years of environmental destruction. But after 20 years and billions of dollars spent, the plan is still incomplete. 

On this episode of Intersection, we talk with WMFE environmental reporter Amy Green about her book Moving Water- which tells the story of Everglades activists George and Mary Barley. We’ll also hear from Mary Barley and Trevor Aaronson, executive director of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting- about everglades restoration and the podcast Drained, which WMFE produced in partnership with FCIR. 

In the second part of the show, we talk to the Orange County regional history center’s new executive director, Pamela Schwartz. She’ll talk about the history center’s mission, her role in helping curate artifacts from the Pulse nightclub shooting, and the impact of the pandemic.

WMFE environmental reporter Amy Green talks about her book on the Everglades: 'Moving Water'. And the Orange County Regional History Center's new executive director Pamela Schwartz talks about adapting to the pandemic and upcoming exhibitions.

The Conservative Political Action Conference takes place in Orlando over the weekend. It’s a chance for the leading lights in the conservative movement to burnish their credentials and to test the waters for a potential presidential campaign. It will be former president Donald Trump’s first major appearance since leaving office- and since his banishment from twitter and acquittal in his second impeachment trial.

Experts think a whole generation of children could be affected by the problems thrown up by the pandemic- and those problems are worse for students already at risk. 

The special statewide reporting project Class of COVID-19: an education crisis for Florida’s vulnerable students examines the barriers to education amplified by the pandemic, including poverty, housing, hunger, internet access and fear of deportation. 

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie talks with WLRN’s Jessica Bakeman who edited the project and WMFE’s Amy Green who reported on kids falling behind with online learning. 

Then- a conversation with Adam Meyer, director of Inclusive Education Services at the University of Central Florida about how the pandemic may force a paradigm shift as colleges and universities rethink how courses are designed and presented for students with disabilities. 

And- an Orlando elementary school tackles the pandemic head on. Seth Daub, principal of Catalina Elementary; Rose Simon, who has three children attending the school, and Sandra Upson, who wrote about the school for WIRED- join the show for a conversation about living and learning with the pandemic.