90.7 WMFE's Intersection

Governor Ron DeSantis wants to pay teachers more. DeSantis unveiled a proposal this week to make the starting salary 47 thousand 500 dollars. 

That’s 10 thousand dollars more than what beginning teachers make now, according to the National Education Association. 

On this epsiode of Intersection, we’ll talk about whether DeSantis can deliver on his pitch to boost the pay of beginning teachers Where is the money going to come from and what kind of of political buy in does DeSantis have? 

We’ll talk to Daytona Beach News Journal education reporter Cassidy Alexander– and political commentators Dick Batchelor and Frank Torres about the push to pay teachers more. 

Then– jury selection is underway in the first of two murder trials for Markeith Loyd. He’s accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon in 2016. Loyd is also charged with the murder of Orlando police officer Debra Clayton in 2017– sparking a 9 day manhunt. Orlando Sentinel courts reporter Monivette Cordeiro joins us to explain the process of picking a jury from a pool of 2000 people. 

And– husband and wife singer songwriters Jordan Wynn and Heather Lee perform as a duo, with a full band– and next week they’ll have an orchestra with them as they perform in Immerse in downtown Orlando. They join us on Intersection to play some songs and talk about their music.

President Trump is coming to the Villages to talk Medicare.

The visit had been planned for August but was postponed after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.

Trump is expected to tout the quality of Medicare under his administration. But his appearance comes as House Democrats move forward with an impeachment inquiry after a whistleblower’s complaint detailing allegations that the president asked Ukraine to help investigate Joe Biden.

Our reporters Abe Aboraya and Talia Blake are in the Villages today talking to residents and awaiting the president’s appearance. We’ll check in with Abe and Talia about what they’re hearing from residents on medicare, what they want to hear from the president, and what they think about the impeachment inquiry.

We’re also joined on the show today by political analysts Frank Torres and Jason Henry, and political science professor Aubrey Jewett.

An Orlando police officer was fired this week after arresting two six year olds at a Charter school. 

The news was met with shock- and anger. Orlando Police chief Orlando Rolon told the media on Monday that officer Dennis Turner did not follow police department protocol. 

On this episode of Intersection, we’ll discuss what happens when children are arrested in school. 

We’ll hear from Barry University associate professor of Law Kathy Puzone about the impact of the criminal justice system on children, and  Meralyn Kirkland, the grandmother of one of the children who was arrested. 

Sumter County residents are facing a hike in property taxes as the Villages transforms the county from rural to urban. We’ll talk about why those taxes are going up and what they’ll pay for.  

And musician Ken Stringfellow– from the Posies, REM and Big Star– is back on tour, performing Touched, the solo album he released in 2001. Ahead of his performance in Orlando, we talk to Stringfellow about revisiting that album 18 years later. 

What do cat videos, robotic dogs and same day package delivery have in common? All of them share a connection to Artificial Intelligence- or AI. 

On this episode of Intersection we talk to a panel of experts about the misconceptions and the reality of AI- how it helps us navigate our physical and social landscapes, and the massive amounts of data that drive advances in AI. 

From self driving cars to mass surveillance, we take a deep dive into the past, present and future of AI, in a conversation recorded in front of a live audience at the Orlando Science Center. 

Joining us on the panel: HP Newquist, director of the new Orlando Science Center exhibit, AI:Your Mind and the Machine; Dan Myers, assistant professor and chair of computer science at Rollins College; Walt Wilson, Vice President of Operations for Winter Park based Fleet Zoo and Jeremy Joseph, senior manager of Sensor Application Software at Luminar Technologies in Orlando. 

As relief efforts continue in the Bahamas and authorities there search for the missing amid the destruction after Hurricane Dorian, we check in with Orlando Sentinel reporter Chabeli Herrera, who was on a cruise ship offloading supplies and ferrying survivors over the weekend, and UPI reporter Paul Brinkmann who caught a ride on a fishing boat sending supplies to the islands. 

Political Scientist Michael Gunter says storms like Dorian reinforce the need to confront the reality of climate change before it’s too late. Gunter says the solution is two fold– changing the way we live to slow climate change— and adapting to a warmer planet. 

We’ll chat with Gunter about the intersection of climate science and political science. 

And Orlando musician and event promoter Jared Silvia has launched a record label. The first album released on the Circuit Church label was produced on cassette. Silvia joins us to talk about the resurgence of the cassette and the Central Florida electronic music scene.

 

Dorian continues its march north, and Florida residents are breathing a sigh of relief– for now. But many Floridians have personal connections to the Bahamas where the Category five hurricane caused widespread devastation, and authorities are still tallying the damage and trying to find the missing. 

On this episode of Intersection we discuss recovery and relief efforts in the Bahamas in the wake of devastation left behind by Dorian. 

We’ll talk to  Florida A&M University student Donervin Bastian, and Shevrin Jones, Democratic state representative for the 101st district in Southeastern Broward County, about statewide relief for the Bahamas. 

And we’ll check in with Orlando veterinary technician Heidi Hill, who’s busy gathering supplies to pack on a boat destined for one of the islands off Abaco. She wonders just what she’ll see when the boat arrives. 

And although Florida residents were spared the worst impacts from Dorian, high winds and storm surge battered the beaches along the Atlantic coast, gouging sand from the shoreline and disrupting turtle nests. What’s the legacy of Dorian with Florida’s rebounding green turtle population? 

David Godfrey, Executive Director of Sea Turtle Conservancy, and Dr. Kate Mansfield,  Associate Professor at UCF and Director of the Marine Turtle Research Group, join Intersection to talk about the natural and man-made threats to turtles.

Hurricane Dorian is strengthening in the Atlantic, and emergency managers are warning Central Florida residents to be prepared for Dorian’s landfall as a major hurricane. 

Already water and other essentials are flying off supermarket shelves, and some gas stations are running out of gas. 

On this episode of Intersection we’re joined by a panel of experts to talk emergency preparations– supplies, securing your house, knowing where to go if you need to leave– and making sure medical needs are met. Joining the show are Don Walker with Brevard County Emergency Management; Mike Jachles with Orange County Fire Rescue and Christie DeNave with Florida Blue. 

Then– second harvest of central Florida is amassing a huge supply of food to help feed the needy through Hurricane Dorian and its aftermath. 

Greg Higgerson says a million pounds of food may sound like a lot– but it could run out quickly. We’ll chat about how Second Harvest is preparing to meet the demand. 

And food, water, gas and other essentials are top of mind for residents getting ready for the hurricane. But don’t forget what you’ll need to do if you have to make an insurance claim. Florida’s former deputy insurance commissioner Lisa Miller joins us with some pointers.

Overdose is a leading cause of injury related death according to the CDC. In 2017, more than 70,000 people in the US died from an overdose in 2017, the majority of them from prescription or illicit opioid overdose. 

Funding for the fight against the opioid epidemic may come from federal and state government, but community leaders in Central Florida are tackling the crisis through an initiative called Project Opioid. 

On this episode of Intersection, we chat with Project Opioid founder Andrae Bailey about the plan to enlist the faith community and business leaders in the fight against the opioid crisis. 

Then— a local non-profit – Chance 2 Dance — offers inclusive dance lessons for young people with disabilities. We’ll hear from studio founder Nicole Warren, and Dr. Sarah Parsloe, who’s teaching a course on disability and social change at Rollins College. 

And an investment in education in West Lakes, Orlando, is helping pay for school supplies for teachers, and helping to develop a STEM garden where students can learn about agricultural science. We’ll talk to Britton Banowski from the College Football Playoff Foundation about how the initiative aims to help attract and retain teachers.

We’re more than halfway through hurricane season… and so far the Atlantic has been pretty quiet. In fact the last time there were no named storms between July 15th and August 15th, was 1982. 

But most hurricane activity happens after the middle of August– so what can we expect from here on out?

On this episode of Intersection, we’re talking hurricanes with a panel of experts:  Eric Berger, Keith Kotch and Jeff Huffman, asking what you should be thinking about with three months of storm season still to go. 

Then– Florida is the lightning capital of the US, and getting hit by lightning can be fatal. 

We talk to the trauma medical director of the Osceola Regional Medical Center, Dr. Tracy Bilski, about the kind of injuries caused by lightning strikes. 

And– Atsumi is tapping into a centuries old tradition– performing Taiko. 

Atsumi joins us to talk about finding her own rhythm in learning the art of the Japanese drum– and performing taiko for international audiences in Orlando. 

 

Immigration and race are two issues that could drive the 2020 presidential election. That’s according to 90.7’s political commentators Dick Batchelor and Frank Torres. 

On this episode of Intersection– we sit down to talk about how the race looks– more than a year out from the election…and the role that Florida will play in electing the next president. 

Then– a spacecraft the size of a passenger van is on a road trip across the solar system. It’s orbiting an asteroid 100 million miles away… and the souvenir it’s looking to bring back? A scoop of dirt. 

90.7’s Brendan Byrne talks with the OSIRIS REx mission’s principal investigator Dante Lauretta about what scientists are hoping to find on the remote rock, and what that space dirt could tell us about life on earth. 

And the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity works to help steer young black men towards college, through a program called Go to High School, Go to College. 

Incoming Vice President of the Central Florida Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Rodney Rackley, joins Intersection to discusses the fraternity’s focus on higher education.