90.7 WMFE's Intersection

From leaving an alligator at a gas station to stealing a police car with a police officer inside, Florida man makes national headlines…whether we floridians love or hate it.  

So why is Florida the backdrop for so many quirky, humorous, or sometimes downright bizarre headlines? What does this meme really say about our state… and about how we treat some of our most vulnerable residents? 

On this episode of Intersection we explore the myth and reality of Florida Man with Tampa Bay Times reporter Craig Pittman, whose books include Oh Florida; How  America’s Weirdest State Influences The Rest Of The Country; Orlando Weekly editor Jessica Bryce Young; and Florida Times Union investigative reporter Ben Conarck.

This Memorial Day weekend, people are predicted to travel in record numbers, and many of those weekend warriors are bound for Orlando. We dig into some of the things to do in the city beautiful beyond the theme parks, with Jon Busdeker, co-author of 100 Things To Do In Orlando Before You Die. 

And we air the first part of our Tiny Desk contest performance at the Abbey. Singer songwriter Amanda Lyn channels the spirit of Elvis with her rockabilly inspired songs.

As the weather warms up, Floridians and visitors to the sunshine state are hitting the beach, spending more time at the pool, and getting out on lakes & rivers.

The flip side to all of this aquatic activity is the number of drownings that take place. According to the state department of health, Florida leads the country in drowning deaths for children ages one to four.

Former Olympic swimming gold medalist Rowdy Gaines is on a mission to change that. On this episode of Intersection we visit Gaines at the YMCA’s aquatic center to find out he’s doing to spread the message of water safety.

NASA’s space suits, which are used on the International Space Station when astronauts need to do a space walk, are in need of an upgrade. 90.7’s Brendan Byrne talks to Florida Today space reporter Antonia Jarmillo  about the history of the suit, the challenges NASA faces upgrading the equipment and what the agency is thinking about for a future moon-mission. 

And environmentalists are sounding the alarm over plans for three brand new toll roads. But what are the chances that the roads- outlined in legislation just signed by Governor Ron DeSantis- will actually get built? Charles Lee with Audubon of Florida talks about the path ahead for these projected roads. 

Florida space advocates were hit with a setback last week: the state is out of the running as a potential location for the new space command headquarters. So what’s next for the industry? On this episode of Intersection, we talk with Space Florida’s Dale Ketcham and 90.7 space reporter Brendan Byrne about why Florida could still have a chance to land the command.

625 Brevard County teachers have left the job in the last three years. That’s according to a recent article in Florida Today, which cites low pay, overcrowded classrooms and unruly students as some of factors driving teachers away from the profession. Florida Today education reporter Caroline Glenn joins us to talk about what she’s hearing from teachers and what the school district is doing to try and retain teachers.

While caring for her husband after his diagnosis with brain cancer, the Orlando Sentinel’s Beth Kassab faced a health crisis of her own: doctors discovered she had a brain tumor too. Kassab joins us to discuss the physical- and emotional- challenge of confronting that brain tumor diagnosis.

If you’re a reader looking to meet some of your favorite authors face to face- or a writer looking for tips on how to hone your craft- the Orlando Public Library has something for you this saturday. The Orlando Book Festival is a day long celebration of books. On this episode of Intersection we ask the library’s Sarah Fisk and author illustrator Loreen Leedy about their path to becoming published authors- and what to expect from the festival.

Then- we talk to Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez about education funding, cleaning up Florida’s waterways, and why she’s not waving the white flag of surrender over the bid to headquarter space command in the sunshine state.

And from avant garde hiphop to west coast metal, Orlando EDM to homegrown folk music- there’s a lot to keep music lovers happy in the city beautiful this summer. Orlando Weekly music critic Bao Le Hu talks about some of his top picks. 

The media landscape is changing fast. In Public Radio, terrestrial radio is no longer the only means of distributing content. Six years ago, we weren’t telling listeners to ask their smart speaker to play WMFE- or NPR– and the explosion in podcasting has given audiences much more flexibility and freedom to choose what to listen to- and when.

LaFontaine Oliver has watched some of that change unfold and had to figure out how to navigate through the uncertainty. After six years he’s leaving his role as president and General Manager of WMFE. Today on Intersection- we sit down with LaFontaine Oliver to talk about what’s changed and what’s next- for WMFE and at his new role leading WYPR in Baltimore.

Incoming Orange County fire chief Jim Fitzgerald joins us to talk about the challenges facing the fire department for a growing county, and what the new firefighter cancer bill means for the health of firefighters. 

And the 28th annual Orlando Fringe festival gets underway. The two week festival is the longest running fringe fest in the US. We chat to Nick Georgoudiou, who celebrates the typewriter with a booth at the festival.

Springtime in Florida- and love is in the air. Or at least lovebugs. Any kind of road trip through the sunshine state this time of year is usually accompanied by the percussive splatter of lovebugs hitting the windshield.

So where do lovebugs come from and what are they doing here? How do they fit into the ecosystem of Florida, and what’s the best – and worst- way to get them off your car?

On this episode of Intersection we dive into the history of the bugs we love to hate with Dr. Denise DeBusk,  professor of horticulture at Valencia College West, University of Florida Entymology professor and director of the university’s Integrated Pest Management program Norman Leppla, and Matt Moreman, creator of the car care blog and YouTube channel Obsessed Garage.

Then- architecture’s often about finding a balance between creative aspirations and the practicalities of engineering. Sometimes architects get to indulge their creative side. Later in the show, a conversation with two Orlando architects about building, sculpture and creativity. Maurizio Maso and Trevor Boyle of Hunton Brady Architects discuss the centerpieces they designed for the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida, and the design for the new Holocaust memorial museum in downtown Orlando.

And- Amy Robbins and Gailanne Amundsen are forging a new path with American roots music. We revisit a performance from Robbins and Amundsen – and a conversation about the new generation of bluegrass musicians .

Republican lawmakers are reflecting on a successful legislative session, with wins on bills ranging from a new school voucher program to a bill allowing school teachers to be armed. Democratic lawmakers return from Tallahassee with less to celebrate.

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with Democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani and Republican State Representative Amber Mariano about legislation that drew bipartisan support, and bills where Republicans and Democrats diverged.

Rollins College Valedictorian Gabbie Buendia will address her fellow students at graduation this Sunday. Buendia recently became a US citizen- she’s the first of her family to do so. She talks about what it means to be an American, and what it’s like to navigate the sometimes confusing process of naturalization.

And Stacie Ruth just won $100,000 in seed money from Steve Case, the former CEO of AOL, for her medical technology company Aire Health. Ruth joins Intersection along with Donna MacKenzie from Starter Studio for a conversation about what it’s like to launch a start up in Central Florida.

The 2019 legislative session is winding down, and bills are being sent to Governor Ron DeSantis to sign.

Bills heading to the governor’s desk range from attempts to make the roads safer by cracking down on texting and driving to penalizing so-called Sanctuary cities. Lawmakers steered more money towards students in K through 12 classes, but public education advocates are unhappy about an expansion of taxpayer funded vouchers to send more kids to private schools.

A bill allowing teachers to be trained to carry firearms at school, but how many schools will actually start arming teachers?

Meanwhile voters who ticked the box next to amendment four- restoring the voting rights of felons who’ve served their time- may not see that amendment carried out as they expected.

Lawmakers have been tussling over another law: whether to allow smokable marijuana and how potent the drug should be.

Political analysts Dick Batchelor and Frank Torres join Intersection to discuss the session.

Thad Seymour stepped in to lead the University of Central Florida after the resignation of UCF president Dale Whittaker.

Seymour says he’s not interested in the job for himself long term, but he wants to help get the university back on track following the controversy over construction funding that let to Whittaker’s ouster along with the firing of a number of UCF employees.

On this episode of Intersection we talk to interim UCF president Thad Seymour about what’s next for the university.

SpaceX and NASA are trying to figure out what went wrong during tests of its crew dragon capsule. The company was testing the engines that will carry the astronauts to safety if there’s a problem during launch. Unconfirmed video shows an explosion on the test pad. 90.7’s space reporter Brendan Byrne and UCF history professor Amy Foster explain what’s next for the commercial crew program.

And T Kira Madden and Kristen Arnett join us for a conversation about magic, taxidermy and writing.

Sri Lanka is in a state of shock after last weekend’s bombings at churches and hotels. Authorities are blaming a Muslim extremist group for the attacks which killed and injured hundreds of people.

On this episode of Intersection we talk to members of Central Florida’s close-knit Sri Lankan community about the impact of the attacks on their sense of security, and next steps for the community as they they look to support friends and family back in Sri Lanka.

The Orlando Magic’s playoff series against the Toronto Raptors started strong… but didn’t play out the way fans had hoped. We’ll check in with basketball trainer Irwin Hudson for a conversation about where to next for the Magic and its long suffering fans.

And Opera Orlando is wrapping up its season- and gearing up for the next. Artistic director Gabe Preisser joins us for a conversation about taking the Opera out of the opera house and growing the audience.