90.7 WMFE's Intersection

After the death of a Transportation Security Administration officer, Robert Henry, at Orlando International Airport in February, there’s been renewed scrutiny on what some employees have described as a culture of bullying at the TSA.

The union for TSA workers is calling on the agency to end the pattern of of bullying and retaliation… and congressional leaders are also looking into the TSA’s workplace culture.

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by 90.7’s Abe Aboraya and Danielle Prieur, who are digging deeper into the story. We’ll also hear from Congressman Darren Soto and union representative Debbie Hannah about the efforts to shine a spotlight on the workplace culture at TSA.

Time Magazine has named Desmond Meade one of its 100 most influential people in the world. Meade joins us for a conversation about his work to restore the voting rights of Floridians convicted of a felony who have served their sentences.

And we revisit an interview with Violectric- a group that puts the classical in classic rock.

Victims of domestic violence can sometimes face an additional challenge: how to keep pets safe. Harbor House of Central Florida has a kennel for pets- which can help remove one of the barriers that stands in the way of someone trying to leave an abusive relationship.

On this episode of Intersection, Harbor House CEO Michelle Sperzel explains the link between domestic violence and cruelty to animals, and the growing trend for pet friendly domestic violence shelters.

An invasive cane toad that first appeared in South Florida is hopping North. The Bufo toad, which secretes a substance that’s toxic to dogs and cats, has been spotted in Central Florida too, and that has pet owners worried. We talk to Jeannine Tilford, a high school science teacher who started her toad removal company Toad Busters after she realized there was nothing being done to curb the toxic toads. Tilford says her business is growing as the toad population booms.

And the final season of Game of Thrones has millions of people glued to their screens. The fantasy series has developed a passionate following and worked its way into pop culture and politics in a way that few TV shows have. Rollins College professor Jana Mathews explains how Game of Thrones borrows from actual historical events. 

It’s been a big week for space news. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy blasted off from Cape Canaveral last evening- thrilling spectators lining the roads to watch the launch. And for the first time, the private space company also stuck the landing for all three of its reusable boosters. Not so successful was an Israeli company’s mission to land a spacecraft on the moon. Beresheet came close to the lunar surface before mission control lost contact with the lander.

History docent and photographer Julia Bergeron, Dale Ketcham, vice president of government and external relations for Space Florida, Emilee Speck with WKMG News 6 and 90.7’s space reporter Brendan Byrne join Intersection to discuss the highs and lows of the week in space exploration.

Ever wonder what happens to the soap you leave in the hotel bathroom when you check out? Shawn Seipler took that question and turned it into a non-profit. Clean The World recycles discarded soap from 5,000 hotels and sends it to communities in need. We talk to Seipler at his Orlando headquarters, which now includes a museum of soap.

We’re fast approaching the deadline for this year’s tiny desk contest. Musicians have until Sunday to put in their entries. We’ll listen back to one of the WMFE listener favorites from last year- jazz guitarist John Korbel.

Sanctuary cities, arming teachers and restoring voting rights to felons who served their sentences are among the bills being tussled over in Tallahassee. With just under half of the session left- how will this legislature shape the laws of Florida? On this episode of Intersection, we check in on the legislative session with political analysts Frank Torres and Dick Batchelor.

There’s been an explosion in education technology in recent years. Whether it’s social media or Augmented reality… technology plays a big role in the classroom of today. Valencia College education technology professor Josh Murdock joins us to talk about how teachers are using twitter, how Virtual Reality is transforming the classroom, and what you can learn from the online game ‘Fortnite.’

And Nichelle Nichols played space-going communications officer on the TV series Star Trek – then went on to recruit a new generation of NASA astronauts. Her story is celebrated in the documentary Woman in Motion which opens the Florida Film Festival this weekend. Director Todd Thompson joins us for a conversation about the trail blazing actor who helped others forge a career in space.

There’s a push on capitol hill to make Puerto Rico the 51st state. The bill introduced by congressman Darren Soto, a Democrat from Central Florida, has bipartisan support.

But there’s pushback from some who say a statehood bill ignores the will of the residents of Puerto Rico.

On this episode of Intersection we talk to Soto about why he thinks this path to statehood would be the best option for Puerto Rico. And we hear from Marcos Vilar, president and executive director of Alianza for progress, who says the bill is not the way to go. 

Author Joanie Holzer Schirm says her father was a gifted storyteller. But the story of his escape from Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia had to wait until after his death in 2000. Schirm wrote her new book- My Dear Boy- with the help of a trove of letters and other documents about her father. She tells Intersection that the story of Oswald Holzer’s escape from the Nazis, how he met his wife, and the new life they made in Florida- still resonates today.

And we revisit a conversation with music photographer Jen Cray, whose love affair with rock music began as a 4 year old when her parents took her to an REO Speedwagon concert

A new report from the Marshall Project and the New York Times examines the case of  Johnny Smith, a prisoner who died while being transported from Florida to Kentucky in 2011.

The report also details the quest by Smith’s children to recover damages awarded by a judge.

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with Eli Hager, staff writer with the Marshall Project, about the prisoner transportation business, and what can go wrong when prisoners are transported across the country.

Psychotherapist and counsellor Linnda Durré says the secret to being in control of your time is psychology.

Durré joins us to talk about how to get control of your life and make the most of 24 hours.

Right now the future may seem a bit grim. But optimistic futurist Joe Tankersley says the future may be a bit brighter than you imagine- and he’s on a quest to encourage people to think differently about what’s to come.

 

One of the issues on the minds of lawmakers in Tallahassee this session is immigration… and there’s a bill making its way through the legislature to ban so-called sanctuary cities.

A report from the News Service of Florida revealed that a hardline anti-immigration group worked with lawmakers to draft the bill.

Meanwhile- the Sunshine State is touted by politicians as a low tax, business-friendly environment. Yet Florida Trend magazine reports lobbyists representing businesses ranging from rental car companies to theme parks are pushing for more tax cuts.

Whether it’s clamping down on immigration or lowering taxes- who writes the laws that shape life in Florida? Joining the discussion on Intersection are Jason Garcia, associate editor with Florida Trend; Ana Ceballos, state government and politics reporter with the News Service of Florida, and Chris Carmody, attorney and lobbyist with Gray Robinson. 

Three nights a week you can catch singer-songwriter Bryan Malpass honing his craft at Disney Springs. Sometimes he’s leading the crowd in a singalong of a 90’s classic- like Zombie or You Oughta Know. But Malpass is also making a name for himself with originals from his new album Change The Room.

Malpass joins us in studio accompanied by Billy Jones on Cajón. He performs Change The Room and Wildfire.

Central Florida is facing a severe shortage of affordable housing for low and extremely low income renters, according to a new report.

Finding a place to live and taking care of all the other essentials is tough…but there is help for renters- and people looking to either buy a home or hold onto the one they own.

On this episode of Intersection, we talk to Jodi Pena Castaldi, with Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, about navigating the affordable housing crisis.  

College educators across the state of Florida are joining forces to promote access to higher education in prisons.

Dr. Pamela Cappas Toro explains how Stetson University’s community education program helps incarcerated students work towards a degree, and how she’s working with other programs to support more college in prisons.

And along with the physical destruction from Hurricane Maria came psychological damage. Dr. Deb Beidel with UCF Restores and Rev. José Rodríguez are taking PTSD treatment into the community to help hurricane survivors. 

The mass shootings one week ago at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, left 50 people dead and dozens wounded and plunged the country into mourning.

The massacre also sent shockwaves through the Muslim community here in the United States.

On this episode of Intersection- we take a closer look at the impact of a terror attack on a house of worship halfway around the world.

Imam Tariq Rasheed and Rabbi David Kay join Intersection to reflect on the sense of security among faith communities after the shooting. 

What does it take to keep a waxwork model looking fresh? At Madame Tussauds Orlando, David Beckham gets his hair shampooed, and Albert Einstein just got a new sweater. We talk to Jade Sparks and Erin Ruth about maintaining the models at Madame Tussauds- and meet the newest member- The Flash.

And- does music have the power to bring people together? We’ll have a conversation with the Jacobsen Brothers- Colin and Eric- who have performed together in concert halls around the world, but were rivals in ping pong and tennis growing up.

Boeing’s newest aircraft- the 737 Max – remains grounded after the second fatal crash in the space of just a few months.

Boeing says its working with investigators to figure out what caused the Ethiopian Airlines crash this month… and the Lion Air crash last October.

On this episode of Intersection  we talk to former test pilot Clint Balog about what’s next for the 737 Max, and what the grounding means for aircraft safety.

The Lake Mary High School community is in mourning after a 17 year old student took her own life on campus last week.  We check in with pediatrician Dr. Candice Jones about how to talk to teens about suicide and mental health.

And will NASA’s big rocket ever get off the ground?

The Space Launch System, designed to launch the Orion capsule into deep space, has been dogged by delays. Now there’s a suggestion that commercial space companies could be brought in to help the Orion program.

90.7’s Brendan Byrne and Laura Forczyk discuss the future of the SLS.