90.7 WMFE's Intersection

With early voting poised to start next week in Florida’s primary elections, political analysts Dick Batchelor and Michelle Ertel join Intersection to recap the GOP Gubernatorial primary debate and unpack some of the Congressional races. Meanwhile Senator Bill Nelson raises the specter of election interference. Is this an issue that’s top of mind for voters in this primary? 

We revisit an interview with Don R Colee Jr, who outlines the history of broadcasting in Florida in his book Towers In The Sand. Colee started his career spinning rock n roll records as a teenage DJ in Orlando. He reflects on the influence of the broadcast media on the civil rights movement.

And the founder of the Swamp Sistas, Beth McKee, has a new album out. McKee and Grant Peyton join Intersection and perform songs from the album Dreamwood Acres.

Veterans Affairs secretary Robert Wilkie who was sworn in last week, is due to address Amvets at the veterans service organization’s annual convention in Orlando this week.

On this episode of Intersection we speak to Sherman Gillums Jr. and Lana McKenzie of AmVets about the challenge facing Wilkie, including improving access to healthcare for veterans.

Metroplan has a new executive director. Gary Huttmann, who takes over the job in September, joins Intersection to talk about helping a growing population get around Central Florida. 

And the Parker Solar probe is scheduled to lift off from Kennedy Space Center Saturday. The spacecraft will fly within four million miles of the surface of the sun, the closest a spacecraft has ever gotten to the sun. 90.7’s Brendan Byrne talks to physicist Alex Young about the mission.

 

 

Central Florida Community Arts is launching a new school of the arts. The school promises experiences for people with a range of ages and abilities- and aims to include arts programs for under served communities and people dealing with cognitive and physical disabilities.

On this episode of Intersection, we look at how this new school fits into the landscape of arts and culture in an era of shrinking arts budgets with CFCArts founder and executive director Joshua Vickery, and Leah Porrata, the Senior Director of Education and Outreach.

Athletes are wrapping up a week of competition at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games at the Orange County Convention Center. We check in at the games and talk with Steve Kirk of paralyzed veterans of America about how the games have evolved, and some of the technology that goes into adaptive sports.

Opera and classical music can be intimidating. But Opera del Sol’s founder Nicole DuPre wants to break down the barriers to opera. We talk to DuPre, soprano Stephanie McCranie and Theresa Smith-Levin of Orlando Light Opera about bringing new audiences to the artform. 

The Florida primary election is just weeks away. Monday was the last day to register to vote in the primary, and early voting starts next week.

In the wake of allegations of Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election, just how secure is the voting system in your precinct? And what are supervisors of elections doing to ensure that your vote counts and that hackers can’t break in? On this episode of Intersection we talk to Seminole County supervisor of elections Mike Ertel about the ‘digital moat’ he’s created, and some low-tech ways to keep things safe.

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. Education technology professor Josh Murdock joins us to talk about how teachers are using twitter, how VR and AR is transforming the classroom, and what you can learn from the online game Fortnite.

And Cox Enterprises is exploring options for ownership of 14 television stations, including WFTV in Orlando. What could a sale or merger mean for television news in Central Florida, and what does it say about the state of local media? Tim Brown from UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media, and Jennifer Choi with CUNY’s graduate school of journalism join Intersection for a discussion about news deserts and the state of local media. 

Responding to a domestic violence call is the most dangerous call a law enforcement officer can get. This was highlighted by an incident last month in Orlando that ended with the death of four children and the perpetrator, and left a police officer critically injured.

On this episode of Intersection, 90.7’s Brendan Byrne takes a closer look at domestic violence calls and the dangers they pose to law enforcement officers. And we talk to agent Cyndi Young with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office about how her office is training first responders to look out for a critical indicator for domestic violence: strangulation. 

It’s summer time at the ER. We revisit a conversation with emergency room physician, Dr. Christopher Hunter, about what keeps staff at the ER busy and why Orlando has such a unique mixture of patients.

And singer songwriter Zoya Zafar may be fairly new on the Orlando music scene, but she’s garnering critical praise. An encore performance from Zafar on Intersection. 

SunRail is rolling out its Southern expansion. Trains will begin picking up passengers at four new stations for the Central Florida commuter rail system- at Meadow Woods, Tupperware, downtown Kissimmee and Poinciana- next week. 

For more on what the expansion means for ridership on SunRail, and for the future of the system, we speak with former Central Florida congressman and chair of the house transportation committee, John Mica.

Mica says there’s no better way to move people around than rail, if you can solve the last mile problem of getting passengers to and from the stations. And he says cities and counties in Central Florida still have to figure out how to fund SunRail long term.

In a world where many media organizations are cutting back on staff, the arrival of a brand new operation is noteworthy. The Florida Phoenix launched in Tallahassee this month. We talk to editor in chief Julie Hauserman about how this start up plans to dig into the stories behind the political headlines. 

And it’s shark week. The TV marathon draws big viewership for the Discovery Channel, but Florida Institute of Technology shark biologist Toby Daley Engel hopes it can spark an interest in marine biology that goes beyond the entertainment factor.

Candidates for the Orange County school board are making their pitch to voters. On this episode of Intersection, we hear part of a forum recorded at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando last Tuesday, where candidates talked about teacher retention and school safety.

Tariffs have businesses on edge, worried about the price on components they import, and retaliatory tariffs on things they export.

Alice Ancona with the Florida Chamber of Commerce weighs in on what tariffs mean for our $1 trillion economy, and the way forward for businesses as a trade war heats up.

And Orlando singer songwriter Luke Wagner channels the spirit of red dirt music and evokes his childhood heroes The Eagles. Wagner and violinist Tanner Johnson join us on Intersection to perform songs from Wagner’s upcoming album.

Entrepreneurship is hard. One third of all startups fail by their second year. Combine that with the challenges veterans face on their return to civilian life, veteran entrepreneurs could use some support. To help veterans get their businesses up and running, UCF’s business incubation program is partnering with Veterans Florida, to provide training and mentorship.

On this episode of Intersection, we check in with UCF’s Veteran Entrepreneurship Manager Ricardo Garcia and John Burns, president and CEO of Eagle Six,  about the unique challenges of starting a business as a veteran.

Then, a summer camp with a difference. Page 15 in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood focuses on writing skills for students. Part of the challenge though, is getting kids to put the phone aside. We revisit a conversation with Julia Young and Paul Driscoll of Page 15, about writing, editing, and learning to love the process of creation as much as the finished text.

And- after the July 4th holiday- animal shelters typically get an influx of dogs, scared by fireworks. It’s kitten season too, which means kennel space is at a premium. And it’s not just cats and dogs- Lake County has a lot of pigs, and a stray Emu. So how are shelters dealing with the summer time menagerie? Whitney Boylston, director of Lake County Animal Services and Diane Summers, program manager with Orange County Animal Services, join Intersection to explain. 

The Orlando Police Department is testing real time facial recognition software. The trial involves volunteer officers and city cameras. The initial trial began in December, and wrapped up in June. Then the city announced they’d continue testing the software.

Police chief John Mina says further assessment is warranted to see if the technology could help enhance public safety. But civil liberties organizations are alarmed. They’re calling on the city to stop using the software.

On this episode of Intersection we talk about the implications of police departments using real time face recognition software with Deputy Chief Mark Canty from the Orlando Police Department, Clare Garvie with Georgetown Law’s Center for Privacy and Security and Roger Rodriguez with Vigilant Solutions. 

In Puerto Rico, thousands of people lost power- again- as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl rolled over the island. Some 10 months on from the devastation of Hurricane Maria- how’s the infrastructure holding up? And what about the psychological impacts from the storms? Wilton Vargas, editor of the Puerto Rico based technology website tecnetico.com joins us for an update. 

And poet Brian Turner debuts a new work, an experimental jazz album inspired by the poetry of his late wife, Ilyse Kuznetz. We talk to Turner and Ben Kramer who also performs on the album. 

It feels good to recycle. But do you ever wonder just what happens to those cans, bottles and cardboard boxes once the truck empties out your recycling cart? Not all of ends up where you might expect. And, as the cost of recycling goes up, cities and counties are looking at ways to improve the quality of material that’s getting shipped out.

On this episode of Intersection, a visit to the Orange County MRF facility where solid waste manager David Gregory and Waste Management employee David Reed explain what not to put in the cart.  Then, a discussion about how counties and cities are having to rethink their recycling strategy with Waste Management communications director Dawn McCormick & UF engineering professor Fazil T. Najafi. 

It’s been a chaotic and stressful week for evacuees from Hurricane Maria who’ve been living in hotels and motels since the storm forced them from their homes in Puerto Rico. A FEMA program that’s been helping with accommodation has been extended for a few more weeks while advocates go to court seeking more assistance. So what’s the outlook for those evacuees? We’re joined by Denise Collazo of Faith In Action and Republican State Rep. Bob Cortes. 

And, music from Carly Jo Jackson. We revisit a performance from the Florida singer songwriter that first aired in July 2017.