90.7 WMFE's Intersection

Last year 1.7 million drivers license suspensions were issued in the state of Florida.  Losing your license can make it hard to get to work- or drop off kids at school. Some of those drivers can apply for a hardship license. But who’s eligible for a hardship license, and how easy is it to get one?

On this episode of Intersection, we discuss hardship licenses and how they’re awarded with Barry University law professor Eang Ngov and criminal defense attorney Rachel Mattie. 

Colombia is still grappling with the violent legacy of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, and in the city of Medellin, an industry of so-called “Narco Tours” has sprung up. Journalist Jorge Caraballo explored the phenomenon of “Narco Tours” for NPR’s podcast Radio Ambulante. He tells Intersection the tours don’t tell the full story. 

And we continue with our Tiny Desk Contest local favorites- Daytona Beach psych rockers Holy Human join us.

The Florida Department of Corrections is facing a 50 million dollar budget gap in its healthcare budget. To make up for that gap, the department is making cuts to programs that tackle substance abuse, mental health treatment and re-entry into life after prison.  Those cuts are being felt across the state, including at the Transition House in Kissimmee.

On this episode of Intersection we take a closer look at what the Transition House does to help inmates getting ready for release from prison, and what those cuts mean for the program. Joining the conversation are the Transition House’s HR director Melissa Lucas, and Sara Wakefield, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University

Broward County Public Schools is under pressure after the Parkland school shooting. Questions are being asked about the school district’s diversion program that works to keep students from getting arrested, and parents of the victims at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School are running for school board, saying they want to bring more transparency. WLRN’s education reporter Jessica Bakeman joins us to explain how the school board is responding to its critics, and how the students are coping as the academic year wraps up.

And as summer approaches, and Floridians head for the beach, Florida Tech marine biologist Toby Daly-Engel joins us to shatter some misconceptions about sharks.

Gilbert King won a Pulitzer prize for his book Devil in the Grove, a deep dive into the case of four young African American men who were falsely accused of rape in 1949.

King says he hadn’t planned to write another book about Lake County but when a former sheriff’s deputy approached him at a book reading, he began to dig deeper into the actions of sheriff Willis V. McCall.  

His new book, Beneath A Ruthless Sun, chronicles the story of another young man railroaded for a crime he didn’t commit.

On this episode of Intersection, a conversation with Gilbert King about his new book, and why the stories about what was happening in Lake County in the 1950’s still resonate today.

The Orlando Fringe kicked off this week. For some veterans of the theater festival it’s a return to familiar territory. And it’s an opportunity for artists to launch brand new works. We’ll talk to Jameson Boyce who’s making his first foray into Fringe, writing the score for a rock musical- Torment: The Musical. 

And we continue to showcase the local favorites from NPR’s Tiny Desk contest- as voted by you. Gayle joins us in studio with a performance. 

Rents are climbing in Orlando at a faster clip than many other major metro areas. Affordable housing is scarce.

Government agencies can- and do- step in to help by building subsidized housing projects. But there are other things housing advocates say should be done to boost the supply of homes.

On this episode of Intersection:  the affordable housing crunch and ideas to fix it. We talk to Shannon Nazworth with Ability Housing about a new affordable housing project in Orlando, and 90.7 economic analyst Hank Fishkind outlines some ideas on how to boost the supply of housing. 

A group of cities, including Orlando, are suing the state of Florida over local regulation of firearms. Political science professor Dr. Robert Spitzer with the State University of New York College at Cortland weighs in on how the battle over local government regulation of firearms is playing out across the US. 

Orlando Fringe starts up this week. It’s the 27th year for the festival the longest running Fringe fest in the US. We’ll hear from  former circus ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson who’s returned to his operatic training with a performance at the Orlando Fringe. And director Eric Pinder talks about finding new audiences for opera. 

A cluster of sinkholes in an Ocala neighborhood has forced some residents to move out. Engineers are testing the ground to see what’s caused the sinkholes and when it might be safe for those residents to return home.

Florida is a sinkhole prone state, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about why they appear and when.

On this episode of Intersection, UCF engineering professor Manoj Chopra joins us to explain the science of sinkholes  and insurance specialist Patrick Joy joins the conversation with tips on how to be sinkhole savvy.

Disney and Universal are in a hiring spree. Is it the usual summer theme park jobs boom or something more? Rich Bilbao from the Orlando Business Journal lays out what’s next in the battle for theme park supremacy. 

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra capped off its 25th anniversary season with a performance from cellist Yo Yo Ma and violinist Colin Jacobsen. Colin and his brother, Orlando Philharmonic artistic director Eric Jacobsen, join us for a conversation about brotherhood, table tennis, and the healing power of music.

Democrats across the country are hoping the so-called blue wave that’s caused upset wins in solidly Republican districts will continue into November. Qualification for the Congressional races in Florida closed last week, setting up some interesting races.

Intersection takes a closer look at the candidates and the issues in those races with political analysts Michelle Ertel and Dick Batchelor.

Schools around the state are rolling out new security plans after the Parkland shooting. Polk county is training 90 new school guardians who will be stationed at campuses in the new school year. Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd tells Intersection they’ve had over 500 applications for the new positions.

And college radio station WPRK, beloved by local music fans around Central Florida, has been off the air since Hurricane Irma took out its antenna.

Station manager Nic Colarossi explains how ‘the best in basement radio’ is trying to get back on the radio.

Orlando painted temporary bike lanes on a stretch of Curry Ford Road for a month. The city removed the bike lanes this week and staff will review what they learned from the trial and present those findings to the community.

Cyclists say the road diet was an improvement, but some motorists were’t happy with the increased congestion, and neither were residents who said commuters were cutting through side streets.

On this episode of Intersection we talk to city of Orlando Division Manager of Transportation Engineering Chris Cairns about the purpose of slimming down the road and what the city plans to do with information gleaned from the trial.  And we hear from Bike Walk Central Florida’s Amanda Day about just how safe the roads are for cyclists and pedestrians, and efforts to make them more bike friendly. 

With hurricane season less than a month away, Seminole County emergency manager Alan Harris reflects on the lessons learned from Irma, including the impact of flooding that lasted weeks after the storm passed. And he shares preparation tips for the 2018 season.

And one of our Tiny Desk competition local favorites,  John Korbel,  joins Intersection for a conversation about his new EP.

The push for a special taxing district to raise money for children’s programs in Orange County has sparked a political skirmish over the best way to fund child welfare. A study commissioned by the Children’s Trust shows there are gaps in the system of care for children, including a packed waiting list for subsidized childcare. On this episode of Intersection, we talk to Dr. Thomas Bryer, one of the authors of the study, about the unmet needs of children and how to meet those needs.

Then, we revisit an interview with Florida Today columnist John A Torres about his podcast murder on the space coast, which tackles a cold case more than ten years old. Torres hopes his podcast can help crack the case of Palm Bay firefighter Brandy Hall, who went missing in 2006.

And it’s a far cry from the hushed reverence of the putting green at the Augusta National Golf Club. Intersection visits Drive Shack’s multi-level driving range on the outskirts of Lake Nona where you can destroy animated monsters to a soundtrack of pulsing pop music. And we check in on Lake Nona development with economic analyst Hank Fishkind. 

The UCF Knights were undefeated in 2017. To celebrate, last week they released a championship ring, raising the hackles of Alabama fans. Does UCF deserve a championship ring, or does it take away from the achievements of Alabama.

Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic finished off a miserable season and fired their coach, Frank Vogel. Can a new coach turn around the fortunes of the Magic?

The Solar Bears are skating closer to a championship, the Orlando Lions have had mixed success on the soccer pitch and attendance is slumping for the Orlando Pride.

Orlando sports content director Iliana Limón Romero and Jeff Sharon, host of the Black and Gold Banneret podcast, join Intersection to discuss the state of sports in Central Florida.

Orlando Airport traffic continues to grow. The Airport’s building a new South Terminal, but at the rate they’re growing, can the 2020 completion date come soon enough? Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Phil Brown joins us for an update on the airport expansion. 

And we hear tales from the mosh pit from Orlando concert photographer Jen Cray.

Floridians vote on 13 amendments to the state constitution this November. Eight of those amendments were put on the ballot by the Constitution Revision Commission. They range from a ban on greyhound racing to establishing term limits on school board members. But some are also bundled together: a ban on offshore drilling comes with a ban on vaping in the workplace

Joining us on Intersection to unpack the constitutional amendments are political analysts Chris Carmody and Earnest DeLoach. 

April 20th, 4-20, is unofficially known as weed day. As another medical marijuana dispensary opened in Orlando this week, we check in on the state of medical marijuana in Florida with the Orlando Sentinel’s Paul Brinkmann. And Travis Cohen of the Miami New Times joins the conversation for a look back at the insane history of marijuana in Florida. 

The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park and the Bethune Cookman University Concert Chorale join forces for a concert this weekend, celebrating the music of African American composers. One of the pieces, And They Lynched Him On A Tree, by William Grant Still, explores a grim chapter in American history. We hear from two of the soloists: mezzo-soprano Krysty Swann & bass baritone Kevin Deas, and from BCU Concert Chorale director Terrance Lane.