90.7 WMFE's Intersection

After hurricanes Irma and Maria, there are questions about the resilience of the power grid- and in Puerto Rico- how to rebuild that devastated grid.  

Efforts to push for more solar power in Florida, the sunshine state, have hit political roadblocks in the past. But could the 2017 hurricane season be a turning point?

Journalist Lyndsey Gilpin joins Intersection to talk about what the storm season can teach us about solar power. And we return to an interview with Michael Cohen, who helped found a solar co-op in Orlando. 

Puerto Rican evacuees are enrolling in Florida’s public school system. Osceola County says it could see as many as 2,000 new students from the island enrolling as families relocate after Hurricane Maria.

Osceola School Board chair Kelvin Soto tells Intersection his district is ready to welcome the influx of new students.

And if you need a laugh, maybe it’s time to try a yoga class. We revisit a conversation between 90.7’s Talia Blake and laughter yoga instructor Pat Conklin. 

After the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Florida’s elected officials weighed in on gun control and Orlando leaders offered support and lessons learned from the aftermath of last year’s shooting at the Pulse nightclub.

Meanwhile, politicians from both sides of the aisle have been visiting Puerto Rico to find out what the island needs as it begins the long road to recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Maria and how it could affect Florida.

We’re talking to political commentators Dick Batchelor and Chris Carmody about the policy in the wake of deadly storms and deadly shootings.

Then-, Florida may be a hurricane prone state but that doesn’t stop people moving here. And the influx of new residents puts pressure on the sunshine state’s natural environment. Bob McClure from the James Madison Institute joins us for a conversation about the environment and property rights.

And the Orlando Philharmonic’s Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen surveys the season ahead from celtic harp to the classics.

A week after Hurricane Maria smashed into Puerto Rico, the federal government suspended the Jones Act, a rule that adds to the cost of shipping goods into the island. But residents still face a massive challenge. As the days stretch on with no power, each day revolves around the search for gas to power generators, clean water and cell service. And hospitals are struggling to care for the sick.

What needs to happen now for Puerto Rico’s recovery, what can you do to help, and what does the disaster mean for Central Florida?

Then, Miami based musicians Negroni’s Trio recorded their latest album in Puerto Rico. Tonight they’re performing in Orlando. We’ll chat to drummer Nomar Negroni about the album which includes new takes on classic standards.

Two weeks after Hurricane Irma, the clean up continue and some Floridians are still waiting for the power to come back on. As the path of the storm shifted, media organizations scrambled to prepare and to cover the story as Irma churned up the peninsula.

Today on Intersection, we’ll hear from reporters at WGCU in Fort Myers and WJCT in Jacksonville about how they covered the storm.

Then, for parents who struggle to help their kids with homework after a long day at school- how about replacing worksheets with reading? That’s exactly what Marion County Public Schools has done. We’ll talk to the superintendent about doing away with homework.

And, as PBS airs a documentary series about the Vietnam War directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. We’ll listen back to an interview with Novick and Daytona Beach resident Dr. Hal Kushner, who was a prisoner of war and is featured in the documentary.

After residents at a nursing home in South Florida died following a power outage at a South Florida nursing home the state suspended the nursing home’s license.

A criminal investigation’s been launched and now Florida Governor Rick Scott’s ordered nursing homes and assisted living facilities to get back up generators.

But questions remain: who bears the blame and how do you protect nursing home residents during a disaster?

NPR’s Ask Me Another is one of the nerdiest game shows on the radio. So what do you have to do to get on the show? Host Ophira Eisenberg explains. And Jonathan Coulton talks about how he comes up with the songs for Ask Me Another.

Then, Orlando rapper Niko Is has a distinct voice blending the influences of American hip hop with the sounds of his birthplace: Brazil. Niko joins us to talk about his journey from school rap battles to the world stage.

Millions of Floridians were without power in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Crews at utility companies across the state worked feverishly to get customers back up and running, but some may remain without power for weeks to come.

On today’s program, we’ll take a look at what knocked out Florida’s power grid, and what it takes to protect it from the devastation of storms.

Then, a wet summer coupled with a rain event like Irma is causing rivers and streams across the state to crest… bringing floods to parts of the state nearly a week after the storm. We’ll talk with a geographer about why Florida floods and why we should still be keeping a watchful eye on rising waters.

And, as homeowners start to clean up after the storm, they’ll be turning to contractors for work on their homes. How do you pick the best contractor? And what are some warning signs you might be getting scammed?

Dealing with the damage of Irma. That’s ahead on Intersection.

Hurricane Irma left behind a path of destruction as she moved through the state earlier this week. Now that the storm is gone, residents are turning to recovery.

We’ll explore how neighbors are helping neighbors and the role non-profits play in the cleanup process. A conversation with Jon Busdeker, co-creator of the non-profit leadership group The Collective about how people can help non-profits rebuild communities.

Then, earlier this morning the Cassini spacecraft crash-landed into Saturn ending a decades long mission around the ringed planet. A conversation with a UCF planetary scientist who spent his entire career working on the mission.

And Violectric play classical stringed instruments- with a twist. They play classic rock riffs like Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. We’ll revisit Violectric’s in-studio performance and talk about putting the classical into classic rock.

As Hurricane Irma churns toward Florida, are you prepared?

Irma has brought destruction to islands in the Caribbean including Anguilla, Barbuda and St. Martins, and knocked out power to one million people in Puerto Rico. We’re talking about the meteorology of Irma, preparation and emergency management.

Then, the clock is ticking for DACA. President Trump’s decision to roll it back in six months puts the fate of DACA recipients in the hands of Congress. We’ll check in with a Florida DACA recipient, who says pressure will be stepped up on lawmakers to act before the March deadline.

And Jonathan Iverson’s dream growing up was to be an opera singer. Now he’s immersed in the world of opera… but he took a detour along the way to become a circus ringmaster.

The declaration of a public health emergency over Florida’s opioid addiction crisis opened up $27 million in federal funding. But mental health providers are also trying to figure out how to deal with millions of dollars of cuts in other areas including receiving centers that provide help for people experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis.

Assistant sociology professor Ken Storey lost his job at the University of Tampa after his tweet about Hurricane Harvey sparked a social media maelstrom. We’ll hear from an expert in first amendment law about the implications for free speech on campus and beyond when a twitter comment can cost someone their job.

And WUCF is highlighting Orlando’s Vietnamese community as it gets ready to air a Ken Burns documentary about the Vietnam War. Orlando’s Ricky Ly stops by with former Miss Vietnam Florida Anh Do to talk about how the next generation of Vietnamese Americans keeps in touch with its roots in the Sunshine State.

The Stetson University community has been rocked by the death of football player Nicholas Blakely. Coach Roger Hughes said staff were nothing short of heroic in their efforts to save the life of the 19 year old at practice last Monday. There was nothing to indicate health issues that would have kept him off the field and the cause of death is not yet known.

A few years ago the NCAA developed new guidelines aimed at improving safety for college athletes. On this episode, we’ll look at the steps that are taken to keep young athletes safe from K-8 schools through to college and universities.

Harvey dumped record amounts of rain on Texas. As the flood waters recede and residents there begin the long road to recovery- are there lessons in this storm for Florida? Former FEMA director Craig Fugate joins us to talk about the challenges ahead for Texas- and what Floridians should be thinking about to prepare for big storms.

And Orlando based duo Sales join us to talk about songwriting, touring, and the art of improvisation.