90.7 WMFE's Intersection

Coronavirus continues to surge in Florida, with more than 140,000 new cases reported statewide in the last seven days, and more than 17,000 hospitalized with COVID, according to the CDC. 

And with breakthrough cases continuing to emerge, the federal government is rolling out booster shots for the fully vaccinated- even as efforts continue to get shots in the arms of unvaccinated Americans. 

On this episode of Intersection we talk to epidemiologist Ali Mokdad about the booster shots and how they factor into getting the surge under control. 

Paul Sohl, CEO of the Florida High Tech Corridor joins the program to discuss the role of tech in getting us out of the pandemic and improving the region’s economy. And as a former test pilot he shares his insights into the budding commercial space tourism market. 

And Rollins College will soon have a larger than life sculpture of one of its most famous alumni- Mr. Rogers. Sculptor Paul Day talks about capturing the life of a hero of children’s television in bronze.

COVID-19 cases are spiking in Florida- and hospitals are filling up. Hospitalization numbers have surged past last year’s peak, with hotspots in Jacksonville, Central and South Florida. 

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie talks with Justin Senior, CEO of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, about how the surge is stressing hospital capacity- and frontline medical staff. 

The latest spike in cases has been described as a pandemic of the unvaccinated, but with vaccines now widely available, why is it that some are choosing not to get a shot? 

Ann Cristiano, director of the University of Florida College of Journalism Center for Public Interest Communications,  joins the show to discuss her research into vaccine hesitancy, and how to change people’s minds. 

The polarized politics around mask mandates has sparked a lawsuit. A group of parents whose kids have disabilities are suing Governor Ron DeSantis over his ban on mask mandates at public schools.  We’ll hear from one of those parents, Judi Hayes, and attorney Matthew Dietz- who talk to WMFE's Joe Byrnes about why they filed the lawsuit.

The new school year is about to start and students, teachers and parents are facing many of the same uncertainties that they were last August. 

Vaccines are now widely available, but coronavirus has come roaring back, driven by the highly infectious delta variant. And the polarized politics around masks is adding to the tension. 

On this episode of Intersection, UCF psychology professor Kimberley Renk talks about dealing with the stress of heading back to school as the pandemic continues. 

Then we take a closer look at school safety and the role of School Resource Officers. Former Coral Springs police chief Tony Pustizzi talks about what’s changed in the response to school shootings after the Parkland tragedy. And Michele Gay, founder of safe and sound schools, talks about her work advocating for school safety. 

And, with the peak of hurricane season around the corner, we’ll examine how hurricanes affect the ecology and wildlife of Florida with water resources engineering professor Kelly Kibler.

Coronavirus cases are spiking across the US once more, and Florida is emerging as the new epicenter of the pandemic.

On Tuesday Florida reported more than 16,000 new cases.

Orange County mayor Jerry Demings has declared a state of emergency, mandating vaccinations for county employees and urging residents to mask up.

Meanwhile Disney World is requiring facemasks indoors, hospitalizations are ticking up and schools are reconsidering their rules about face masks

On this episode of Intersection we talk with experts in the field of epidemiology about the latest on the Delta variant of COVID-19, and what people should be doing to keep themselves- and their friends and families-- safe.

Joining the program are Abe Aboraya, WMFE health reporter;  Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security;  Alvina Chu, epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, and Orlando area pediatrician, Dr. Candice Jones.

In 1999, Black farmers won a landmark civil rights case against the US government… but Orlando attorney Greg Francis says there’s still more to be done in the path to equity in agriculture. 

Francis has a book out about the case-and the settlement he won for those farmers- called Just Harvest. 

On this episode of Intersection host Matthew Peddie talks with Francis about the fight for equality for Black farmers. Also joining the conversation is John Rivers of Four Rivers Smokehouse, who explains how a new farm campus he's developing could help bring more diversity to agriculture.

Later in the show: space tourism got a boost this month with the launch of a Virgin Galactic mission to space, followed this week by the launch of Jeff Bezos’s New Shepard spacecraft. 

WMFE space reporter Brendan Byrne joins us to explain what  the boom in space tourism means for science, and for Florida's space tourism economy. 

Also on the show: one of the backers of a charter amendment promoting the rights of nature, Chuck O'Neal, talks to WMFE's Amy Green about his bid to take the measure statewide.

Demonstrators showing solidarity with Cuban protesters took to the streets in Orlando this week. On Tuesday night they blocked Semoran Boulevard for about an hour until police told them to move off the roadway. One person was arrested. 

On this episode of Intersection we talk to Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón about how his department is handling the protests and whether demonstrations in Orlando and elsewhere across the state are a test case for Governor DeSantis’ controversial so-called anti-riot law. We also hear from business leader Angel de la Portilla about what the protests mean for the Cuban community here, and for him personally and his goal of one day visiting a free Cuba. 

Ater the assassination of the Haitian president, Jovenel Moise, we check in with a Winter Park church that's been working with community leaders in Haiti to support agriculture and infrastructure projects. 

John Rife and Ken Firling spearhead the St. Margaret Mary mission in Haiti. They join the show along with Jean Bony and Wisly Zephyr to discuss the impact of the crisis on their partners in Haiti. 

And we listen back to a conversation with Florida Institute of Technology marine biologist, Dr. Toby Daley-Engel about sharks, dispelling myths and misconceptions about the apex predators of the oceans. 

A nationwide nursing shortage has been made worse by the pandemic. This week, nurses protested outside a hospital in Kissimmee, calling for more staff to be hired.

In some states, hospitals are offering signing bonuses, and nursing programs like USF’s college of Nursing, are working to enrol more students in their programs to alleviate the shortage.

On this episode of Intersection, we hear from two nurses, one a registered nurse with more than 30 years experience, and the other a new graduate, about the challenges facing the profession. 

We also talk to WMFE health reporter Abe Aboraya about some of the reasons for the nursing shortage beyond the pandemic- and what’s being done to fill the gap. 

VA secretary Denis McDonough visited Orlando last week, touring the VA hospital and meeting with local officials, and speaking at a Pride event, where he announced the department of Veterans Affairs would offer gender confirmation surgery. 

Intersection host Matthew Peddie sat down with McDonough before his stop at the Pride event to discuss the challenges facing the VA including staff shortages and preventing veteran suicide.

Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of Slavery in the United States became a national holiday this year. On this episode of Intersection, we talk to State Rep. Geraldine Thompson about how emancipation came to Florida, teaching African American history, and why Juneteenth is gaining prominence now. 

Second Harvest of Central Florida CEO Dave Krepcho says the pandemic had a profound impact on the way the food bank operates. For a start- the amount of food going out has nearly doubled. 

Krepcho- who’s stepping down from the job at the end of the year- reflects on the safety net for people hardest hit by the pandemic, and what’s next for Second Harvest and the non-profit world. 

And- the pandemic may have focused more attention on animals- and how diseases can jump from species to species. But there’s a lot veterinarians are still learning about the animals they care for. We talk with Tres Clarke and Jen Flower about penguin hernias, doing brain surgery on a fur seal, and the finer points of marine mammal veterinary science.

As President Biden visits Surfside this week, elected leaders from across the state have been working to support the rescue and recovery effort at the site of the collapsed building. 

It’s a rare moment of bipartisanship in these politically polarized times. 

On this episode of Intersection- a conversation with political analysts Dick Batchelor and Frank Torres about the response from lawmakers to the tragedy in Surfside. Plus we’ll discuss other political headlines including the early signs of the 2024 presidential campaign.

The Center is partnering with interpretation and translation company CCI to offer mental health counselling, immigration and other services to people in a multitude of languages. We talk with Joel Morales and Indy Vega about how the Center is reaching out to an increasingly diverse community. 

And a conversation with Peter Cranis, Executive Director at the Space Coast Office of Tourism. He talks with WMFE’s Brendan Byrne about the boom in space tourism, and just how important the cruise industry is for the area’s economy.

This Saturday marks 5 years since the Pulse nightclub shooting. Forty-nine people were killed and more than fifty injured in what was at the time the worst mass shooting in modern US history. 

On this episode of Intersection we talk about the impact of the tragedy on Orlando and what’s changed in the last five years. 

We hear from Nightclub owner Barbara Poma about plans for a permanent memorial and museum- and what Pulse meant for the community. 

Former OPD SWAT officer Tim Stanley and shooting survivor Orlando Torres describe the events of that night- a 3 hour hostage situation and the rescue that followed. They also discuss how Pulse led to changes in how law enforcement agencies train to respond to mass shootings, and a change in culture to address PTSD stemming from traumatic events like Pulse.

And we talk to filmmaker Charlie Minn. His documentary 49 Pulses was first released two years after the shooting. Minn’s giving the film another showing at Fashion Square Mall in Orlando on Friday. Minn discusses mission with this documentary, and the movie he made about the Parkland shooting.