90.7 WMFE's Intersection

With coronavirus cases continuing to surge, researchers are moving quickly to develop a vaccine and therapies for COVID-19. 

Vaccines usually take years to develop, but the hope is a workable vaccine could be ready in a matter of months. Some of that research is happening right here in Central Florida. 

On this episode of Intersection, 90.7’s Matthew Peddie talks with three people contributing to the fight to get COVID-19 under control. 

Seminole County elementary school teacher Jinx Coleman volunteered to take part in a vaccine trial; Dr. Bruce Rankin is the medical director of Accel (Excel) Clinical Research in Deland- the Central Florida site for the nationwide trial; and Dr. Steven Smith Smith is chief scientific officer with Advent Health, where research into treatment is underway. 

Then- we talk about the successful Crew Dragon mission, marking a return to human spaceflight from the US with Space reporters Brendan Byrne with WMFE and Emilee Speck with WKMG. 

We discuss the weekend splashdown of the “Space Dads”, and what comes next for the commercial crew program.

The Coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 150,000 Americans, tanked the economy and changed the way we live. 

Every aspect of this catastrophe presents a challenge, from treating the disease to squashing the spread of the virus and dealing with the economic fallout. 

Reporting on the pandemic has stretched the resources of news organizations… and there’s also politics and mistrust of the media complicating an already complex story. 

On this episode of Intersection we’re joined by Jessica Malaty Rivera of the Covid Tracking Project about the challenge of reporting on the pandemic. Also joining the program is University of Central Florida Journalism instructor Rick Brunson about rebuilding trust in the media. 

And– as tropical storm Isaias heads towards Florida, emergency managers are figuring out how to prepare for evacuations and shelters with the pandemic still surging- that means finding extra space for people to shelter while social distancing, and even spacing out the lines for people to fill up sandbags. 

Seminole County emergency manager Alan Harris talks about the challenge of facing hurricane season during the pandemic. That’s ahead on Intersection, first the news. 

Unemployment in Osceola County skyrocketed after the pandemic hit. According to the Department of Economic Opportunity, the unemployment rate last month was 22%: the highest in the state. 

As the pandemic continues, Osceola County has implemented tough measures to get people to adhere to mask wearing and social distancing orders- including penalties for people who don’t follow the guidelines. And, like other counties statewide, schools are preparing to reopen against this backdrop of unemployment and surging coronavirus cases. 

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by Kissimmee Mayor Jose Alvarez and Osceola County School Board Member Kelvin Soto, talking about how Osceola County is coping with the economic turmoil triggered by the pandemic. 

Later in the show- Rev. Mary Lee Downey with the Community Hope Center in Osceola County talks about how her organization saw a spike in demand for food. She also talks about the impact the crisis on affordable housing. 

Orange County’s school board meeting Tuesday ended with no decision on how to reopen in fall. Meanwhile other school districts have rolled out reopening plans – giving parents a choice of classroom learning or virtual school. 

On this episode of Intersection we discuss the challenge of reopening in Orange County and other school districts as coronavirus cases continue to surge: what it means for public health and the economy.

We’re joined by 90.7’s Amy Green who’s covering the story; pediatrician Dr. Candice Jones; and Dr. Kenneth Alexander, Chief of the Division of Infectious Disease at Nemours Children’s Hospital. 

Also on the show: Farm Share is organizing a drive through food distribution event in Holden Heights this weekend. Farm Share says demand for food statewide is growing. 

We talk with the organizers of the event: Yvette Shelton-Edmonds and Matthew Galen about the growth in food insecurity as the pandemic intensifies.

This week Florida’s education commissioner Richard Corcoran released an executive order telling school districts that they will have to open up brick and mortar campuses five days a week in fall. 

The directive has superintendents scrambling to figure out how to reopen safely- and teachers worried about their health and the health of their students. 

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie talks to Elizabeth Albert with Volusia United Educators about the concerns of teachers in Volusia County. 

The Orlando Police department says it’s banning chokeholds and no knock warrants. Police chief Orlando Rolon joins us to talk about steps to reforming the police department. 

Later in the show, journalist and activist TJ Legacy Cole discusses the protest movement and his perspective on police reform. 

And Sherry Paramore of Elevate Orlando talks about fostering dialog between the young people her non-profit mentors and law enforcement, and how the Black Lives Matters movement is an opportunity for real change. 

Orange County hit the 10,000 case mark for coronavirus this week, but Central Florida health experts say mask mandates may be having an impact on slowing the surge. 

With July 4th around the corner- city and county leaders have cancelled large scale fireworks events- keen to avoid the gatherings like Memorial Day that they believe triggered the latest wave of COIVD-19 cases. 

Joining Intersection host Matthew Peddie to discuss the surge and the response- both in Florida and across the country- are Dr. Amesh  Adalja  with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and WMFE health reporter Abe Aboraya. 

Later in the show: Citizens Police Review Boards are in the headlines as cities grapple with the issue of police reform following the wave of nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice. Caila Coleman with the Orlando’s Citizens Police Review Board joins the program to explain the role of the board and how it could help shape reform.

Theme parks are opening up – slowly. Universal and SeaWorld have opened their doors and Disney is planning to reopen next month, but that doesn’t mean everyone is going back to work. 

On this episode of Intersection, 90.7’s Matthew Peddie talks to Jeremy Haicken with Unite Here Local 737 about what the reopening means for thousands of food, beverage and hospitality workers. 

We’re also joined by Danielle Raniere, a server at one of the restaurants who’s part time and doesn’t know when she’ll be back at work. Raniere says it’s been a struggle to get any help from state or federal unemployment. 

Later in the show- UCF’s new president, Dr. Alexander Cartwright joins us for a conversation about his first months in the role. He started at the helm of Florida’s largest university right as the pandemic was impacting the US. 

Cartwright explains plans to bring people back to campus, concerns over the latest surge in coronavirus cases and some of the permanent changes brought about by the pandemic to how the university operates. 

And he talks about how the university is addressing systemic racism. 

Florida passed a grim milestone this week: More than 3,000 people have died from COVID-19. It comes after the state department of health reported the highest single day coronavirus case count since the start of the pandemic. 

Is this the second wave that health experts were warning about… and what needs to happen to stop the spread? 

On this episode of Intersection we take a closer look at the data with former Florida Department of Health data scientist Rebekah Jones-who built her own website after she was fired by the department of health. 

Also joining the program to talk about the surge in cases: 90.7 health reporter Abe Aboraya and Dr. Scott Brady, senior vice president of ambulatory services for the AdventHealth Central Florida Division and president of AdventHealth Centra Care.

In the weeks of protest across the country after the death of George Floyd, there have been calls to change police use of force policies- and calls to defund the police. 

And law enforcement agencies are making changes to their use of force policies- in some cases requiring officers to step in if they see inappropriate use of force. 

But what does ‘defund the police’ actually mean? 

On this episode of Intersection, host Matthew Peddie is joined by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, and Rell Black, community activist and founder of the Daytona Beach non profit Community Healing project, for a conversation about protest and police reform. 

Then-  it’s a hectic time for news coverage- from the pandemic to nationwide protests- news organizations are on the front lines reporting these momentous stories. But many local papers are doing it with smaller and smaller newsrooms. 

UCF journalism instructor Rick Brunson joins us to talk about a project the journalism school launched to try and fill part of the void left by the departure of local newspapers… and other challenges facing the news business. 

Four former Minneapolis police officers have now been arrested and charged in the death of George Floyd, after more than a week of nationwide protests over the killing of Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police. 

 Will those arrests change the dynamic of the protests? 

On this episode of Intersection, we’re joined by Dr. Eric Smaw, associate professor of philosophy at Rollins College, and Pastor Roderick Zak of Rejoice in the Lord ministries, for a discussion about police brutality and racism, the nationwide demonstrations and the response to those demonstrations. 

Then- it’s the first week of hurricane season. Already we’ve had a couple storms spin up in the Atlantic, and Tropical Storm Cristobal is expected to head for the US through the gulf later this week. What are the challenges of preparing for hurricane season with the country still in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic? 

 Environmental reporters Amy Green and James Bruggers join Intersection to talk about their reporting. And we talk with Fernando Rivera, director of UCF’s Puerto Rican Research Hub, about how Puerto Rico is bracing for hurricane season.