Perspectives

On this 75 th anniversary of the Normandy invasion, Mac Kemp with Honor Flight Tallahassee and Val Frailey, commander of Sauls-Bridges Post 13 American Legion, recall the stories and sagas of the many World War II veterans they’ve known over the years, seasoned with some tales of their own.

The business community has supported local schools since forever. But that help is now more critical than ever. To give some examples on how those partnerships are working in the Tallahassee area are: Catie Goodman, Director of Tallahassee Community College’s Career Center; Heather Mitchell, TCC Vice President for Institutional Advancement and executive director of the TCC Foundation; Pam Butler, CEO of Aegis Business Technologies, which is a major TCC supporter; and Tony Brown, general manager

The weekend of June 13, Tallahassee’s All-Saints Cinema will present dozens of top-quality animated short films under the auspices of the Tallahassee Film Society. Speaking about that and the movie industry in general (both major studio and independent) are: Festival Chair Kristin Bass-Petersen; Tallahassee Film Society Co-Founder John Fraser; Antonio Mendez Esparza, filmmaker in residence at Florida State University; and local filmmakers Fred Rabbath and Elam Stolzfus.

Instead of a source of conflict, Gadsden County’s growing Hispanic population and the area’s cultural diversity are being celebrated in the county’s high school. English/Journalism Teacher John Nogowski and Language Department Chair Maria D’Oleo talk about the many ways the students themselves are driving that appreciation, while Monica Grimaldo from the Panhandle Area Educational Forum talks about the impact these efforts are having in the community at large.

It’s possible to shell out thousands of dollars to send the kids to summer camp. But there are more affordable options, including special camps for kids with extraordinary needs. To talk about a few of the local possibilities are: Casey Dennis, area director of the summer camp program with Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend; Joyce Dove with Rotary Youth Camp; and Bobby Sparks, Jr., recreation superintendent with the City of Tallahassee Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department.

The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, the flowers are blooming and many in Tallahassee are turning their thoughts to their gardens, lawns and flower beds. On Perspectives we explore all things gardening from farmer’s markets to native plants, to growing your own food. Joining us in the studio are: Courtney Schoen: Tapp Coordinator for the City of Tallahassee Molly Jameson: Sustainable Agriculture and Community Food Systems Extension Agent for UF/IFAS in Leon County Mark

The month of April is STD awareness month. The rate of sexually transmitted diseases is raising alarms in Leon County where the number of syphilis cases jumped by 134 percent from 2017 to 2018. In response officials launched the Leon County Syphilis Prevention Coalition this month. Joining the conversation are: Claudia Blackburn – The Health Officer for the Department of Health in Leon County James Easton—HIV/AIDS Program coordinator Dale Harrison—STD Program Manager Jane Johnson—With the

The latest estimates are that one out of five children in the Capital Region are chronically hungry. Over the warm weather months, the Full Summer initiative will provide about 60,000 meals to many of those children and their families. At the same time, the area’s school districts and Second Harvest of the Big Bend are working to identify and serve more residents who lack enough nutritious food. To talk about those issues: Laurye Messer and Becky Liner, two of the founders of the local Full

An all-star panel on the region’s child welfare issues talks about the multitude of programs and initiatives – including the Second Judicial Circuit’s “Baby Court,” the proposed Leon Children’s Council and the upcoming Community Children’s Summit on May 10. On hand for the discussion: Second Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Jonathan Sjostrom; Mimi Graham, director of Florida State University’s Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy; Ninth Florida House District Representative Lorrane

There is a growing recognition that mental health care is just as important as physical health care. Yet mental health care services remain less accessible and affordable for many people who need these services. To talk about it are: Mike Eurich, director of Strategic Initiatives and Public Policy at Big Bend Hospice; and Pam Mezzina, director/counselor at the Capstone Center.