Parvez Ahmed, chief of analytics for the city of Jacksonville.(Stacey Bennett)

A new city-run data analysis portal examines community discrepancies in areas like education, health care and home ownership. The initiative compares Jacksonville to other similarly governed and economically situated cities, and city officials say it will help identify root causes of the disparities and track progress on several metrics of well-being. We talk to the city’s chief of analytics about why measuring matters and what they hope to gain by marshaling the facts.

Guest:

• Parvez Ahmed, chief of analytics for the city of Jacksonville.

Then, amid rapidly changing immigration policies, a new book offers corporate employers an important toolkit to maintain and expand their international hiring efforts. We talk to a Jacksonville immigration attorney and author about how her decades in the business of immigration compliance have given her a unique perspective at a particularly fraught time.

Guest:

• Giselle Carson, immigration compliance attorney and author of The Corporate Immigration Advantage: How to Hire, Retain and Thrive with Global Talent in a Competitive World.

And, the China Cat Sunflower Festival celebrates its 30th year commemorating the anniversary of Jerry Garcia’s 1995 death. The annual event honors the The Grateful Dead co-founder and the legacy of the trailblazing psychedelic bluegrass band. We talk to the organizing force behind the annual festival about what keeps her going and what to expect this year.

Guests:

• Brenda Star Walker, founder of the China Cat Sunflower Festival.
• Rick Buda, musician.