Intersection
Where Central Florida's politics, science, business, economics and social issues meet. Listen to host Mark Simpson and guests examine an issue of the day, and then join the conversation by calling in to share your views and related stories. Intersection,
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Intersection: Friday News Round Table
Florida Governor Rick Scott went to Kentucky to announce he's ...
Florida Governor Rick Scott went to Kentucky to announce he's bringing jobs back to the sunshine state — but was that trip necessary? Has Scott's grab for jobs gone too far? A string of church vandalisms in Melbourne has drawn the FBI's attention it's calling the graffiti and property damage hate crimes. The chair of the Volusia County commission says he should get a pay raise if he's re-elected in 2016. Are local elected officials paid enough for the work they do? What's the cost of corruption? Matt Reed writes in Florida Today that it costs taxpayers millions- and it's built into the cost of government- that's to cover bid rigging, bribery, fraud and waste. Reed wants to pass an anti-corruption bill. These stories and more on the Friday news round table on Intersection.
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Intersection: Child Arrests & High Stakes Testing
More kids aged 5-10 get arrested in Orange and Osceola ...
More kids aged 5-10 get arrested in Orange and Osceola Counties than any other county in Florida. That's according to public defender Robert Wesley, who says more of those arrests are happening during the school year than in the summer months. Troubled kids are being turned over to school resource officers rather than counselors or psychologists, and Wesley wants to know why. Ahead on intersection- a conversation with Robert Wesley, Osceola School Board member Kelvin Soto and Orange County School Board member Linda Kobert about the arrest rate. Later in the program, Orange County Public Schools superintendent Barbara Jenkins joins intersection to talk about how the Florida Standards Assessment test went in her district. That's after the statewide roll out of the new test was met with computer glitches and protests from some parents and teachers. We'll also hear from Cindy Hamilton of Opt Out Orlando- a group of parents opposed to high stakes testing.
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INTERSECTION: FRIDAY NEWS ROUND TABLE
The gloves came off for the second round of the ...
The gloves came off for the second round of the GOP primary debate. Eleven candidates jostled for attention- former Florida Governor Jeb Bush sparred with front runner Donald Trump... and Senator Marco Rubio took the opportunity to highlight the story of his immigrant family- and air some of his foreign policy ideas. How presidential were the two Florida candidates in this debate? Then- lawmakers in the Florida House and Senate approved bills to allow gun owners the right to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. But the bills still face more committees before they can become law- and they're opposed by college presidents. And- Jeff Bezos payed a visit to the space coast. The Amazon founder is bringing his private space company Blue Origin to Cape Canaveral, where he plans to build and launch spacecraft by the end of the decade.
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Intersection: Central Florida's Simulation Industry
Computer simulation is a multi billion dollar industry in Central ...
Computer simulation is a multi billion dollar industry in Central Florida. Simulators can help trainee air force pilots learn to fly fighter planes without ever leaving the ground; new doctors can practise their skills without the risk of harming a patient, and simulation is now an important part of how theme parks design new rides. Tomorrow, thousands of experts head to Orlando for the start of the Florida Simulation Summit. Intersection talks with a panel of experts about what's driving the simulation industry and how it's being used in everything from defense to Disney. We'll talk to Tom Baptiste from the National Center for Simulation, Dr Shiva Kalidindi from Nemours Childrens Hospital, Walt Disney's Michael Tshanz, and Robert Abascal of AVT Simulation. And- Intersection's producer Brendan Byrne gets a tour of the flight simulators at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
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Intersection: Friday News Round Table
Orange and Osceola Counties lead the state in arrests of ...
Orange and Osceola Counties lead the state in arrests of children aged 5 to ten. The public defender for those counties wants to know why. Florida gets another dubious first- the state tops the list for cyclist fatalities... even as the rate of cyclist deaths declines. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush had a few minutes on late night television with comedian Stephen Colbert. And Space Florida is pressing on with plans for a commercial spaceport inside the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge at a site called Shiloh It's the Friday news round table with Matt Reed for Florida Today, Erin Sullivan, Orlando Weekly and Frank Torres, Orlando Political Observer.
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Intersection: Central Florida's Economy
Orlando is growing fast. Tourism is booming, the airport's adding ...
Orlando is growing fast. Tourism is booming, the airport's adding new international flights and more people are moving to Central Florida. And as the population grows- so does job creation. The Chair of the Central Florida Expressway Authority, Welton Cadwell talks about transportation and jobs, then a panel of experts – UCF Economist Sean Snaith, Michael Zaharious from the Florida High Tech Corridor, and Dale Ketcham from Space Florida talk about entrepreneurship, aerospace and the economy.
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Intersection: Friday News Round Up
Medical marijuana is one step closer to the ballot in ...
Medical marijuana is one step closer to the ballot in 2016- the amendment failed last year after it fell just shy of 60 percent of voters needed to put it in the consitution- but supporters now have enough signatures to trigger a supreme court review. Can it make it all the way back to the ballot? Then- there's a proposal to change the way drivers' licenses are issued move them from the county tax collector's offices to a centralized system that would mail the license out. And- bears have been getting a lot of attention in Florida- but what about the Florida panther? The state wants more federal involvement in managing the iconic animal- but what does this mean for the animal's survival? The Friday news round up on intersection with Darryl Owens, Rhetta Peoples and Jason Garcia.
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Intersection: Orlando's Got Talent
Orlando's got theme parks. But that's not all: there's a ...
Orlando's got theme parks. But that's not all: there's a vibrant arts community in the city beautiful- with everything from classical music to break dancing. Today on Intersection- we'll introduce you to some of Central Florida's most talented: the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's principal flute and clarinet Colleen and Nikolay Blagov; Slam poet Curtis Meyer; break dancing champion Victor Montalvo; and up and coming band Beemo.
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Intersection: Friday News Round Table
"Incredibly stupid choices." That's how Orange and Osceola County state ...
"Incredibly stupid choices." That's how Orange and Osceola County state attorney Jeff Ashton described his decision to sign up for an Ashley Madison account. At a press conference Ashton gave a day after he was outed by a local website, he said he did nothing illegal and has no plans to step down. The Orlando police union doesn't see it that way. The union wants an investigation into whether Ashton broke any laws. Then, there's a storm bearing down on Florida. Erika could make landfall next week. Is the state ready? It's been a decade since a hurricane hit Florida. And, Orange County is throwing more resources into an escalating drug problem. The county's set up a field hospital staffed with counselors at an apartment complex where there's been a rash of heroin overdoses. What else needs to happen to stem the tide of drug abuse?
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Intersection: Orange County Tackles Heroin Epidemic
Orange County has a growing problem with heroin. In April ...
Orange County has a growing problem with heroin. In April it overtook cocaine as the county's deadliest street drug. Mayor Teresa Jacobs has assembled a task force- including law enforcement and health care professionals- to try to stem the tide of drug overdoses. And there's a high profile name attached to this taskforce: David Siegel. Siegel's eighteen year old daughter Victoria died in June of an accidental overdose- a combination of methadone and an anti depressant. . Now Siegel says he's making it his life's work to shed light on drug addiction and overdoses- and save lives. Coming up on Intersection, the 80 year old founder of Westgate Resorts talks about his quest. And we'll talk about the heroin task force with a panel of experts: Orange County sheriff Jerry Demings, ER doctor George Ralls and nurse practitioner Janet Hutchison.
