Go beyond the daily headlines to explore the issues affecting Floridians and their communities with WUSF's Florida Matters. http://www.wusf.usf.edu/news/program/florida_matters http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 24 May 2013 08:50:49 -0400 Fri, 24 May 2013 08:50:49 -0400 Drupal 6 Views Go beyond the daily headlines to explore the issues affecting Floridians WUSF no no Tue, 21 May 2013 14:28:18 -0400 State lawmakers wrapped up this year's legislative session by passing a $74.5 billion budget which the governor trimmed to $74.1 billion. But overall, lawmakers were happy with the budget and proud of their bipartisan spirit. Less than two weeks after the session, eight members of the Pinellas County legislative delegation attended a luncheon sponsored by the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club to give their version of the 2013 session hits and misses. They were Democrats Carl Zimmerman, Darryl Rousson, and Dwight Dudley and Republicans Kathleen Peters, Jack Latvala, Ed Hooper, Jeff Brandes, and Larry Ahern. Each lawmaker made an opening statement but the real “fun” started with the direct questioning from members of the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club. Expanded Medicaid coverage for low income families was a popular topic especially after a newspaper article showed that house members were receiving subsidized health insurance. But there were also questions about education and the repeal of the nuclear cost recovery fee. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/29623 Tue, 14 May 2013 12:18:13 -0400 The debate over Medicaid expansion was one of the biggest issues during this year’s legislative session. Florida Matters talks with three Florida lawmakers about why they were unable to agree on a plan that would have expanded health care coverage for low-income Floridians. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/29281 Tue, 07 May 2013 13:20:38 -0400 The cost of college is rising and more students find themselves repaying loans than ever. Florida Matters talks with two experts about what trends are affecting the cost of earning a college degree and what parents can do to prepare. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/29135 Wed, 01 May 2013 09:30:36 -0400 Fish with lesions, diseased livers and spleens - and parts of the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico coated with a toxic slime. These are some of the things researchers continue to find three years after the Deepwater Horizon well exploded. A team based at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science has been taking samples in the Gulf to determine the lingering effects of the oil spill. It's called C-IMAGE, which stands for the Center for Integrated Modeling and Analysis of the Gulf Ecosystem. It's a collaboration of chemists, engineers, biologists - even computer scientists. Together, they're trying to figure out exactly what a deep water blowout does to the marine ecosystem - and what to expect in future blowouts. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/29033 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:23:18 -0400 The craft beer craze has taken hold in the Tampa Bay area, which leads the state in brewing the locally-made and creatively-flavored drinks. We'll hear about the phenomenon from some experts -- including a brewery owner and writers who cover the beer culture in Tampa Bay. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/28875 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:17:37 -0400 Spring break in Florida is something many college students look forward to, but two University of South Florida students opted to leave the Sunshine State for an environment where sounds of roaring fighter jets, missiles hitting the ground and heavy gunfire are just "background noise." Khalid and Noor Shakfeh, brother and sister, traveled to war-torn Syria last month to deliver humanitarian aid to refugees. The siblings joined the Syrian American Council (SAC) on a relief trip with a group of people between the ages of 17 and 29. The team brought with them $107,000 in relief aid they’d collected ahead of time to put toward humanitarian assistance including baby formula, food, and building a water irrigation system. They talk with WUSF’s Maryam Saleh about their journey and what they saw inside the Syrian refugee camps. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/28545 Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:03:01 -0400 This week a bipartisan group of Senators, including Florida's Marco Rubio, are set to release their plan to fix the nation's immigration system. We'll chat with stakeholders in Florida's immigration debate and visit a naturalization ceremony to meet new citizens. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/28337 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:59:33 -0400 What will Florida look like in the next several decades if sea levels continue to rise? Its coastlines would be radically redrawn - with many of our barrier islands under water. That's the opinion of two scientists who were lead authors in several chapters of a report on climate change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The pair spoke last week at New College in Sarasota and Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. We'll hear first from Henry Pollack, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics at the University of Michigan. He's conducted scientific research on all seven continents. Then, we'll hear from Pier Vallinga, a professor in climate change and flood risk at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. During his speech at Eckerd College, Professor Pollack showed the audience maps how much of the Tampa Bay area would be inundated with a three-foot rise in sea level. That's one of the projections scientists estimate will happen by the end of this century. One illustration of a 25-foot rise - which historic data says could eventually happen - shows Pinellas County chopped into two islands, centered west of downtown St. Petersburg, and coastal Clearwater. Their visit to the Tampa Bay area is part of the Rising Seas project, a Southwest Florida-based initiative dedicated to advancing public understanding about the science of sea level rise, vulnerabilities of our natural and built environments, and potential strategies to mitigate or adapt to the risks. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/28213 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:20:39 -0400 Just ask Ernest Hemmingway or Carl Hiassen – Florida can be a great place to be an author. This week, we talk to three Florida authors about the state that serves as their inspiration: - Immigration is a hot topic these days, and there’s a new book on the subject by former Tampa Bay Times journalist Saundra Amrhein. "Green Card Stories" is a collection of profiles and portraits of 50 recent U.S. immigrants. Florida Matters' Dalia Colón talks with Amrhein at her home office in Brandon. - A new book from a retired Special Forces commander raises questions about how we’re waging the war in Afghanistan and the nature of modern conflict. Retired Lt. Col. Tony Schwalm traces his personal journey from tank commander to commander of Special Forces officer training in his book: "The Guerrilla Factory: The Making of Special Forces Officers - The Green Berets." Schwalm now lives in the Tampa Bay region and he sat down with Florida Matters' Bobbie O’Brien to discuss his book, and the problem with U.S. foreign policy toward Afghanistan. - Dennis Lehane grew up in Boston, but he spends part of the year in the Tampa Bay area. And Ybor City is one of the settings of his new book, "Live By Night." Florida Matters' Susan Giles Wantuck asks him, why set his book in Tampa? WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/28125 Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:52:01 -0400 At WUSF, our project Off the Base brings you the stories of veterans, members of the military and their families. In this special program, reporter Bobbie O'Brien brings us some of their struggles and successes. WUSF 89.7 http://www.wusf.usf.edu/node/27964