Starliner Mission
NASA and Boeing leaders gave an update on the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Mission that launched early June. The two astronauts on board were supposed to stay at the International Space Station for about a week and return to Earth on June 14. They are still up there. Central Florida Public Media Assistant News Director and host of the podcast Are We There Yet? Brendan Byrne joins Engage to share what he learned from today’s teleconference with NASA and Boeing leaders.
Violence Against Transgender Community
Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting call early last Friday where 49-year-old Jade Monique Thomas was found shot near the Florida Mall. She later died in the hospital. Jade was a member of Central Florida’s transgender community. While the investigation is in its preliminary stages, with no suspects named nor motive determined, Jade’s death by violence is a more than familiar narrative. The National Center for Transgender Equality identified 53 transgender people were murdered in 2023, and more than half were people of color. Brevard County resident Quinn Diaz is Public Policy Associate for Equality Florida, a 501-C-3 nonprofit that advocates for equality for Florida’s LGBTQ+ population. Quinn joins Engage to talk about violence targeting the region’s transgender community.
Olympics Begin
Dozens of Florida athletes are competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Some sports including soccer and rugby are already underway, but the official start of the Summer Olympic Games is tomorrow. Mount Dora resident Ed Hula is one of the world’s most experienced reporters on the Olympic beat, and he’s in Paris for his 15th Games. He joins Engage from France to look ahead to an opening ceremony full of firsts and some of the Florida stars on the world stage. Hula is a volunteer member of Central Florida Public Media’s Community Advisory Board.
Musician Terri Binion
Terri Binion has become something of an institution in Central Florida’s music scene. Growing up in a military household, she spent much of her childhood traveling the country, picking up musical influences every step of the way. From the frenetic bluegrass gleaned from her Appalachian heritage to the twangy slide guitar reflecting the desert Gothic influences from her time living in the Mojave, Binion melds classic country, rollicking folk and roadhouse blues and rock to cultivate a sound as comfortable on the Lilith Fair as a country barbeque. Three albums later, Binion has become a fixture on Central Florida stages. Terri Binion joins us in studio. Binion is at the Casselberry Arts Center Friday July 26, at 8p.m. for the Blue Bamboo Summer Concert Series. She’ll also be performing August 8, at Judson’s Live at the Dr. Phillips Center.
