A report released earlier this year found Leon County Schools are the most segregated they've been since 1994. The study also found students who attend school here in Leon County are in one of the most highly-segregated school districts in the state. So what's happening? And how did a majority-white county end up with a majority-minority school district?

Railroad tracks divide Florida State University and Florida A&M University. The campuses sit about a mile and a half apart.The tracks remain a symbolic separation between FSU, a largely white university, and FAMU, a historically Black university. But, efforts are underway to change that.In our first episode, we hear from Southside residents who are working to erase the dividing line.

Federal unemployment compensation ended in Florida in late June. Those checks were on top of state unemployment checks. The theory was that less money in accounts would spur workers back into the labor market. That hasn’t happened.

Diners are packing restaurants again and travelers are booking hotel rooms. Businesses are largely back open, but many don’t have enough employees to move their products or serve their customers.

We thought the end was in sight. Things were returning to normal. Summer trips were being taken and family reunions were planned. Then, the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 caused breakthrough infections and a pandemic surge.

The pre-pandemic nursing shortage was exacerbated by COVID-19. Even as more people are vaccinated, the need for nurses in Tallahassee remains. A shortage of instructors is one barrier to getting more nursing jobs filled.

Medical professionals are dealing with the scariness of working around patients with a highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease. It’s a scary time for anyone in the medical field, especially nurses who have frequent contact with critically ill COVID patients. But that’s not stopping future nurses from pursuing their dreams.

COVID came into the home of yours truly at the tail end of 2020. We can only guess how it happened. We’ve been mostly socially distant, wearing face masks, and living our lives. One family member was in the hospital for almost a week, and visitors aren’t allowed on the COVID floor. We kick off Season 2 with two nurses: one says taking care of your health is better than any mask, and the other cares for critically ill COVID patients.

COVID-19 has altered many holiday traditions – a painful footnote to 2020. While we lament the lack of large holiday gatherings and packed entertainment venues, vaccines are bringing hope for some normalcy in 2021. We hear from Tallahassee Community Chorus Artistic Director Michael Hanawalt and infectious disease specialist Dr. Perry Brown, a professor at the Institute of Public Health at Florida A&M University.

In Episode 5: Mental Health & The “Be Kind” Hotline, peace of mind is in short supply in 2020. But resources are available, and the best help may simply be a kind voice on the other end of the line.