In Southeast Portland, a woman has constructed what she calls the “giving fence” after a series of code violations and complaints from neighbors and the city. This unusual construction is a series of yellow bins stacked upon each other, filled with blankets, dry goods, clothes and hygiene products that are free for anyone who needs them. Courtney Vaugn, the news editor for the Portland Mercury, has been covering this story and joins us now to share more on the efforts the Sellwood woman is makin...
Jul 05, 2023•10 min
In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to ban affirmative action at colleges and universities. Justices heard two cases brought forward by the group Students for Fair Admission, who challenged race-based admission practices at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Sabrina Sommer is the equity specialist for the David Douglas School District. Eric Staab is the Vice President of Admissions and Financial Aid at Lewis & Clark College. And Scott Vignos is the vice president and c...
Jul 05, 2023•24 min
Brit Bennett’s book The Vanishing Half was on a lot of best-of lists in 2020. Though spanning the second half of the 20th century, the novel speaks to questions about race and identity that have been central to national conversations for the last two years. In that novel and her other writing, Bennett deals with the bonds of family, the importance of storytelling, and nature of identity. We talked to Bennett about her essays and novels in front of an audience of students at Grant High School in ...
Jun 30, 2023•52 min
Portland journalist Leah Sottile’s book “When The Moon Turns To Blood” centers on the case of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell. The couple was on trial in 2023, accused of killing two of Vallow’s children whose bodies were found in Daybell’s backyard. But the book is about much more than just true crime. Sottile digs into the couple’s apocalyptic beliefs and the history of the extremism that exists on the fringes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church. We...
Jun 30, 2023•53 min
With fewer sweeps during the pandemic, encampments have become a seemingly permanent fixture in many parts of Portland. And in response, city officials have started taking a more hardline approach. In February, Mayor Ted Wheeler issued an emergency order to ban camping near busy roadways. He has also said he plans to create large outdoor sites for sanctioned camping. On “Think Out Loud” we’ve heard from service providers, policy makers, and elected officials, including the mayor. We also wanted ...
Jun 30, 2023•38 min
The Ankeny Alley Festival is a series of summer events held in the Ankeny Alley area between SW 2nd and 3rd avenues in downtown Portland. The events have been organized to rally support for businesses in the neighborhood that have faced declines in revenue as visits from Portlanders and tourists alike have diminished in recent years. The next summer festival will be the July 4th Celebration from June 30 to July 3. The series of events also includes a Pride party and a Labor Day celebration featu...
Jun 30, 2023•16 min
Portland Parks & Recreation opened its seven outdoor pools last Wednesday, and announced that it was now offering more swim lessons than in the past two years at its outdoor and indoor pools. Heading into summer, the outlook for staffing at the district’s pools is brighter than last year. Boosting starting pay for lifeguards by nearly $3 an hour, and expanding recruitment efforts has helped, although demand for swim lessons continues to outpace availability. Springfield’s Willamalane communi...
Jun 29, 2023•26 min
Families living at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington have dealt with issues like mold and rodents in their homes. Still, monthslong waitlists exist for housing on base as some families struggle to find somewhere to live nearby. Kaylee Tornay is an investigative reporter with InvestigateWest, a nonprofit news outlet covering the Pacific Northwest. She's covered these issues for the outlet and joins us with details of her reporting.
Jun 29, 2023•18 min
Luke Hogan Laurenson graduated with a straight As from Ashland High School and gave a valedictorian speech at his graduation earlier this month. His high achievements are especially remarkable given the challenges he overcomes every day. Laurenson was born with a form of cerebral palsy that makes speech and movement difficult. Doctors told his mother that he would never be able to walk and would likely spend most of his life in an institution. But as he said in his graduation speech, he just “ne...
Jun 28, 2023•15 min
Repeating experiments and replicating results are key parts of successful scientific research. But in the field of robotics, working with different software platforms on different machines means that replication can be difficult. A $5 million National Science Foundation project led by Oregon State University aims to help with this challenge by building and distributing 50 standardized robots throughout the research community. The robot’s expressive face and gesturing arms are meant to help resea...
Jun 28, 2023•15 min
A 2022 National Science Foundation assessment of the U.S. Antarctic Programs found that “sexual harassment, stalking and sexual assault are ongoing, continuing problems.” These issues can be particularly problematic when researchers are isolated on ships or polar research stations. Three female scientists from Oregon State University join us to discuss the barriers they have faced, and how the field is changing.
Jun 28, 2023•24 min
The Latinx Theatre Commons will host a designer and director Colaboratorio in Portland. The event kicks off on June 28 and ends on July 2. Costume and set designers, directors and other creatives will meet to reimagine the typical director-driven theater model. Artists from across the country were chosen to participate in the gathering. Also participating is Francisco Garcia, a director, actor, educator and playwright based in Portland. Jacqueline Flores is a Latinx Theatre Commons producer. The...
Jun 27, 2023•15 min
Earlier this month, a 15-year-old boy riding an electric bike died following a collision with a vehicle at an intersection on Highway 20 in Bend. The teen was not wearing a helmet and wasn’t legally allowed to operate the e-bike since he was under 16 years of age. It was the first fatality involving an e-bike in Bend, according to a recent article in the Bend Bulletin, which also described concerns that some adolescents on e-bikes are not following the rules of the road and engaging in risky or ...
Jun 27, 2023•25 min
Last year, Portland Street Response expanded from a pilot program to a citywide service and answered more than 7,000 calls that would traditionally be handled by police. That’s according to a new report from Portland State University that also found that PSR aided in reducing the workload for police and hospitals. Despite the success of the program so far, researchers note that systemic issues could hinder overall effectiveness. Alex Zielinski is the Portland City Government Reporter for OPB. Sh...
Jun 27, 2023•13 min
Oregon was the first state in the country to ban single-family zoning in all but the smallest cities, meaning duplexes and triplexes can be built next door to single-family homes. The idea is to increase density within cities while preserving land for farms and wilderness in more rural areas. Denser housing could also help to combat climate change, and create more affordable housing to help reduce the number of people living on the streets. That’s the vision of the Yimbytown movement. In the spr...
Jun 26, 2023•54 min
Live music was hit hard by the pandemic. After managing years of cancellations, quick thinking and reimagining the live music experience, some are feeling hopeful as the summer festival season kicks off. But some fans haven’t returned, and inflation is taking a toll for concert goers and venue owners as well. Christina Fuller is the owner of Fuller Events and a festival director for the Waterfront Blues Festival which kicks off on July 1. Jim Brunberg is a musician, and the founder and co-owner ...
Jun 23, 2023•20 min
After a nationwide search, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) has hired longtime nonprofit leader Paul Lumley as its new CEO. Currently the CEO for the Portland-based Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), and the former Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Lumley will be CAP’s first Native American CEO. Lumley joins us to talk about the future of Cascade AIDS Project, and his legacy with NAYA and CRITFC.
Jun 23, 2023•15 min
Cities in Oregon are finalizing their budgets. They’re juggling shrinking funding streams and increasing costs – especially from inflation. Twylla Miller is the chief financial officer for the city of Eugene. Robby Hammond is the city manager for Hillsboro. They join us with more on how cities are managing priorities and navigating tough financial decisions.
Jun 23, 2023•13 min
Today nurses at Providence Portland, Seaside and Home Health and Hospice will end a strike that began on Monday. Both sides expect talks about higher wages to resume, although no date is set. Kara Hayden, a speech and language pathologist with Providence Home Health and Hospice joins us to talk about what’s next.
Jun 23, 2023•6 min
Portland author Joshua James Amberson has a rare genetic condition that may eventually lead to blindness. His new book Staring Contest: Essays About Eyes, is a deep meditation on eyes, vision, and what we see.
Jun 22, 2023•22 min
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has suffered the same pandemic setbacks as many other big theatres in the country. Seasons have shrunk, as has the staff. Earlier this year, former Artistic Director and Interim Executive Director Nataki Garrett stepped away after a staff shakeup and an emergency $2.5 million funding campaign. Shortly thereafter, the company announced it would need in excess of $7 million in order to finish the current season. OSF is unique in the nation, says American Theatre Edi...
Jun 22, 2023•20 min
Since 2020, two schools in the Eugene 4J School District have shared one building. The Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion School began sharing space with Eugene’s Kelly Middle School when the district decided to demolish the Silver Lea building. Over the years, the collocation has created tension between the two schools’ teachers, parents and students as they both now deal with limited classroom space. The school district is currently reviewing options for the future of the shared building. Miranda...
Jun 22, 2023•11 min
Pride Month is here and across the country LGBTQ+ communities are celebrating. At the same time, The Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest gay rights organizations in the U.S., has issued a state of emergency because of anti-LGBTQ legislation passing in states across America. We talk to three LGBTQ organizers from around the state about why celebrating pride is important and what it means to celebrate these events in some of Oregon’s rural parts of the state. Nik Portela is the program manag...
Jun 21, 2023•24 min
When the gates on The Dalles Dam closed in 1957, Celilo Falls was flooded and a vital salmon fishery for Yakama and Warm Springs tribal people was forever changed. Warm Springs Tribal Elder Linda Meanus was a young girl at the time, being raised by her grandparents, Flora Thompson and Chief Tommy Thompson, in nearby Celilo Village. In that bustling community along the Columbia River where salmon provided sustenance and a way of life, she learned about the importance of first foods, and gained an...
Jun 21, 2023•20 min
The FDA has approved three medications to treat opioid dependence. But only one – buprenorphine – is approved for patients under age 18. The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine recommends the medication as a “critical component” of treating addiction in teens, especially with adolescent overdose deaths on the rise. However, a new study from Oregon Health & Science University found that only one in four adolescent treatment facilities offers the drug. Caroline King led the study as a m...
Jun 21, 2023•9 min
Thirty years ago, a movement called riot grrrl started in the Pacific Northwest. It wasn't just music – it was politics, feminism, culture and zines. And we're still feeling its effects today. This podcast tells the history of riot grrrl: why it started here in the Pacific Northwest, and what its lasting impact has been. And it focuses on the stories that haven’t really been told as part of the history of the movement. We’ll hear from people on the margins, people who felt left out, and the peop...
Jun 20, 2023•33 min
The 2023 James Beard Awards had a strong showing from Oregon this year — particularly from chefs and other creators of color in the Portland food scene. Winning the reality or competition visual media category was a video produced by All the Homies Network, a collective that documents the experience of six BIPOC food business owners in Portland. The network’s video of a restaurant takeover by Vietnamese food cart Matta at the Multnomah Whiskey Library beat out submissions from Top Chef and Bon A...
Jun 20, 2023•21 min
Opened in August 1953, the 99W Drive-InTheater has been delivering nostalgia and fond memories to Oregonians for nearly 70 years. Over the years Oregon has been home to nearly 50 drive-in theaters, but now less than a handful remain. Michael Aronson is the co-director of the Oregon Theater Project and an associate professor of Cinema Studies at the University of Oregon. Brian Francis is the owner and operator of the family-owned business, 99W Drive-In. They both join us now to share the story of...
Jun 16, 2023•18 min
LGBTQ youth are more than twice as likely to experience homelessness than their peers, due to a lack of support. Oregon youth in foster care need more options for temporary homes with foster parents committed to creating an affirming and safe environment. The state’s child welfare department is partnering with Basic Rights Oregon and Unicorn Solutions to educate people about the depth of the need in an online event called Fostering Pride, on Tuesday, June 20 at 6 p.m. We talk with Unicorn Soluti...
Jun 16, 2023•15 min
In a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act. The act was initially passed by Congress in 1978 and challenged in 2018 by the state of Texas and several families. The 45-year-old law created standards for when the federal government can remove Native children from their families and provides guidelines for the placement of Indigenous children in foster or adoptive homes. Sarah Kastelic is the executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Associa...
Jun 16, 2023•20 min
