Oregon has one of the highest rates in the country for kindergarteners with vaccine exemptions. The state’s 7% rate is only lower than Utah’s (7.4%) and Idaho's (9.8%). Ryan Hassan is a pediatrician in Happy Valley and also serves as the medical director for Boost Oregon, a parent group working to increase vaccinations overall through education. He says he’s seen coronavirus vaccine skepticism bleed into skepticism towards well-established vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella and pertussis. ...
Sep 11, 2023•23 min
Oregon is one of the leading exporters of peppermint oil in the U.S. But a fungus called verticillium wilt, which affects the leading variety of peppermint, is spreading throughout the Willamette Valley. Reporter Berit Thorson recently wrote about the issue for Capital Press, and joins us to talk about what she learned.
Sep 11, 2023•15 min
The Hermiston Herald recently profiled Jessica Marcum, a community paramedic at Umatilla County Fire District #1, about her job helping patients in the region. Unlike paramedics who respond to emergencies, community paramedics work to keep patients out of emergency rooms by providing in-home health services, from medication management after a hospital stay to making referrals for mental health services. Although community paramedics are found throughout Oregon, their impact is especially felt in...
Sep 08, 2023•22 min
Last spring, the Hood River library system went on the road with a bookmobile that travels to rural communities throughout the county. The van offers books, DVD players, laptops and free wifi to patrons This summer, the bookmobile started offering other services as well, including hygiene kits, cold water on hot days, and meals to school-age kids. Yelitza Vargas-Boots, the bilingual outreach librarian for the Hood River County library district, joins us to explain the services of the bookmobile....
Sep 08, 2023•12 min
The Portland City Council this week unanimously passed a drug criminalization ordinance crafted by Public Safety Commissioner Rene Gonzalez and Mayor Ted Wheeler. The measure bans the public use of drugs, contingent on a change in state law to allow such measures. City commissioners also voted to direct lobbyists to push for that state law change. Addressing public safety and homelessness were chief among the issues Gonzalez campaigned on. Earlier this year he made a controversial decision to pr...
Sep 08, 2023•19 min
Football has been the main focus of the PAC-12 realignment, in which all but Oregon State University and Washington State University have jumped ship for other conferences. But what about the bands, cheer squads and other student groups that support athletics? As reported in the Daily Barometer, members of OSU’s marching band are facing their fair share of distress and uncertainty over the PAC-12 collapse. Mayri Ross is a fifth-year saxophonist in the OSU Marching Band and serves as the band’s r...
Sep 07, 2023•18 min
Forest thinning improves the health of older trees and enhances native biodiversity on federal lands in eastern Oregon. That’s according to a new study from Oregon State University, in partnership with local groups in Oregon’s Blue Mountains. We talk to James Johnston, the assistant professor in the College of Forestry at OSU who authored the study, about how selective thinning could make forests more resilient in the face of forest fires.
Sep 07, 2023•20 min
Jesse Johnson walked out of the Marion County Jail on Tuesday as a free man, after 25 years behind bars in Oregon. In 2004, Johnson was convicted of murdering 28-year-old Harriet Thompson in a Salem apartment — a crime that he denied committing. A jury then sentenced him to death, and Johnson lived on death row at the Oregon State Penitentiary until 2021, when his case was overturned by the Oregon Court of Appeals. Prosecutors quietly dismissed the case against him on Tuesday, acknowledging evid...
Sep 07, 2023•14 min
While rescue shelters for dogs and cats can be found in many Oregon cities, there are fewer options for small pets like hamsters, hedgehogs, rats and chinchillas. The Little Critter Crew is working to change that. As reported in Eugene Weekly, the Eugene-based animal rescue has built a network of 32 foster homes across the state since it launched in 2020. Kayla Hernandez is the rescue’s co-founder. She joins us to share more details on how the “crew” operates and the importance of small animal r...
Sep 06, 2023•14 min
This summer, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek recently signed into law an ambitious, $90 million climate package to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and leverage as much as $1 billion dollars in federal funds to tackle climate change. Among its provisions are rebates on medium and heavy-duty electric trucks and help for homeowners to offset the cost of installing heat pumps. It also makes Oregon the fourth state in the nation, along with Washington, Colorado and Maryland, to require buildin...
Sep 06, 2023•11 min
Maternal mortality rates in Oregon more than doubled in the twenty years from 1999 - 2019. They rose at an even higher rate in the U.S. as a whole. That’s according to a recent study - and the very first to look at rates across ethnic groups state-by-state. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this summer, a collaboration between researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington and Mass General Brigham. The highest deat...
Sep 06, 2023•27 min
In 2020, former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed an executive order to achieve the state’s carbon reduction goals. The order directs state agencies to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Three years later, we check in with Nora Apter, a senior program director for climate at the Oregon Environmental Council, about where the plan stands now and the progress Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality is making on climate goals.
Sep 05, 2023•20 min
For the last two months, Laborers’ Local 485 member employees with Metro Park and Nature and the Oregon Zoo have been working under an expired contract with Metro. Negotiations are ongoing, and employees are asking for hazard pay when working in extreme weather, extra days off when dealing with extremely traumatic situations in the workplace and higher pay across the board. Marina Garcia is the guest services lead at the Oregon Zoo. Kendra Carillo is the maintenance lead for Metro Parks and Natu...
Sep 05, 2023•22 min
Earlier this year the federal government announced changes aimed at making it easier for schools to get reimbursed for services that they are already providing to children on Medicaid. The program has the potential to serve students where they already are, get schools more needed funding and shift the paradigm on how to approach childhood disability and neurodiversity. But many challenges remain. Portland based freelance journalist Shasta Kearns Moore is the mother of school-aged twins with seve...
Sep 05, 2023•12 min
German scientist Peter Wohlleben captured global attention when he wrote “The Secret Life of Trees.” Now, he’s followed up with a new book, "The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them," that essentially argues that we should leave forests alone, because trees are very good at adapting to whatever comes their way. We spoke to Wohlleben in front of an audience at Powell’s Books.
Sep 04, 2023•52 min
A conflict over fishing access has some of Oregon’s federally recognized tribes at odds with both each other and the state’s Fish & Wildlife Commission. The commission voted last month to allow the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to issue hunting and fishing licenses to its own members. It’s approved similar agreements with four other tribes, but the wording of Grand Ronde’s agreement has members of the Yakama, Warm Springs, Nez Perce and Umatilla tribes worried that they could lose acces...
Sep 01, 2023•19 min
Earlier this month, about 40 organizations, including the Sierra Club, outlined actions that the Eugene Water & Electric Board could take to continue the utility’s transition to clean and renewable energy. The letter follows an analysis by the utility that suggests the need for different sources of low-carbon energy, including the use of small modular nuclear reactors. The analysis is part of the utility’s Integrated Resource Planning process which forecasts future electricity needs. We chec...
Sep 01, 2023•14 min
Artificial intelligence is becoming more sophisticated, and the U.S. is a leader in the technology. Policymakers will need an innovative approach to managing the tech, and safety should be top of mind for government officials, according to Charles Jennings. He’s a Portland-based former AI executive and the author of the book, “Artificial Intelligence: Rise of the Lightspeed Learners.” He joins us with details of what U.S. leaders can learn from history and why Oregonians should be urgently learn...
Sep 01, 2023•20 min
In 2020, smoke from wildfires led Jenifer Cruickshank, an assistant professor and dairy extension specialist at Oregon State University, to explore how the issue affects livestock. Cruickshank along with several other academics in Oregon and Idaho have banded together to create an online resource hub where researchers are investigating the effects of wildfire on cattle. We learn more about the effort from Cruickshank.
Aug 31, 2023•18 min
Menstrual products like tampons typically have an absorbency level listed on the side of their packaging. But until recently, that absorbency had never been measured with actual blood. Saline, a simpler and less viscous fluid, has been the default test liquid since absorbency standards were first set in the 1980s. However, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University recently tested the absorbency of products like menstrual cups, discs and period underwear, in addition to tampons and pads...
Aug 31, 2023•15 min
In Southwest Oregon, Douglas firs are dying. And warmer temperatures along with more severe droughts are making the problem worse. What does this mean for the future of forests in places like Ashland? How should fire prone communities handle stands of dead trees which can act as fuel for wildfires? Max Bennett is a retired extension forester with Oregon State University. He led research on Douglas fir mortality. Chris Chambers is the forest officer for the city of Ashland. We learn more about wh...
Aug 31, 2023•19 min
Nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in statehouses across the U.S in 2023. While many were defeated, the ACLU has tracked more than 80 bills that were passed into law. These include measures banning gender-affirming care for minors, banning trans athletes from playing in K-12 sports and prohibiting minors from attending drag story hours and shows. While some of these laws are currently being challenged in court, the growing number of these types of laws is leading to a queer migration o...
Aug 30, 2023•34 min
Next month, the city of Vancouver will open the newly redesigned Chelsea Anderson Memorial Play Station at Marshall Park. But this isn’t your typical playground. For one thing, wood chips have been replaced with smooth surfaces to allow children in wheelchairs easy access to play features, including a merry-go-round and swing, modified for their use and enjoyment. Instead of an abundance of steel and plastic, natural elements also abound, from a sensory garden to water features and a sandy play ...
Aug 30, 2023•19 min
Tim Bond will become Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s newest artistic director at the end of this week. He takes over at a time of turmoil for the company, which is still fundraising millions of dollars to cover the costs of the 2023 season. OSF’s executive director left in January. The previous artistic director, Nataki Garrett, left in April after leading the organization through the pandemic and multiple fires, and facing death threats for her play choices. Bond joins us to talk about what comes...
Aug 29, 2023•26 min
On Sept. 1, people who suffer from fentanyl addiction in the Portland area will have a new place to go for 3-7 days while they get treatment. The nonprofit Recovery Works NW used Measure 110 funding to open the 16-bed treatment center, which will be staffed around the clock 365 days a year. Recovery Works NW has been working with doctors providing outpatient medical assisted opiate treatment for years, and aims to provide better treatment for fentanyl users with this inpatient model. Joe Bazeghi...
Aug 29, 2023•27 min
Ann Patchett’s latest novel is set during the pandemic, but it is also set in the past. The main character, a mother of three adult daughters, tells her children the story of her own youthful romance with a man who is now a famous movie star. The story is told over long days picking cherries on their family farm, where everyone has gathered together for the lockdown. Though the central story revolves around the mercurial movie star, the real focus of the book is the relationship between mothers ...
Aug 28, 2023•52 min
Sophia Weiss is the owner of Firebird Farms, a working ranch nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains outside of Ashland. But you won’t find any Angus beef cattle roaming and grazing on the rolling hills of her 200-acre property. Instead, you’ll find a herd of about 80 Tibetan yaks which Weiss has carefully bred and built up from a pair she acquired nearly a decade ago off a Craigslist ad. In October, the USDA Rural Development office awarded Weiss nearly $235,000 to market and develop ...
Aug 25, 2023•23 min
A new audit from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office found that the current healthcare structure for Medicaid pharmacy benefit managers lacks transparency and is too complex to properly measure its value. Pharmacy benefit managers are the go-between for drug manufacturers and wholesalers. They are responsible for paying and processing prescription drug claims, creating preferred drug lists, negotiating on behalf of pharmacies and more. Ian Green is the audit manager for the Secretary of State...
Aug 25, 2023•19 min
The city of Portland has had the dubious distinction of being the only city of its size where police officers do not wear body cameras. Last spring, the police union and the city came to an agreement to move forward with body-worn cameras. Now, 150 officers are wearing them in a 60-day pilot project that began this week. OPB’s Jonathan Levinson joins us with details.
Aug 25, 2023•11 min
With the departure of the University of Oregon and the University of Washington from the Pac-12 conference, athletics at Oregon State University face an uncertain future. OSU is one of four remaining schools in the conference, along with Washington State University, Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. OSU President Jayathi Murthy has said the university is doing everything in its power to “stabilize and rebuild” the conference, but with Stanford and Cal rumored to be ...
Aug 24, 2023•29 min
