Oregon recently launched a pilot program to provide liability coverage for prescribed burns that don’t go as intended. The program covers up to $1 million in damages per burn. It’s being managed in tandem with the state’s certified burn manager program, which provides training on how to safely and effectively use prescribed fire on a variety of landscapes. Taken together, the two programs are meant to make it easier and less risky for businesses and contractors to conduct prescribed burns in the...
Nov 04, 2024•18 min
Newport is the first city on the Oregon Coast to adopt a new estuary management plan in more than 40 years. The city jointly manages the Yaquina Bay Estuary with Lincoln County and the city of Toledo. The three entities use the plan to determine what kind of development can happen in what parts of the estuary. The updated version requires developers to perform climate vulnerability assessments for all projects in the estuary. It also includes a commitment from Newport city leaders to revisit the...
Nov 04, 2024•16 min
Misinformation around election season has been spreading, including false claims that Donald Trump is not appearing as a candidate on Oregon’s Voter Pamphlet to some Pennsylvania ballots being destroyed. Stephen Prochaska is a doctoral student at the University of Washington Information School and a graduate research assistant at the Center for an Informed Public. He joins us to share more on the strategy behind the spread of misinformation and what to expect before, and after, Election Day....
Nov 04, 2024•19 min
Astoria’s Billie McBride was crowned Miss Trans Oregon earlier this year. That means she’ll be vying for the Miss Trans USA title at the national pageant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Nov. 7-10. A former business owner and an avid figure skater, McBride now spends her time advocating against anti-trans legislation. She joins us in the studio to talk more about her life and how she hopes the pageant will amplify her activism.
Nov 01, 2024•13 min
This week, a coalition of over 100 elected officials, arts organizations, labor unions and chambers of commerce signed a letter urging calm and “thoughtful civic engagement” on election day, and to preserve the “hard-won but still fragile progress” in Downtown Portland. Amid rising concerns about possible civil unrest next week, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said there would be increased police presence, with officers canceling days off and working 12-hour shifts. A special unit of officers unde...
Nov 01, 2024•20 min
Derek Greenwood is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia Gorge Community College and a certified drug and alcohol counselor. As someone with lived experience, he credits having a safe space he could go to socialize when he was recovering from drug addiction as a young adult. But finding safe, sober spaces to form those connections with other people in recovery can be a challenge, especially in rural communities. That challenge motivated Greenwood and others to launch an effort to help people rec...
Nov 01, 2024•20 min
The weeklong Bureau of Land Management’s annual Bat Beauty Contest closes, appropriately enough, on Halloween this year. Voting has taken place on the BLM’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. The competition features photos of bats taken primarily by government biologists who survey and work with bats on public lands in 12 western states, including Oregon. There are 15 species of bats native to Oregon, including eight whose numbers are declining or at-risk, according to the state’s wildlife agency...
Oct 31, 2024•14 min
Menopause can present a wide range of symptoms, from hot flashes and sleep disturbances to brain fog and loss of bone density. Though several safe and effective therapies are available, many patients still aren’t receiving the help they need. A new study from Oregon Health & Science University found that more than 60% of respondents with moderate to severe menopause symptoms weren’t receiving any treatment. The primary reason they reported not engaging in treatment was that their clinician h...
Oct 31, 2024•22 min
For researchers, endangered and threatened birds like the Northern Spotted Owl and the Marbled Murrelet can be incredibly hard to find and study in the wild. Now new research shows that artificial intelligence may be able to help. As first reported in Hakai Magazine, researchers have been training AI to correctly identify elusive species of birds in the wild through sound. Matthew Betts is a professor and chairs the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. He coaut...
Oct 31, 2024•17 min
Research into domestic violence has found that when a professional football team has an unexpected loss in its hometown, intimate partner violence can increase by 10%. A new analysis from researchers at the University of Oregon found that this effect is amplified in states with legalized sports betting. Sports gambling is currently legal in 38 states, including Oregon and Washington. Thirty states – including Oregon – also allow mobile sports betting, which researchers found further increased th...
Oct 30, 2024•15 min
The Oregon State Land Board recently approved a plan to enroll the Elliott State Forest in the voluntary carbon credit market. The forest spans more than 80,000 acres in southwestern Oregon near Coos Bay. Oregon is the second state behind Michigan to dedicate an entire state forest to storing harmful carbon emissions and selling the credits. State officials say the plan will help the state meet its conservation and carbon emission goals, but it isn’t without controversy. Critics say the voluntar...
Oct 30, 2024•17 min
Even if you’re among the county’s most engaged and informed voters, there’s a lot to keep track of this election cycle. And that’s not even counting the recent fires at ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington. With Election Day less than a week out, we invited Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott on to give us the latest about ballot security, ranked choice voting returns and updates, how to make sure you’re meeting the postmark deadline and to answer other frequently asked questions...
Oct 30, 2024•21 min
From grocery stores to breweries, we are taking our pet dogs to places more and more. But do our furry companions actually enjoy being dragged alongside our own adventures to cafes and bookstores? Tove Danovich is a Portland-based writer and author of “Under the Henfluence.” She wrote a recent opinion piece arguing that maybe we should leave our dogs at home more often. She joins us to share more on her reasoning and the effects taking a dog to public spaces can have not only on our dogs, but th...
Oct 29, 2024•24 min
Sam Adams and Shannon Singleton are in a runoff to represent North and Northeast Portland, District 2, on the Multnomah County Commission. Neither candidate got over 50% in the May primary. The seat opened up when Susheela Jayapal stepped down last fall to run for Congress. Sam Adams is a former mayor of the city of Portland and previously held a position within Mayor Wheeler’s office. Shannon Singleton, a trained social worker, is the former interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless. The...
Oct 29, 2024•28 min
In 2022, Portland residents voted to overhaul the city’s form of government. That includes using ranked choice voting to expand the number of seats on city council from five to 12. Another major change is the creation of four geographic districts in the city. Voters within each district will now elect three candidates to represent them on the new council. Thirty registered candidates are competing in District 4, which includes all of Portland west of the Willamette River, including Downtown, the...
Oct 28, 2024•52 min
In 2022, Portland residents voted to drastically change the city’s form of government. That includes using ranked choice voting to expand the city council from five seats to 12. Another change is the creation of four geographic districts, with voters in each district electing three candidates to represent them on the new council. District 2 covers most of North and Northeast Portland, including neighborhoods such as Irvington, St. John’s, Kenton and Cully. On Oct. 17, “Think Out Loud” convened a...
Oct 25, 2024•52 min
More than 30 years ago, a group of Portlanders created their own skatepark without any permission under the Burnside Bridge. The Burnside Skatepark is credited as the first do-it-yourself, or DIY, skatepark project that sparked a wave of new skateparks being built across the country. The park turns 34 on Halloween. Jaymeer is a board member and muralist for the Burnside Skatepark. He joins us to share more on the history and impact the park has had in Portland and around the world.
Oct 24, 2024•20 min
The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria is undergoing a $30 million renovation. Work began in March and is expected to wrap up in September 2026. The expansion project will include remodeled gallery space, a new 24,500 square-foot facility and hundreds of boats and artifacts currently not on display. It will also feature two new Indigenous exhibits: a photography display focused on the Chinook Indian Nation, and a permanent exhibit on the maritime cultures of Indigenous people up and down ...
Oct 24, 2024•16 min
Daniel Bolen, an agricultural science and technology instructor in Elgin, has advocated for his program. His district received $250,000 from the Oregon Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education Revitalization Grant. Bolen has brought in additional funding to strengthen his district’s program and help kids receive more hands-on learning in livestock management. Bolen was also named the Oregon Agriculture Teachers' Association Outstanding Teacher this year. We hear more from Bolen o...
Oct 24, 2024•17 min
This summer, the owner of Mt. Bachelor ski resort, POWDR Corp., announced plans to sell. Bend locals Chris Porter and Dan Cochrane are leading an effort to keep resort ownership local. They’ve incorporated as Mount Bachelor Community Inc. and hope to attract both small and large-scale investors that share their values. Porter and Chochrane join us to discuss their plans.
Oct 23, 2024•13 min
Washington and Oregon voters have already begun casting their ballots in the November general election. In Washington, the statewide contests include races to elect a new governor and attorney general and four ballot measures, including Initiative 2117. If approved, it would repeal Washington’s landmark law targeting greenhouse gas emissions, the Climate Commitment Act. The law establishes a cap-and-invest program which requires refineries and other large polluters to purchase allowances equal t...
Oct 23, 2024•26 min
Voters in Malheur County have a measure on their ballots that would get rid of a county ordinance that compels officials to meet and discuss shifting the Idaho border to include rural Oregon. The ordinance, approved by voters in 2021, requires the county judge and commissioners to meet three times a year to discuss how to promote the interests of the county in any negotiations to relocate the Idaho-Oregon border. We talk to David Armstrong, who helped get Measure 23-74 on the ballot. We also hea...
Oct 23, 2024•14 min
The semiconductor company Intel isn’t based in Oregon, but it does have large manufacturing facilities in Hillsboro and Aloha. Although the company received more than $8 billion in federal subsidies, it says cuts to its labor force are needed worldwide. In Oregon, this means about 1,300 people were laid off. Oregonian/Oregonlive.com business reporter Mike Rogoway has been covering this industry for decades and joins us to share more details about the effect of this global company’s decisions on ...
Oct 22, 2024•11 min
Nearly 100 non-tenure track faculty at Portland State University got notice of possible layoffs last week. These notices come as the university faces a continued decline in enrollment and a budget deficit of $18 million this fiscal year. PSU President Ann Cudd joins us to explain the big picture of the university’s financial stability.
Oct 22, 2024•20 min
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has served in the position since 2012. She is not running for re-election this year so for the first time since 2008, the race is wide open. Republican Will Lathrop is a former prosecutor in Marion and Yamhill counties. Democrat Dan Rayfield is a former House speaker, attorney and state representative. We’ll hear from both candidates on why they’re the best pick for the job.
Oct 22, 2024•21 min
Coty Raven Morris is an assistant professor of choir, music education and social justice at Portland State. When the fall term began three weeks ago, Morris had exciting news she wanted to share with her students before choir rehearsal began. For a second year in a row, Morris had been nominated as a semifinalist for a GRAMMY Music Educator Award, chosen from a pool of more than 2,400 nominees. The winner will be announced during the GRAMMY Awards ceremony in January. Morris is also the founder ...
Oct 21, 2024•24 min
With a chill in the air and Halloween around the corner, Oregon is getting ready for spooky season. But for some, Halloween is more than just a time for costumes and candy, it’s a time to test one’s courage and get scared. Oregon has a number of scare attractions across the state. Robin Downward is the production director of the Nightmare Chamber in Medford. Mike Milburn is the owner of Milburn’s Haunted Manor in Hubbard. They both join us to share more on their haunted houses and their approach...
Oct 21, 2024•16 min
It used to be that age was one of the biggest predictive factors in whether a person would actually vote in any given U.S. election. However, the participation of younger voters rose in 2020 by more than 10 percent compared with the 2016 election. It’s unclear if that trend will continue. We’re joined by two members of Gen Z who say they have been looking forward to voting for years. GiGi Whisler is sophomore at Pacific University in Forest Grove, who describes herself as liberal. Heidi Taylor i...
Oct 21, 2024•13 min
In 2022, Portland residents voted to drastically change their form of government. This included using ranked choice voting and a 12-person city council. With the change in government, the mayor will work closely with the new city administrator to oversee the everyday functions of the city and help craft the budget, but will no longer have a vote on the city council, unless it’s to break a tie. There are 19 people running to be the city’s new mayor. “Think Out Loud” invited the four candidates wi...
Oct 18, 2024•52 min
In 2022, Portland residents voted to drastically change the city’s form of government. That includes using ranked-choice voting to expand the city council from five seats to 12. Another change is the creation of four geographic districts, with voters in each district electing three candidates to represent them on the new council. “Think Out Loud” is hosting a series of events throughout Portland to help voters meet the district candidates. They were invited based on the number of individual dono...
Oct 17, 2024•53 min
