Willamette Wake Up

Hear from leaders in the City of Independence about the journey that led the city to close parks in September, even after passing a fee increase in June to keep them open, and how voters in November will have a say in the matter. Listen to the conversation with Mayor Kate Schwarzler, City Manager Kenna West and Andrea Van Heeswyk with Friends of Community Parks.

Conservation Spotlight explores "Connected Habitat," a new program through Polk Soil & Water Conservation District, aimed at anyone who wants to create a better habitat for wildlife - from backyards to farms to forests. Guests Jessica Wright and Izzy Mason, with the Polk SWCD tells you how to get started.

Monmouth Monthly talks with Jessica Steed about the upcoming Smith Fine Arts 2026-27 series that starts Sept 24th. They also share how the series is expanding by incorporating additional jazz performances and some lectures.

Dr. Jillian Gregg, Oregon State University's Crop & Soil Science Department and founding CEO of Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates, explains how climate scientists are pushing for climate models to include natural emissions (e.g. methane emissions from permafrost melts) for their models to better predict climate changes.

Hyper scale or A.I. data centers are getting a lot of scrutiny from communities in many states.  A recent push by Verrus to site a center in Salem Oregon brought out hundreds to a city council meeting to oppose it. Hear from a few Oregonians, including the governor, calling for the legislature to put a three-year moratorium on data centers at rally in front of the State Capitol in Salem on Septemb...

Policy for the People explores what’s happened in states that have cut income taxes while increasing their reliance on sales taxes, with Alexandra Sirota of North Carolina’s Budget and Tax Center. 

Girlypop Politics talks with Holly Scheifelbien, biology instructor at Chemeketa Community College, about what it looks like to be part of a faculty in higher education in the world of Artificial Intelligence. 

Willamette Block Party reflects on favorite moments from the year with a compilation of powerful conversations on grace, healing, identity, and building access where there wasn't any. Featuring Rod Stanley, Dr. Jumesha Wade, Glitter Gloria, Sarah Arbuckle, Janique Crenshaw, Arjay Mendiola, and Juli Ray. 

Keeping Oregon Oregon talks with Anna Kemper, Great Communities Program Director with 1000 Friends of Oregon, about Oregon land use Goal 10: Housing. Oregon's Land Use Goal 10 focuses on ensuring adequate housing availability by requiring cities to inventory buildable lands suitable for residential use. 

School starts next week and school buses will be on the road again. Resident Debbie Posterick; TJ Crocket, Salem-Keizer Public Schools; and Mark Jantz, Salem Police Department discuss the "rules of the road" when encountering a school bus. 

Holla for Labor celebrates labor day early through a conversation with Graham Trainor, Oregon Federation of Labor (formerly AFL-CIO) about the resurgence of organized labor and its importance to strengthening families. 

Learn about a new Urban Renewal Area (URA) proposed for the City of Salem in the North Riverfront area along Front St. Dana DeKlyen with Salem's Planning Division will describe the purpose of a URA, benefits and trade-offs, and a public hearing happening Aug 24th where the public can weigh in. 

Conservation Spotlight continues the conversation from July about the proposed Detroit Dam drawdown from a fish biology perspective, with Greg Taylor from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE). This project, designed to save salmon, could impact drinking water and a recreation-based economy in near-by communities. They talk about how the ACE is trying to mitigate possible problems and how they plan t...

Monmouth Monthly introduces the Crackpots! Elinor Maroney, Ellen Osborn, Sue Mason, and Paula Booth talk about their upcoming art exhibit at Western Oregon University. Hear the artists talk about their combined 150 years of pottery, what's inspired their work, and ways you can pick up some original pieces. 

Policy for the People shares a conversation with Jennifer Sherer of the Economic Policy Institute about the far-reaching benefits of greatly increasing union membership, from a big boost to wages, the narrowing of the racial wage gap, stronger democracy, and more. 

Willamette Block Party talks with Dr. Jumesha Wade for a powerful conversation about grief, rest, and creating space for ourselves in a world that never seems to slow down. They explore how intentional pauses can help us process loss, reconnect with our purpose, and better care for our communities. Plus, upcoming August events hosted by Black leaders across the Willamette Valley.

Keeping Oregon Oregon examines the growing list of threats to Oregon farmland with Nellie McAdams, Oregon Agricultural Trust and board member of 1000 Friends of Oregon. 

Elephant in the Room talks with Kelly Campbell, Columbia River Keeper, about the importance of community access to data about energy used by hyper-scale data centers, and how putting a pause on new developments can help bring the data to light. 

Salem City Councilor Micki Varney will review the process, recent developments, and upcoming Salem City Council meeting concerning AI data centers after the public hearing last week on the Verrus proposal. Councilor Varney addresses the recently passed ban on nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) for data centers, and creation of a task force to determine criteria to be in place when evaluating data cen...

Superintendent Andrea Castenada and Board Director Jennifer Parker talk about creating an overarching policy to guide the district in addressing safety issues in the schools, and the issues and parameters guiding the process. 

Get a sneak peak into the iconic Englewood Forest Festival in Salem and meet some of the participants for 2026. Set in a forested park, the festival features local music & dance performers, artists and conservation groups in one family-friendly setting.  Organizer, Lynn Takata provides an overview and Aislinn Adams, Kathy Kem and Melissa Theve talk about their specific contributions.

Salem City Council met July 27, 2026 to hear from residents about a data center proposed to be built in Salem by Verrus, a data center developer. The development became public while still under a "nondisclosure agreement (NDA)," so still far from being a reality. But city leaders wanted to hear what residents thought earlier in the process rather than later.  Residents were vocal in their oppositi...

Program host Melanie Zermer reviews her take on pros & cons of a proposed data center coming to Salem Oregon, in light of a public hearing on the issue coming before Salem City Council July 27, 2026.  She explores issues communities grapple with when evaluating benefits and negative impacts of data centers, different kinds of data centers and some specifics about the proposed Verrus project ca...

Holla for Labor talks with Joe Kurmaskie, Reborn Bikes and Eva Pigotti, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action about the importance of community giving and another bike fest coming to Salem on September 26. 2026. 

Learn how to stay safe during extreme heat events with Michael Keuler, Environmental Health Resiliency Coordinator. Michael shares information about the negative impacts of extreme heat on our health and ways to prevent, identify & treat heat medical emergencies.