Willamette Wake Up

Local Elections. Meet candidates running for Keizer City Council & Mayor with excerpts from a recent candidate forum hosted by Keizer Neighborhood Associations at the Keizer Event Center. 

In this episode of "Policy for the People", they explore Oregon’s affordability crisis through the experience of a single mother of four who works full time for the state, and relies on food pantries. Then, Kathy Lara of the Oregon Center for Public Policy discusses her research showing that many Oregon jobs simply don't pay enough to support a family. 

Local Election Coverage Fall 2026.  Doug Dailey moved to Dallas 10 years ago. He talks about the challenges & opportunities facing the City of Dallas Oregon, and why he is prepared to serve the residents in this city of 18,000 and the seat of Polk County.

Local Election Coverage Fall 2026.  Shelby Alexander, a fairly new Dallas resident, talks about the challenges & opportunities facing the City of Dallas Oregon, and why she is prepared to serve the residents in this city of 18,000 and the seat of Polk County.

Local Election Coverage Fall 2026.  David Shein, current city councilor running for re-election, talks about the challenges & opportunities facing the City of Dallas Oregon, and why he is prepared to serve the residents in this city of 18,000 and the seat of Polk County.

Local Election Coverage Fall 2026.  Larry Briggs, current city councilor running for re-election, talks about the challenges & opportunities facing the City of Dallas Oregon, and why he is prepared to serve the residents in this city of 18,000 and the seat of Polk County.

Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess joins Ken Adams to discuss the election process in Marion County.  They delve into procedures that keep voter information accurate and prevent fraud, why mailing ballots take longer now, value of drop boxes, recent threats to election officials and some Oregon history about who had the right to vote.

Conservation Spotlight talks with Nikita Vincent about natural and working lands, climate solutions and workforce development. Hear about Nikita’s work with Oregon’s Natural & Working Lands Advisory Committee and a new Oregon conservation program at Clackamas Community College.

A report from the October 17th No Kings Rally in Salem Oregon. 

Monmouth Monthly talks with Emily McNulty, Monmouth Main Street Coordinator & Monmouth Business Association Board Member, about two upcoming events in October - MI Town Halloween and Making Spirits Bright.

Policy for the People talks with Katie Bergh, a Senior Policy Analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, on how loss of food assistance through SNAP is setting the stage for much greater levels of hunger and suffering throughout Oregon and our nation. 

Elephant in the Room talks with Britney VanCritters with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters about the organization's mission and how they vet candidates for endorsement.

Local Elections Coverage talks with Micki Varney, candidate for Ward 8 City Council and Virginia Stapleton, candidate for State Senate District 11. They participated in a "Braver Angels-style" of conversation where they share their values and approach to governing to reduce polarization.  All candidates in these races were invited.

Local Elections Coverage with Marion County Commission Candidates Kevin Cameron, Sara Duncan and Maria Hinojos Pressey. They participated in a "Braver Angels-style" conversation that focuses on values and depolarizing dialogue to better hear each other, with co-hosts Melanie Zermer & Jeff Spitzer.  All candidates in these races were invited. 

Girlypop Politics talks with Salem Keizer Schools Superintendent Andrea Castañeda about the district's new reading curriculum. They discuss the benefits of "Into Reading," how the district has been preparing teachers to teach it, and best ways parents can help their children be better readers.

Find out how "Salem Rolls Forward", led by high school students Saili & Emma, would provide an accessible playground feature for kids in wheelchairs at a local park in Salem.  Learn how the project originated and how the community can help make it happen.

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.