OPB Audio

Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, who was detained by federal immigration officials July 15, is being held at a detention center in Tacoma, Washington.

Faced with a 14% budget shortfall in the next biennium, Oregon State Parks is looking for new business partners to help offset some costs. Otherwise, the agency may need to cancel park expansions, reduce staff and consider closing some parks in 2027.

Some attendees said this year’s celebrations felt more urgent, given the Trump administration’s positions on LGBTQ+ issues.

NBA All-Star Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year contract to return to the Portland Trail Blazers.

A federal grant that helps student parents pay for child care is on the chopping block. The grant’s elimination would make it even harder for the one in five Oregon undergraduate students who are parents to obtain a degree.

Revived clinic brings hope to Sheridan, but Medicaid cuts threaten its future

What was once a free-for-all animal extravaganza in the streets of the Central Oregon city now has some rules — and a kangaroo.

Oregon’s PacWave testing facility is now complete — but delays and cuts to federal funding for renewable energy development could impact its future.

One of the most diverse cities in Oregon is growing faster than ever following the implementation of a groundbreaking restaurant strategy eight years ago. Here’s how it happened, and what’s next.

New technology helps make golf more inclusive

Last week, congressional Republicans passed a domestic policy bill that makes sweeping changes to safety net programs like Medicaid. An analysis of an earlier version of the bill found that Oregon would be disproportionately hit by Medicaid cuts, with more people likely to lose coverage and end up uninsured. We hear from Eric Hunter, President and CEO of the state's largest Medicaid provider, Care...

Jewish leaders in Portland say they have seen more people express an interest in converting, a process that can last a year or longer.

Congressional Republicans have passed their sweeping domestic policy bill. In Oregon, the impacts of the legislation will be significant.

The U.S. Senate passed their version of President Donald Trump’s budget bill Tuesday. Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley called the final vote, which came after hours of debate, “extraordinarily painful” and said the process of crafting the final bill was “the most chaotic legislative process” he’s ever seen.

Lewis river restoration forges ahead despite funding questions

Luis Lamas close to leave the United States at a moment, politically, when the Trump administration has made immigration a centerpiece policy. The administration is vowing to deport millions of immigrants without legal status, whether they have a criminal record, or not. But while the administration’s crackdown on immigration played a role in his decision, it’s more complicated than that. In some...

Yang became the third Chinese-born player ever taken in the first round of the NBA Draft. OPB’s Winston Szeto interviewed Yang at the Blazer’s Tualatin facility about his forthcoming move to Portland and the Blazers.

Most people are familiar with the green, spicy paste served next to sushi or sashimi, but the vast majority of folks in the U.S. have been eating dyed-green horseradish. Earlier this month, OPB's Crystal Ligori went to WasabiFest in Portland, and got a taste of some freshly grated wasabi grown on the Oregon Coast.

Kelly Ramsey’s literary memoir details her ‘circuitous’ journey from poet to being the only woman on an elite hotshot firefighting crew.

The Portland Trail Blazers made international headlines with their first pick in the NBA draft. Yang Hansen is a 20-year-old center from China. He was not on most NBA watchers’ radar to be picked in the first round. But Blazers general manager Joe Cronin says they’ve been watching Yang for years, and calls him a very unique talent. Yang's arrival to Portland could add a ton of newfound Blazers fan...

Some agriculture experts in the region are starting to consider “climate” as an ingredient in the food industry. Increased temperatures and more extreme weather patterns have impacted how and where some of our Northwest food staples grow.

Volunteers fill gaps in rural Oregon emergency medical care

The Oregon Country Fair is a special place and time of year for many people in the Pacific Northwest. Started in 1969, the fair takes place on a 20 acre fairyland of forests and meadows outside Eugene the second weekend of July. It’s sort of a renaissance fair, meets-hippie counterculture meetup, meets music festival. An hour-long OPB Oregon Art Beat special about the fair premieres on June 27th....

Clark County, Washington maps out its next 20 years