OPB Audio

A recent study from Portland State University assessed the likelihood of environmental hazard risks, identifying many “multi-hazard hotspots” — areas that are at risk of overlapping climate hazards — along I-205. The study looked at four climate risks, including fire, urban heat, flooding and landslides. The researchers note that these hotspots for climate hazards are the same areas that have deal...

Cascadia Tech's Maritime program is kicking off its second year at the Port of Vancouver. High school juniors and seniors are learning skills that will land them industry jobs right after graduation. The program is part of a broader effort around the state to meet a growing demand for maritime workers as the industry braces for a serious shortage.

Cancer survivors say crewing a dragon boat together helps them deal with diagnoses.

The band Orquestra Pacífico Tropical has had at least 19 different members over the years, and at any given time there are at least 10 people playing on stage. David (Papi) Fimbres, who founded the band with Carlos Segovia, has been a drummer in a number of Northwest bands over the years and an essential part of Portland’s music scene. We talk to Fimbres and hear band members perform cumbia music...

The impact of the new changes on frequent riders range from minor inconveniences to changing commutes.

An inspection contractor found a chemical tank at a Washington state paper mill “not fit for continued service” 10 months before it failed in May, killing 11 in one of the deadliest U.S. workplace disasters in recent decades.

The band Orquestra Pacífico Tropical has had at least 19 different members over the years, and at any given time there are at least 10 people playing on stage. David (Papi) Fimbres, who founded the band with Carlos Segovia, has been a drummer in a number of Northwest bands over the years and an essential part of Portland’s music scene. We talk to Fimbres and hear band members perform cumbia music...

This weekend, Portlanders can enjoy food, music, dancing and more with ties to Jewish culture. The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is putting on its first Jewish cultural festival at Zidell Yards on Sunday. Marc Blattner is the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. He joins us to share more on what attendees can expect and why this event is important to have.

For nearly 50 years, the Clinton Street Theater in Portland, Ore. has hosted weekly screenings of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show starring Tim Curry. After news of Curry's death, a impromptu memorial for the actor was held with more than a hundred attendees. Fans brought flowers, dressed in drag and shared stories of the impact Curry and his work has had on them.

Oregon State University will play its first game of the new college football season next Saturday. The Beavers will also be competing this year in an expanded Pac-12 Conference that features six other football teams joining OSU and Washington State University. Gonzaga is also now a member of Pac-12, competing in basketball and other sports. The Pac-12’s new roster brings some relief for the future...

Oregon white oak is one of just three oak species native to Oregon and the primary type of oak found in the Willamette Valley. Today, 90% of white oak habitat has been lost because of development and decades of fire suppression that altered the prairies where oaks once dominated. Most of the remaining white oak habitat is on private land, so private landowners can play a vital role in restoring wh...

The rapid development and spread of AI has affected so many areas of our lives, from how we work to how we learn to the products we’re advertised and content we’re fed on social media. But as AI grows more powerful and pervasive, questions remain about how much trust we can or should place in this technology. Kate Kaye is a Portland-based independent journalist who spent nearly a year researching...

Economists also say the state may be in for more revenue as lawmakers craft a budget next year.

When the parent advocacy group Schools Beyond Screens sent out a survey to local parents regarding their thoughts on the ways PPS utilizes educational technology and screens in classrooms, parents issued remarks that too many videos were used in classrooms, and video games and screens were being used as rewards. There were also concerns about the use of “learning apps,” and many parents called for...

Earlier this month, the Spokane Complex Fires ripped through neighborhoods in the city, damaging more than 800 structures and forcing evacuations of more than 65,000 residents. One person died from medical complications she suffered while evacuating from a nursing home. Despite the loss of homes and other structures, the injury impacts of the fires were less severe, thanks in part to the city’s se...

Residents in the Washington County city of North Plains have been sharply divided for years over whether and how much to expand its urban growth boundary. City leaders passed a plan in 2024 which was overturned in a popular vote and ushered in a new anti-growth majority on the council. In less than 2 years, the majority of those councilors have resigned, along with the mayor and two subsequent rep...

The behind-the-scenes players at Portland City Hall adjust to new normal

Investigators said that the suspect, Benjamin Parker, confessed his crime to his mother before he killed himself.

In 1964, Oregon author Ken Kesey and a group of friends, known as the Merry Pranksters, embarked on a cross-country road trip from California to New York aboard a 1939 customized school bus. They painted the bus in psychedelic colors, added a rooftop platform and made other modifications. The bus known as Furthur became a symbol of the countercultural ethos of the ‘60s, from protesting the Vietnam...

Oregon has given developers $1.4 billion to fund affordable housing as the cost of developing each subsidized apartment has nearly doubled. But thanks to a carve-out in its public records law, the state doesn’t have to provide the details of that spending. Rob Davis, an investigative reporter at ProPublica, joins us with the story.

When a climber was trapped under a boulder on Mount Hood over Memorial Day weekend, the field surgical team at Oregon Health & Science University responded. The team is trained to operate on patients outside of the hospital to free them from collapsed buildings, crashed cars and other emergency situations. Justin Regner is the trauma medical director and division head of trauma, critical care and...

Yesterday, in an emergency opinion, the Supreme Court decided that the Trump Administration can go forward with an executive order that would fundamentally change the way elections are conducted in the U.S. Under the order, the Department of Homeland Security would create lists of U.S. citizens eligible to vote that it would send to states, and the U.S. Postal Service would decide who can get mail...

Portland has more than 10k fruit trees, many unkempt and dropping ripe fruit across sidewalks and parking strips. The Portland Fruit Tree Project has spent the last two decades bringing together volunteers to harvest it and distribute it to folks in need.

In 2015, Shantae Johnson and Arthur Shavers decided to embark on a major life shift and begin a career as farmers. In the past decade, their work has expanded immensely to include a nonprofit, two farms, a commercial kitchen, a food pantry in the Portland-metro area and a soon-to-be Black Community Food Hub opening in Gresham. It’s all dedicated to their mission of empowering, educating and creati...

Last spring, the city of Gresham changed its primary water source from the Bull Run Watershed to groundwater by expanding its current groundwater system. Before the switch, groundwater was primarily used as a backup resource during summer months. The choice to separate from Portland’s water systems stems from Portland’s 2017 decision to build a new water filtration plant after the Oregon Health Au...