Beat Check with The Oregonian

The cost from the wildfires raging across our state, in damaged property and lives lost, will be unprecedented for Oregon. But the strong winds that stoked the flames and pushed the blazers toward populated areas? Forecasters saw those coming. And the winds fit a pattern that have played out through history. On this episode, reporters Kale Williams and Ted Sickinger talk about how climate change a...

Fran Howe and Larry Tripoli built their dream home 13 years ago in Gates, about 35 miles east of Salem along the Santiam River. The couple could see the river, trees and nothing else from their big windows overlooking rural Marion County's majesty. Their house was destroyed this week and Howe and Tripoli narrowly escaped the Beachie Creek fire and spent 18 hours alongside that river before being r...

On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, videographer and photographer Brooke Herbert talks about her documentary exploring the first 100 days of protests in Portland since George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis. Support this podcast and our local journalism with a subscription to OregonLive. Go to oregonlive.com/podsupport. Thank you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out in...

In April 2019, the star of a headlining show at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival went out to dinner with donors – then drinks with friends in downtown Ashland. Tony Sancho was intoxicated when police encountered him. Instead of detox, he ended up in county jail for more than 10 hours, handcuffed to a metal grate for hours. For nearly a minute a sheriff’s deputy pinned his knee to Sancho’s neck. The...

It’s strange isn’t it? Time flies, and time also drags on, and on and on – like Groundhog Day when you’re in a pandemic. Oregon's first confirmed case of COVID-19 occurred six months ago this week. The Oregonian/OregonLive's Aimee Green looked at how we've fared so far, why the state is doing better than its neighbors and why there isn't cause to celebrate just yet. A reminder, you can support the...

As Portland approaches its fourth consecutive month of nightly demonstrations following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police, The Oregonian/OregonLive examined a nearly two-decade history of police killings in Portland and found a disproportionate number of those killed were Black. According to a recent story by reporters Noelle Crombie and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, half of those shot and kil...

Americans love a good story, and if it’s a tall tale, all the better. But the stories we tell about our own history are often incomplete – at best – or outright deceptions at worst. A new book from an Oregon-born reporter outlines what he says actually happened to the middle class over the past half century – the truth, lies and omissions by our political leaders -- and explains why a true economi...

With hundreds of million dollars owed to tens of thousands of unemployed Oregonians, the state employment department made an unusual decision recently -- to wait until August to even touch a long-standing computer problem. But the massive tech problem isn’t new – the state had been putting it off for a decade, despite having money from the feds to fix it. Now, even with those delays, it’s unclear...

Oregon’s timber industry has undergone an extreme makeover in the 30 years since the fight over old growth forests and spotted owls. But despite timber companies’ diminished economic contributions, they have held on to much of their status and influence. They’ve done that with the help of an obscure public agency -- called The Oregon Forest Resources Institute. OPB, The Oregonian and ProPublica te...

Portland’s protests against racial injustice seemed to be dwindling, then the federal government came to town, ratcheting up tension. Now, state and federal leaders said they’ve reached an agreement in which state troopers will protect the courthouse and federal forces will step away, some leaving as soon as Thursday.   On this episode, three of The Oregonian/OregonLive reporters most experienced...

Reporter Celina Tebor discusses how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting a wide range of communities of color in the state. We talked about her reporting on the community that is perhaps hardest hit, Pacific Islanders, and how health officials and community leaders are racing to try and address the crisis. You can support this podcast and our local journalism with a subscription to OregonLive. Go to o...

Portland Public Schools reporter Eder Campuzano talks about the state’s largest school district’s reopening plan and what it means for everyone involved. Also, why the district is suddenly agreeing to rename Wilson High School, and potentially other public schools, in the wake of national protests surrounding racism in America. You can support this podcast and our local journalism with a subscript...

The Oregonian/OregonLive's Michael Russell discusses John Gorham's social media attacks on a trans woman of color and how it led to his abrupt downfall and shuttering of his famed Toro Bravo restaurant and several other businesses. Russell also talked about cultural appropriation in Portland's food scene and the other social media stories currently swirling that include allegations of toxic work c...

Willie Halliburton said he considered quitting a 30-year career in law enforcement after watching the video of George Floyd's death while pinned under a Minneapolis police officer's knee. Soon after, he got a phone call. He was being promoted to chief the Portland State University police department. He talked to The Oregonian/OregonLive's Maxine Bernstein about how he believes policing must change...

In an alternate universe, the University of Oregon and Nike would be celebrating the end of an action-packed week of the track and field Olympic Trials inside the new Hayward Field in Eugene. But we don’t live in that world. The brand-new track and field stadium sits empty. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, veteran sports reporter Ken Goe talks about the lost spring and summe...

For years, she was part of a chorus of voices outside Portland City Hall, pushing for change, police reform and recognition that people of color in the Rose City are unfairly targeted by law enforcement.   And when the national turmoil and pain swept through the country following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police, Jo Ann Hardesty was ready. And this time, the former state legislator and...

For decades, many Oregonians were told one story about how a small endangered bird -- the northern spotted owl – played an outsized role in undercutting counties that depend on timber revenue to fund schools and other public services. But that wasn’t – and isn’t the whole story. Guests: The Oregonian/OregonLive's Rob Davis, OPB's Tony Schick Read: Rob and Tony's story Respond: Reach out to the rep...

Portland is now in its second week of massive demonstrations and protests – with thousands of people in the street every night demanding racial justice in the name of George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor and so many other Black Americans killed by police. On this episode, you’ll hear from six community leaders -- some who have been active in Portland for decades, and others who are among the newest ge...

Tens of thousands of unemployed Oregonians are spending a lot of time on their phones right now. But this isn’t mindless scrolling. these Oregonians are waiting, and waiting, and waiting -- on hold trying to get through to the state Employment Department. The past few months have been historic in the country, and they are also unprecedented for the state's employment department, which faces a trem...

Twenty seven men sit in solitary confinement on death row in the Oregon State Penitentiary. This summer those men will be moved – but they‘re not going far. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, investigative reporter Noelle Crombie talks about her most recent stories about those inmates and the long path toward the end of capital punishment in Oregon. On the second half of the s...

Reporters for The Oregonian/OregonLive share their top takeaways from some key races in Oregon's May 19 primary election. 1:04: Everton Bailey Jr. on four Portland City Council races 15:57: Noelle Crombie on the next Multnomah County district attorney 21:47: Molly Harbarger on the Metro homeless services funding measure 26:48: Jeff Manning on the 2nd Congressional District Correction: On this epis...

Emily Powell, the CEO of Powell's Books, is a third generation leader of one of Portland's most famous businesses. But what does the iconic bookstore look like during an age of social distancing? How can it adjust and adapt. as society slowly starts to reopen? The Oregonian/OregonLive's Mike Rogoway interviewed Powell about the bookstore's future, what she's reading right now, what it's like compe...

Forty years ago today, Mount St. Helens erupted, spewing a cloud of ash and smoke for hundreds of square miles and reshaping a Cascade mountain ecosystem. But the May 18, 1980 explosion didn’t come out of nowhere, and it wasn't the only eruption that spring. Julie Tripp, a former reporter for The Oregonian, reflects on the mood of the city during that time, how The Oregonian covered the eruption a...

Coronavirus has shut down schools across the country. The impact on Oregon students is enormous. So OPB and The Oregonian are teaming up to cover the effects in a state already struggling with chronic absenteeism and low graduation rates. Today we bring you this radio story from education reporters Eder Campuzano and Elizabeth Miller. They looked at how students are faring with the difficult situa...

Weeks into a coronavirus-induced economic shutdown, some parts of Oregon could see some very small steps toward normalcy within days. Reporters Ted Sickinger and Brad Schmidt break down Gov. Kate Brown's plan for reopening the state. Reliable local journalism matters now more than ever. Please support our work for just $10 a month. Subscribe now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out infor...