The Oregonian/OregonLive

Beat Check with The Oregonian

News EN ↓ 360 episodes

A weekly look inside Oregon's biggest news stories with the journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive.com.

Author

The Oregonian/OregonLive

Category

News

Podcast website

www.oregonlive.com

Latest episode

Sep 8, 2025

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Episodes

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: To medicate your child or not to medicate your child? 10.08.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss the freedom to have bodily autonomy and making the right choice for your kids and the judgement that can come from it. For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonlive.com/whytho the Tuesday following the ai...

Crime beat is often unpredictable, no more so than during recent Good Samaritan hospital shooting 07.08.2023

Maxine Bernstein has covered a lot of stories in her more than two decades with The Oregonian and now OregonLive. A recent Saturday run along the waterfront quickly gave way to a long day’s work when she heard reports of a shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, not far away in Northwest Portland’s Nob Hill District. In this episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, Bernstein and Editor...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Tattoo rules 03.08.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss the Jonah Hill controversy with his former girlfriend Sarah Brady and what boundaries actually are. For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonlive.com/whytho the Tuesday following the airing of this podcas...

Who should clean up the glut of debris from homeless encampments in the Willamette River? 31.07.2023

In this episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, environmental reporter Gosia Wozniacka talks to the executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper Travis Williams. His Oregon City-based nonprofit, which aims to protect and restore the river, had spent the past two decades cleaning up trash up and down the watershed. But since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the organization had watched massive...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Why are people insufferable about birthdays? 27.07.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss "birthday people." For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonlive.com/whytho the Tuesday following the airing of this podcast! More: Read the most recent Why Tho (and columns past): https://www.oregonlive....

Extreme Heat: How cities and their residents should protect themselves 24.07.2023

Climate change is upon us – it’s a reality affecting us personally. Hot days are getting hotter and more frequent in Oregon, across the U.S. and in other parts of the world. Wildfires and “unhealthy air” days are becoming more frequent. As extreme heat becomes common and more severe, it’s leading to more heat-related illnesses, emergency room visits and deaths.  The 2021 heat dome killed 69 people...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Jonah Hill and boundaries 20.07.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss the Jonah Hill controversy with his former girlfriend Sarah Brady and what boundaries actually are. For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonlive.com/whytho the Tuesday following the airing of this podcas...

Portland’s sweeping City Hall changes are well underway 17.07.2023

Voters last fall delivered a stinging rebuke of Portland’s status quo and handily backed a sweeping ballot measure to reshape the city’s form of government and expand the City Council from five to 12 members. The crucial, painstaking work of delivering that package of reforms is now well underway. On the latest Beat Check, I talk with Portland Chief Administrative Officer Michael Jordan about one...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Can I pick my neighbor's fruit? 13.07.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss if it's okay to pick fruit if it's hanging over a sidewalk or is on a parking strip? For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonlive.com/whytho the Tuesday following the airing of this podcast! More: Read t...

Politics and education editor talks issues facing Oregonians, how politics is covered 10.07.2023

The Oregonian's Politics and Education Editor Betsy Hammond sits down for a one-on-one with Editor and Vice President of Content Therese Bottomly to talk about some of the issues in politics and education facing Oregonians. She reflects on how her team has done exemplary watchdog work in the realm of politics and about how she ended up as the politics expert she is now. Find politics and education...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Can you ask your free babysitter to clean up your home? 06.07.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss whether or not you get what you pay for with free childcare. Can you ask your free babysitter to clean up after your kid? What degree of mess constitutes this? For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonliv...

McMenamins co-founder Brian McMenamin reflects on the iconic chain's 40th anniversary 03.07.2023

In a rare interview, Brian McMenamin, who along with his brother Mike founded the McMenamins chain of pubs, breweries, and other venues in the 1980's, talks to Oregonian beer writer Andre Meunier about what the past 40 years have been like. Hint: a lot of fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Do I approach a stranger with their fly down? 29.06.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss the perils of public transit and whether they'd approach a stranger. For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonlive.com/whytho the Tuesday following the airing of this podcast! More: Read the most recent W...

This ID theft expert has advice for Oregonians after DMV hack 26.06.2023

This month, The Oregonian and OregonLive broke the news that hackers had accessed Oregon DMV data, including what state officials described as personal and sensitive information on 3.5 million drivers license and state ID holders. That’s most Oregonians. And everyone potentially affected was advised to keep a close eye on their credit report for possible fraud. So how did this happen, and what exa...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: How do I stay in the moment? 22.06.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss how to live in the moment when you're feeling stuck in life. For a more distilled version of this, check out Lizzy's column, which will publish at Oregonlive.com/whytho the Tuesday following the airing of this podcast! More: Read the most recent Why Tho (...

Digging into downtown Portland’s peril, promise 19.06.2023

Downtown Portland is the city’s economic, cultural and transportation hub. And its future remains far from certain. In this episode, The Oregonian/OregonLive's business reporter Mike Rogoway and city hall reporter Shane Dixon Kavanaugh discuss the city center’s ups and downs, its peril and promise. Read More: The Oregonian/OregonLive’s 2021 ‘Downtown in distress’ series. Are people coming back to...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Can I be mad that my bridesmaid didn’t tell me she was pregnant? 15.06.2023

Join The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker and Destiny Johnson as they discuss your conundrums for Lizzy's advice column "Why Tho?" This week they discuss who is the "bad guy" in a situation with a pregnant bridesmaid and possible bridezilla. What do you think? More: Read the most recent Why Tho (and columns past): https://www.oregonlive.com/whytho/ Lizzy’s advice also appears in our weekly advice newslette...

Significant changes in Oregon’s news publishing landscape and signs of hope 12.06.2023

The past year has brought tremendous change in Oregon’s newspaper landscape, with the closure of the Mail Tribune in Medford and the struggles of the Register-Guard and Statesman-Journal under corporate ownership. Business reporter Jeff Manning took a extensive look at the decline of the two longstanding daily newspapers in the Willamette Valley. He found the corporate ownership of the papers resu...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Should I break up with my hairdresser over memes? 08.06.2023

What should you do if you find out your hairdresser is sending violent memes to public figure on social media? Is that cause to break off your relationship with them? The Oregonian's Lizzy Acker is here to give you advice for life on this and more. She's joined by producer Destiny Johnson and they talk out this conundrum (and share stories) that will be distilled into her popular advice column Why...

Publishing Prejudice series shows how The Oregonian cheered the destruction of Albina 05.06.2023

Starting last year, The Oregonian turned its investigative spotlight on itself. The result was Publishing Prejudice, a disturbing look at the news organization’s history of racism in its reporting and its editorial advocacy. A recent installment covered The Oregonian’s reporting after the 1948 Vanport Flood, and in particular its failure to humanize its disproportionate impact on city’s Black resi...

Why Tho? with Lizzy Acker: Should I ask my friend to give back a baby shower gift after she miscarried? 01.06.2023

Why Tho? The Podcast goes behind the scenes of Lizzy Acker's advice column for The Oregonian. Listen each week as Lizzy, producer Destiny Johnson and occasional guests dissect reader questions for future columns. New episodes come out every Thursday right here in the Beat Check with The Oregonian feed. In the first episode, Lizzy and Destiny talk about some of the best and worst advice they've eve...

Heat pumps vs. gas furnaces: How to weigh cost and climate implications: Beat Check podcast 29.05.2023

Heat pumps are soaring in popularity due to their energy efficiency and ability to reduce utility bills. Brian Stewart, the co-founder of Portland-based nonprofit Electrify Now, talked about why heat pumps beat gas stoves most of the time and how to afford one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming Thursday: Why Tho? The Podcast, Lizzy Acker's advice column in audio form (Trailer) 27.05.2023

Why Tho? The Podcast goes behind the scenes of Lizzy Acker's advice column for The Oregonian. Listen each week as Lizzy, producer Destiny Johnson and occasional guests dissect reader questions for future columns. New episodes come out every Thursday right here in the Beat Check with The Oregonian feed. More: Find the full archive of the Why Tho? advice column here: https://www.oregonlive.com/advic...

Beat Check introduces new hosts, relaunches May 29 26.05.2023

We’re excited to announce that the Beat Check with The Oregonian podcast is coming back starting Monday, May 29. But it’s going to sound a little different. We’ll still take you behind the headlines of the biggest news stories in Oregon. But now, it’ll be with a new crew of hosts. You’ll hear from reporter Shane Dixon Kavanaugh who covers City Hall, Gosia Wozniacka who covers the environment, Elli...

The Unidentifieds Episode 6: Closure 15.05.2023

What would you do if someone you loved vanished and was never heard from again? That was the case for several families we interviewed on the first five episodes of The Unidentifieds podcast. In previous episodes, we explored the rapidly expanding use of genetic genealogy in finding the identities of long lost souls whose remains were found in Oregon. We told the stories of a nomadic Navy veteran,...

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