Beat Check with The Oregonian

Tina Kotek cruised to the Democratic party's nomination. Christine Drazan appeared to lock up the Republican nomination. Betsy Johnson, the former Democratic state lawmaker-turned-unaffiliated-candidate awaits. On this instant reaction episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, politics reporter Hillary Borrud looks ahead to the three-way race for governor in November. [FYI - Andrew flubbed the yea...

Stand-up comedy is in the midst of a cultural resurgence – with new specials available seemingly on every streaming service on a weekly basis. A new book from a Portland author goes deep on the trail blazing women who burst onto the scene, grabbed the mic and changed the medium for the better. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, Amy Wang chats with Shawn Levy. Levy was film cri...

The Portland metro is in the midst of an ongoing gun violence crisis – and homicides are already on pace to eclipse last year’s record in the city. But there’s another crisis that claimed more lives in Portland and Multnomah county last year that doesn’t get as much attention: fentanyl overdoses. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, we talk with Maxine Bernstein. We talked about...

It’s election time again and this year Oregonians have a ton on their minds – and not all of it is positive. How will that affect the Democrats who hold power in the governor’s mansion and beyond? On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, we chat with politics reporters Hillary Borrud and Chris Lehman. Chris and Hillary break down some of the big storylines in the May primary – when...

Perhaps you’ve missed the memo, but Beaverton is where it’s at. Yes, Beaverton -- the previously sleepy suburb in Washington County, smaller than its neighbor Hillsboro -- is suddenly home to a slew of new bars and restaurants. Oh, and a performing arts center. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, we go deep on Beaverton. We invited Andre Meunier, Grant Butler and Michael Russel...

It’s been a bit of an anxious time for Oregon’s largest employer. A change at the top. A gargantuan new campus in suburban Ohio. Stocks took a big hit. But last week Intel celebrated the completion of a massive expansion in Hillsboro, and the tech giant effectively reaffirmed Oregon’s importance to its present and future. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, business and technol...

For more than a century, Portland’s been keeping its form of government weird. Portland's government was always odd but now it's an outlier. No large city has a government like Portland. Eight times in the last century, voters have had the chance to ditch Portland’s commission form of government. Eight times they said no. Could the ninth time be different?   On the latest episode of Beat Check wit...

Maybe you’ve seen messages about it on NextDoor, or on Facebook, or heard from a friend. Maybe it’s happened to you. People are stealing Catalytic converters at unprecedented rates from vehicles across Portland. And for many residents, the property crime goes beyond mere inconvenience. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, we talk to breaking news reporter Savannah Eadens. Savann...

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into a second month, Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans in Oregon are still having trouble wrapping their minds around what they’re seeing and hearing on the news. Russia and Ukraine have a long history as “brotherly nations,” explains Oregonian/OregonLive reporter Fedor Zarkhin, who speaks Russian and has spent time living and working in Ukraine. On th...

Portland is still struggling to help people into safe housing – and street camping, trash and other visible signs of the crisis continue to be big issues inside City Hall and across the Rose City   On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, reporter Nicole Hayden discusses the latest developments on her beat. Hayden covers homelessness. We talked about her street survey that found hun...

Portland needed a win, and it came in the form of a $425 million donation to the University of Oregon from Connie and Steve Ballmer. UO wants to buy the former Concordia University campus in Northeast Portland for $60.5 million. But it’s far from a done deal -- that school’s old ghosts continue to complicate the present and future of the former Lutheran school’s campus. On the latest episode of Be...

Oregon and the nation are at another COVID crossroads – And this time things look more optimistic But that doesn’t mean everyone is in the same proverbial boat.   Up next, Aimee Green and Fedor Zarkhin, two of my colleagues who’ve reported on the pandemic extensively, in Fedor’s case, before we knew COVID was in Oregon.   We talked about this moment in time two years into COVID life, what the end...

Portland has rarely seen a deadlier weekend. A mass shooting at Normandale Park left one dead. A drive by shooter killed a mother and wounded her 1 and 5 year old. Portland police fatally shot a man while responding to a disturbance call.   On the latest episode of Beat Check, we chat with Maxine Bernstein and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh. Max has covered police and law enforcement issues for the Oregoni...

Portland lost another of its earliest and most significant breweries, and a newcomer to town in search of beer glory in Beervana abruptly shuttered its Portland operations. It’s time for our occasional check in with Andre Meunier, the Oregonian and OregonLive’s beer writer. Meunier is also a breaking news editor.   We talked about Hair of the Dog’s closure, Modern Times flaming out in Portland, wh...

What a city, state or nation recognizes, and preserves is a good indicator of what it values. A trio of Portland landmarks that are vital to the city’s Black history may soon be listed on the national register of historic places. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, we talked to Kimberly Brown, owner of Dean’s Beauty Salon and Barber shop in Northeast Portland and Kim Moreland,...

When Governor Kate Brown leaves at the end of the year, conversations about her legacy will likely focus on the pandemic and the state’s response to it. But there’s another story that hasn’t received as much attention – Brown’s record setting pace of commutations or pardons to incarcerated people.   In an interview with The Oregonian, Brown said, “While it is not a replacement for criminal justice...

Oregon’s largest employer is expanding – big time – but it won’t be in Oregon.   Last month, Intel announced a $20 billion expansion in Ohio, promising to hire 3,000 for two new factories. And that sparked big concerns in the Beaver State. But the decision wasn’t surprising.   On this bonus episode, we talked with Mike Rogoway, business and technology reporter for the Oregonian and OregonLive.   W...

Oregon is home to one of the only saltwater lakes in the country: Lake Albert. And twice in the past decade the southeast Oregon lake has all but dried up. The once vibrant landscape has turned into an abandoned salt pan.    On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, investigative reporter for the Oregonian and OregonLive Rob Davis discusses why the state prevented an environmental st...

Change is hard. Oregon’s Legislature is about to see a boat load of change – with different people set to lead the house, senate and the governor’s office in the span of the next year.   It’s a fascinating time in Salem.   On this episode, Hillary Borrud, state government reporter for the Oregonian/Oregon, explains all the retirements, appointments and moving chairs.   We talked about Peter Courtn...

Travis Boersma helped start an iconic Oregon company, and the Dutch Bros cofounder is suddenly one of the state’s wealthiest residents. But in recent months Boersma’s other passion – horse racing – is suddenly at the center of a political drama. And Boersma is threatening to lay off more than 200 employees if his plans aren’t approved in Salem.   On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregon...

Hillsboro is Oregon’s fifth largest city. It’s not a small place. But as Mayor Steve Callaway will tell you, downtown Hillsboro is special. Now, that downtown is hurting. A shocking four-alarm fire the first Sunday of the year destroyed eight businesses and displaced 20 more. It wasn’t the only fire of the weekend. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, Samantha Swindler talks abo...

Sometimes all you need to get through a given day is an unexpected ray of light in the form of a cursing crow (or raven) named Cosmo who befriended an entire Oregon elementary school. On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, we chat with Lizzy Acker, reporter for the Oregonian and OregonLive. Acker talks about how she got the story, why it resonated so much and a lot more about Cosm...

This is episode four of Public Plea, a five-part series reported and produced by current and former University of Oregon journalists and professor Ed Madison. We're sharing the five-part series here over the next few days. Subscribe anywhere you listen to podcasts to get the episodes in your Beat Check feed. Here's the Public Plea website. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information....

This is episode four of Public Plea, a five-part series reported and produced by current and former University of Oregon journalists and professor Ed Madison. We're sharing the five-part series here over the next few days. Subscribe anywhere you listen to podcasts to get the episodes in your Beat Check feed. Here's the Public Plea website. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information....

This is episode three of Public Plea, a five-part series reported and produced by current and former University of Oregon journalists and professor Ed Madison. We're sharing the five-part series here over the next few days. Subscribe anywhere you listen to podcasts to get the episodes in your Beat Check feed. Here's the Public Plea website. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information...