City Cast Portland

Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about the city’s recently launched auto and retail theft task force, a Portland resident survey that’s tracked our most common concerns, and a city contractor that’s been overcharging victims of theft and vandalism. Joining host Claudia Meza are the Oregonian's city hall reporter, Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, and City Cast Portland lead producer John Notarianni...

Today we’re talking with Noa Rubin, a community organizer for the paddle boarding group SUP PDX. Noa has also been kayaking and paddling on the Willamette for over 13 years. She’s here to share tips for the best routes and how to stay safe out on the river. Routes discussed in today’s episode: George Rogers Park Ross Island Loop Willamette Narrows Willamette Falls Willamette Falls to St. Johns (or...

The Portland area has already had another hot, dry summer, and we still have a month to go. So today on City Cast Portland we’re talking with Eden Dawn, author of “The Portland Book of Dates” and co-host of the “We Can’t Print This” podcast. She’s going to share some creative ways to escape the summer heat. Picks from today’s episode: Get comfy at Cinemark Century Eastport Plaza 16. Order a shaken...

Several stories this year have documented Portland’s slow emergency response times, but what is the city doing about it? A few years ago, city hall created the Community Safety Division to try and fix Portland’s emergency response system. The goal is that by mid-2024, the financial operations of Portland’s four public safety bureaus will live under one roof. Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talk...

Tater tots are ubiquitous in Portland. You can get them specially seasoned and served with creative dipping sauces — or even as “totchos,” aka tater tot nachos. But did you know a big reason for that is because Oregon invented the tater tot?! Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with food writer and OPB’s Superabundant newsletter producer Heather Arndt Anderson about Oregon’s starchy history...

Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about the latest developments in downtown’s open-air drug markets, heat mapping the east side, and the city’s decision to stop funding the Regional Arts and Culture Council. Joining host Claudia Meza for this week’s news roundup are Willamette Week’s “Dive” podcast host and "Potlander" column author Brianna Wheeler and our very own lead producer, John Not...

There are plenty of places to grab a drink in our city, and nowhere is as quintessentially Portland as the humble neighborhood bar. But there’s an unspoken code of conduct at these places. Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with Tanya Frantzen about Portland bar etiquette. She owns The Basement Pub and the B-Side Tavern, and is the author of “Happy 21st Birthday: A Field Guide for Bar Patr...

A coalition of sex workers, their allies, and lawmakers are encouraging Oregon to decriminalize sex work. They say current laws punish consenting adults who buy and sell sex, drawing a distinction from sex trafficking. But how would that work? And how will this differ from the messy process of decriminalizing drug possession in the state? Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with Elle Stange...

We made it to the dog days of summer! There’s nothing more tempting than catching some cooler, fresher air on the Oregon coast. Today on City Cast Portland, host Claudia Meza is joined by producers John Notarianni and Giulia Fiaoni as they share their top picks for fun coastal day trips. Destinations mentioned in today’s episode: Astoria:  The Haunt Gearhart: The Beard family cabin Good Times Seas...

We often think of Oregon as a verdant wonderland, which is why it’s surprising that Portland has some of the worst air quality in the nation—and it’s getting worse. So why is it so bad? And what can we do about it? As we sit smack dab in the middle of another smoky wildfire season, we’re sharing a conversation from earlier this year with the executive director of Neighbors for Clean Air, Mary Peve...

Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about the first rollout of Mayor Ted Wheelers’ Alchemy-managed shelter sites, the wrangling of our city’s Clean Energy Fund, and the controversial attempts by certain city council members to modify the voter-approved charter reform. Joining host Claudia Meza in this week’s news roundup are Portland Mercury’s news editor, Courtney Vaughn, and our very own...

Last month when Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek announced that the state wouldn’t toll highways until at least 2026, the Oregon Department of Transportation pumped the brakes on a billion-dollar plan to expand I-5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter. That was big news for Adah Crandall of Sunrise Movement, a national youth climate justice organization. Adah has led the fight against the I-5 expansion, despite...

McMenamins, the ubiquitous chain of brewpubs, is turning 40 years old! Did you know many of their locations are in rehabilitated historic properties, and at least nine are on the National Register of Historic Places? There’s a lot more to them than just tater tots and beer.  To celebrate, host Claudia Meza is joined by our very own producers, Giulia Fiaoni and John Notarianni, to discuss our most-...

Our 911 line has come under fire recently for long hold times and slow emergency response. But the city’s Bureau of Emergency Communications, or BOEC, has been working hard to shorten response times all around. And just this month, they scored a big win; one of their dispatchers, Stephen Zipprich, was named North American 911 Dispatcher of the Year. Mayor Wheeler even declared an official day last...

Searching for restaurants to eat at earlier in the week, especially on a Monday, can feel impossible. Staffing shortages, inflation, and other costs of doing business are making eateries all over Portland prioritize opening closer to the weekends, which typically bring in more customers. Today, Eater Portland editor Brooke Jackson-Glidden joins host Claudia Meza with her picks on where to find top...

Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about the county backtracking on a fentanyl harm reduction initiative, Commissioner Mingus Mapps announcing his mayoral run, and an apology video from a Portland police officer. Plus, a highly important detour into the Jonah Hill texts scandal. Willamette Week city hall reporter Sophie Peel and our lead producer John Notarianni join host Claudia Meza to d...

Small businesses across Portland have been struggling: first with the pandemic, then with inflation, and now with the rising number of petty crimes. Many of these business owners love the communities they serve but are finding a recent wave of crime increasingly challenging and disheartening. Today host Claudia Meza talks with Nicole Blanchette, co-owner of the Leisure Public House, a restaurant a...

Portland’s food scene is so tuned into our changing seasons that we even have seasonal restaurants in the form of pop-ups. This summer, we’re seeing a wave of food experimentation from some very talented chefs, but where to go? Today we’re talking with Michael Russell, restaurant critic and food writer over at the Oregonian. He’s already done the legwork finding this year’s best short-run eating s...

After a hot, dry spring, Oregon has a long wildfire season ahead: a new report says all of Northwest Oregon and much of Central Oregon are at above-normal fire danger for all of July and August. Zach Urness, Outdoors Editor for Statesman Journal and host of the "Explore Oregon Podcast," has been keeping a close eye on this summer’s fire season. He’s here to tell us what to expect, knowing the smok...

Portland pizza is strangely controversial. Not because of how it tastes but for how highly rated it has become. Ken’s Artisan Pizza was even crowned the second-best shop IN THE WORLD earlier this year. Plus a few weeks ago, the Top 50 Pizza list included not just Ken’s Artisan Pizza as the third-best in the country, but also ranked Apizza Scholls and Nostrana among the best.  In celebration of tha...

Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about a century-old downtown building being renovated to help people move out of homelessness, our ever-increasing mosquito population, and how our city is becoming a destination for people fleeing red states. Joining host Claudia Meza for this week’s news roundup are KBOO news director Althea Billings and our very own audio producer, Giulia Fiaoni. Stori...

At the peak of drag performance being criminalized across the country, the downtown clothing store Wildfang has partnered with the iconic Darcelle XV Showplace to break a Guinness World Record for the longest drag artist stage show. Kicking off on Monday, the event is also raising $250k for LGBTQ+ youth. So today on City Cast Portland, host Claudia Meza talks with Kevin Cook or, as he’s better kno...

Today on City Cast Portland, host Claudia Meza is talking with Willamette Week city hall and politics reporter Sophie Peel about the future of Portland Street Response. Especially now that its founding program manager, Robyn Burek*, has resigned.  Studies have shown that the roughly two-year-old program has been successful in not only assisting people experiencing mental and behavioral health cris...

Big changes could be coming to the Lloyd Center now that Mayor Wheeler is backing a proposal to turn it into a Major League Baseball stadium. But Portland’s beloved shopping mall still has plenty of life left in it: Sometime last year, a new buzz began growing around the space, and people started affectionately referring to it as the “Punk Rock Mall.” Local vendors started opening smaller, more ec...

Today on City Cast Portland, host Claudia Meza wraps up this year’s legislative session with Oregon Public Broadcasting’s politics and government reporter, Dirk VanderHart, and our very own lead producer, John Notarianni. We’re talking about what passed, what failed, and what will continue gumming up the process for the next go-around. Stories discussed in today’s episode: After record-breaking le...