The Best Of Citizen Smith

An interview with The Earwig 22, an established artist and illustrator, who along with a team of eight other local artists are finishing a massive mural in the Central Eastside of Portland. 

Thad Fisco has been a Portland businessman for over 20 years as a commercial developer, entrepreneur and owner of Portland Kettle Works. He has seen the city rise from the recession of 2008, a situation that required local innovation and investment and now must overcome the economic challenges posed by the pandemic.

There are 50 or more strip clubs in Portland, Oregon, a huge industry but many may not survive the pandemic, like all the other businesses in the city. And it's time for the Mayor to take a leadership role to address the ongoing issues destroying the city

Newly transplanted to Portland, 22-year-old film director Celia Boussebaa, and 23-year-old Chris Hausler, director of photography, share their experience shooting a documentary for 3 months in the Sidama region of Ethiopia, profiling the lives of four women living in a rural village of coffee farms and a washing station.

President Biden declared all adults 16 and older to be eligible for the Covid vaccine as of April 19. The real estate market is overheating in Portland as well as other cities around the country and around the world. Is there a worldwide bubble on the horizon?

It's a black and white episode with guest co-host Ray Lane. It's only a few weeks away for many in the general public to get their coronavirus vaccine, but this is no time to let your guard down because it can still kill you. The Citizen's Movie reviews today feature "Nobody" and "Minari."

Prison, drug addiction, recovery and the owner of a multi-million dollar bread company, Dave Dahl has experienced it all, and discusses it all in this in-depth, no holds barred interview.

States are rolling out Covid vaccines for adults 16 and older, some have begun already like California, others will follow -- like Oregon. Animals that carry the coronavirus are everywhere, and the next pandemic could come from one of them. The trial for officer Derek Chauvin is underway for George Floyd's death and emotions are running high.

It's taken a while, but movie theaters in Portland are opening their doors to the public with 50 percent capacity allowed. Do black musicians have real acceptance in the music industry, this and other issues of race are discussed with guest Ray Lane, an interracial man and musician with a lot of opinions and insight.

The Portland City Council is proposing more temporary shelters for the thousands of homeless living on the city's sidewalks in tents. President Biden held his first press conference -- and it wasn't good. China shuts down H&M app after its decision to stop purchasing cotton from Xinjiang over alleged forced labor.

Is the banning of assault rifles the solution to America's mass shootings? Weapons in the hands of mentally ill people is an issue that also must be addressed. Portland protests once again take to the streets, but the city is starting to crack down. Summer learning programs are available to Oregonians courtesy of a $250 million spending plan.

Discovering a new city like Portland is full of surprises, especially for food lovers like the Citizen, who randomly found 82nd Avenue, a one-mile stretch of Asian restaurants and markets. Covid vaccines are growing by the millions every week as herd immunity is getting closer for Americans. 

The Weatherly Building in Portland was defaced with graffiti, a high risk endeavor by the perpetrators. Asian-American racism is on the rise in America, and the mass murder of 8 people in Atlanta, 6 who were Asian women, fuels more fear in the Asian communities. China and the US get into a heated discussion during a photo op at their high-level talks in Alaska.

The most courteous drivers in America are right here in Portland, Oregon They stop for pedestrians to cross streets; they don't honk their horns, and they abide by the driving laws -- Portland automobile drivers are the best. China is illegally fishing in international waters, but the U.S. Coast Guard is increasingly watching and enforcing international protection. 

Teaching students online rather than in a classroom setting is preferred by some parents -- is that a good thing? Covid vaccinations are over 100 million in the U.S. as herd immunity gets closer. And the stimulus packages need to be paid back, and it looks like the wealthiest citizens will likely be the ones shouldering the tax burden.

Schools are slowly reopening in Portland with elementary students expected to finally be in the classroom at the end of March. Restaurants and other social gathering places for Oregon and Washington allowing 50 percent capacity -- it's a start!

Citizen Smith goes live for the first time in the talkcastPDX studios. His introduction to Portland and the first impression of the Rose City.

An interview with Morgen McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, and an interview with Kellie Cook, Athletic Director of Cleveland High School in Portland, Oregon

Daily deaths from the coronavirus are drastically down, but the country nears 500,000 who have died from it. Half the schools in U.S. remain closed as teachers' unions refuse to return to the classroom. China's military has been conducting animal experiments with coronavirus, says Ex-deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger. And remembering Dianna Ortiz, a nun who survived torture in Guatam...

A riveting landing is captured by NASA of the Perseverance Rover landing on Mars. The diversity of people of color and women and men, is also historic. Rush Limbaugh died. Love him or hate him, he broke new ground in the talk radio world. And WHO looks for the animal or animals that may have carried the coronavirus in China's Wuhan market.

In this insightful interview, Paul Bogdanich, who founded the website Stocks at a Glance in Portland, Oregon, offers his unique perspective on the stock market and politics.

Trump is free to run again for the presidency now that he was acquitted. And another Trump may seek a Senate seat -- Lara Trump. The CDC issued guidelines for teachers and in-classroom teaching. And China refuses to provide Covid data to WHO that could help identify its origin.

Trump's legal team will spend a few hours arguing his case using the First Amendment as a defense. Biden puts on hold a government mandate to sell Tik Tok. And an interview with Peter Weber, Executive Director of the Oregon School Activities Association, to discuss the start of football and other high school sports.

The Senate presents its case today in the impeachment trial of Trump, but the likely outcome will be to acquit without the necessary Republican votes. The WHO published its findings on the source of the coronavirus, sticking to the original theory of animal to human transmission-- but questions remain about its origin. And an interview with Tracy Hobbs of Oregon Antique Buyer to talk about the str...

The coronavirus is going to be with us for a long time, say experts, so we need to prepare for the new normal of living with this novel virus -- much like the flu. An inside look at the illegal kidney trade in Afghanistan, makes one glad to be living in America. And Made in America is a Biden executive order for government procurements, but it's more complicated than that.