Think Out Loud

In 2012, photographer Matika Wilbur sold everything in her Seattle apartment and set off to document the 562 federally recognized indigenous tribes in the country. Over a decade and hundreds of thousands of miles later, she released a book called “ Project 562 .” We talked to Wilbur in June 2023 about her journey, her book, and her mission to provide Native Americans images that are mo...

Some might argue that pie is the quintessential American dessert. Certainly Stacey Mei Yan Fong makes that argument in her cookbook. Fong’s “50 pies, 50 states” is an “immigrant’s love letter” to this country as told through pie. OPB’s Crystal Ligori talked to Fong at the 2023 Portland Book Festival.

Indigenous author, botanist and professor Robin Wall Kimmerer is best known for her  book “Braiding Sweetgrass,” which was published in 2013 and is about the reciprocal relationships between humans and the land. Her first book, “Gathering Moss,” was published a decade earlier by Oregon State University Press. Kimmerer is in Corvallis to accept Oregon State University&r...

In 2019, Isabeau Waia’u Walker quit her job as a teacher with the aim of becoming a full-time musician. Despite the disruptions of the pandemic, Waia’u Walker has succeeded.  Waia’u Walker, who sometimes sings in her native Hawaiian, released her second album, “Heavyweight,” last month. Waia’u Walker joins us in the studio for a conversation and performance...

Over the last eight years, Oregon has seen growth in the number of primary care providers, but according to experts, the state will need more than a 40% increase in practitioners to meet growing demand in the next decade. Betsy Boyd-Flynn is the CEO of the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians. Jane Akpamgbo is a family physician for Kaiser Permanente and president-elect of OAFP. Eva McCarthy is a c...

Just a couple of years ago, agricultural and public health officials were hopeful that they could keep avian flu from thriving in Oregon. But thrive it did, and some Oregonians’ so-called backyard bird farms have been devastated by infections, as the birds must be euthanized if the virus is detected. It wasn’t too long before the bird flu jumped to dairy cows, whose milk must be dumped...

Thanksgiving cooking could mean hours in the kitchen -- and it can be stressful, managing timing or different dietary needs. Do you have menu questions? Or tips for pulling off a successful meal for family and friends? OPB “Superabundant” contributor and food writer Heather Arndt Anderson joins us to answer your questions

The Native American Youth and Family Center has hosted a series of events throughout November that celebrate survival and solidarity with the Portland Native community. The tending days at NAYA’s gardens at the Neerchokikoo Campus allow people to connect with the land and honor indigenous resilience. We learn more about the events from Lucy Suppah, Indigenous Food Sovereignty Coordinator for...

The tune you hum along to from your favorite podcast may come from the Portland band Wonderly. The duo, made up of Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk, have recorded theme music for many podcasts, including the New York Times’ “The Daily.” They have also recently released a new album called "Wolves." Brunberg and Landsverk join us in studio for a performance and conversation.   &...

Adults who decide to not have children have faced criticism for being “selfish” or derided as “childless cat ladies.” The term DINK has been used to describe people who have dual incomes and no kids.  In the Portland metro area, Erika Abdelatif and Kristen Myers have created “Dinky,” a podcast which takes a lighthearted approach about their lifestyle and fe...

For some Oregonians, their medical needs are too high to be discharged from a hospital, but they also don’t need the emergency care that hospitals provide. They remain at the hospital while waiting for space at another facility that can provide the appropriate level of care. Oregon lawmakers created the Joint Task Force on Hospital Discharge Challenges to address the issue. Earlier this mont...

Last month, Amazon announced it had signed an agreement to develop four small-scale modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, along the Columbia River to power its data centers in Eastern Oregon. The e-commerce giant also touted nuclear energy as a “safe source of carbon-free energy” that would allow it to achieve its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040.  Energy Northwest, a consor...

This week, Oregon’s new state economist, Carl Riccadonna, gave his first quarterly economic and revenue forecast. It projected Oregon getting nearly $950 million more in the current two-year period than previously estimated, and an extra $1.3 billion in the 2025-2027 budget cycle. Riccadonna, who was hired in September, based his forecast on an economic model that’s less pessimistic th...

Hannah Glavor’s music used to lean toward singer-songwriter folk. But her newly released single, “Otherside,” shows an indie rock side to the Portland musician. She writes about loss and hope, and about darkness and the light on the other side. Glavor joined us in March 2024 for an interview and performance of songs from her then-upcoming album, “Hold On, Hold Tight,”...

Oregon has among the strongest protections for abortion rights and the fewest limits on the procedure of any state in the nation. Could Republican control of the presidency and both chambers of the U.S. Congress make things harder for abortion providers and seekers in Oregon, despite protective state laws? OPB health reporter Amelia Templeton fills us in.      

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is falling short of meeting some of its safety goals, according to a new city audit. Vision Zero is an international effort to completely eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The city of Portland adopted this philosophy in 2016, and while traffic deaths declined soon after, in 2021 they reached the highest they’ve been in the past three dec...

The Portland Trail Blazers are coming in hot with a three-game win streak after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves twice and another against the Atlanta Hawks. Their record now stands at 6 wins with 8 losses, moving them up in power rankings. Mike Richman is the host of the Locked on Blazers podcast. He joins us to break down the wins, losses and the hope for the future of Rip City’s beloved...

With the days getting shorter and the rain setting in, many Pacific Northwesterners are already feeling the effects of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. The disorder is thought to be caused by the body’s internal clock being disrupted by a lack of sunlight in autumn and winter months. Treatments include antidepressants and exposure to bright lights that mimic sunlight. As covered in OPB&r...

A legal fight is brewing in Eastern Oregon where a coalition of timber interests is trying to block the sale of the only sawmill still operating in Grant County to Iron Triangle, a logging company in John Day. The Malheur Forest Fairness Coalition filed a federal lawsuit last year against Iron Triangle and the sawmill, Malheur Lumber, alleging that the two companies were conspiring to stifle compe...

The Salem City Council recently voted to censure two of its members, Councilor Deanna Gwyn and Mayor-elect Julie Hoy. The two potentially violated Salem’s city charter by participating in a land use vote involving a developer who donated to both of their campaigns. Sitting Mayor Chris Hoy brought the motion to censure, saying the councilors should have recused themselves from the vote after...

Nurse navigation programs have been proposed as one solution to overburdened emergency services systems. Instead of sending an ambulance, dispatchers direct low-level 911 calls to a team of nurses who can give advice or help callers set up an urgent care or telehealth appointment. The idea is to provide patients with the appropriate level of care while freeing up EMS resources to respond to life-t...

Some tenants in Southwest Washington and other parts of the state could face a predicament the next time they sign or renew a lease: either sign a nondisclosure agreement or risk eviction and having to look elsewhere in a tight housing market. The NDAs are being used to prevent tenants from disclosing to others, with the exception of immediate family members, how much they pay in rent, security de...

The founders of SnoPlanks, a Bend-based snowboard company, decided to donate it to the Oregon State University Cascades campus. Now, students are running the show.  SnoPlanks Academy aims to teach students skills like marketing, sales and supply chain management with hands-on experience. Students also ran a booth at the Snowvana trade show in Portland earlier this month.  We learn more a...

Under a waiver program, states can test new ways to offer Medicaid services.  For Oregon, that means some people on the Oregon Health Plan can get help with housing costs. Oregon is the first in the nation to roll out rental assistance as a statewide Medicaid benefit for eligible OHP members, according to the Oregon Health Authority.  People would need to have a qualifying risk factor to...

Nationwide, the Democratic Party had little to celebrate this election cycle. Republicans took control of the Senate, the House and the presidency. But in Oregon, state Representative Janelle Bynum ran against 5th District Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer - and won. Her victory is also notable as she will become the state’s first Black Representative in Congress. We talk with Bynum f...