Think Out Loud

Washington voters have some high profile races on their primary ballots this week. Governor Jay Inslee, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Congressman Derek Kilmer are not seeking reelection. Meanwhile, Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez will try to hold on to her seat in the state's 3rd District. In addition, attorney general, public lands commissioner and insurance commissioner are all...

Whether you attended Taylor Swift's Eras Tour or took a trip to a Disney park this summer, you may not realize there is an Oregon connection between the two. Michael Curry Design is a creative studio in Scappoose that has crafted puppets, stage pieces and more for a variety of venues. From artist tours to theatrical productions, the creatives at MCD have left their mark on stages and performances...

The Great Oregon Steam-Up in Brooks has been showcasing antique machinery every summer since 1969. The machines on display can be as large as a crane or as small as a coffee grinder. Visitors can also watch demonstrations of sawmilling and threshing equipment, participate in a parade of steam-powered vehicles and ride miniature trains and trolleys. Michelle Duchateau is the president of Powerland...

Low-head dams likely wouldn't catch the attention of a person floating down a river on a paddle board or inner tube. The unassuming structures can have drops as low as 1 foot, appearing as little more than a smooth bump in otherwise calm waters. But the continuous motion of water over the top of the dam creates a dangerous vortex at its base. As recently reported in the Register Guard, the churn c...

“Herding cats” may be shorthand for an impossible task, but according to Monique Udell, Director of the  Human-Animal Interaction Lab at Oregon State University, cats can be trained. We’ll hear what she’s learning about the relationship between cats and people, and how they can each improve each other’s lives.

The Portland based-book company “A Kids Co.,” which has created books such as “A Kids Book About Racism” and “A Kids Book About Empathy,” was recently acquired by the British publisher DK. The partnership establishes DK’s first U.S.-based children’s creative team. A Kids Co. began in 2018 when founder Jelani Memory wrote “A Kids Book About Raci...

Kids can get free lunches through the Central Curry School District in Gold Beach even during the summer. But workers at the Curry Public Library noticed that some kids were missing out and decided to step in. Throughout the summer, the library offers free sack lunches to children. The program began last year and recently has expanded. We learn more about the service and why it’s needed from...

Last spring, a dozen horses died on the track at Churchill Downs, including two during the world’s most famous horseracing event, the Kentucky Derby. A report later released by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority found no single cause for the deaths but made several recommendations, including expanding the use of wearable technology to detect potentially fatal injuries.  Wash...

For many years now, medical schools around the country have ceased using live animals to perform procedures as part of the curriculum. But in a minority of surgical residencies, residents operate on animals – often pigs – to practice techniques to be used on human patients. Oregon Health & Science University is in that minority. For years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal...

Portland State University has been awarded nearly $2 million in federal funding to continue work tackling microplastic pollution in Oregon’s coastal communities and the Pacific ocean.  The money will go to a collaborative three-year effort to reduce microplastic pollution with groups from a wide range of academic, community, municipal and tribal partners, and will focus on filtering mic...

For nearly 40 years, the DoveLewis Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Portland has operated a blood bank for cats and dogs in need of blood transfusions for life-threatening injuries and illnesses. According to blood bank coordinator Kelsey Reinauer, it’s the largest such facility in Oregon and possibly now the entire West Coast. Last year, DoveLewis performed nearly 500 transfus...

A team of researchers at the University of Oregon is currently studying the relationships between soccer cleat composition and risk of injury in female versus male athletes. Female soccer players are three times more likely to suffer from major knee injuries than male soccer players, and a recent English study found that ACL injuries are 2-6 times more likely in females than males. This group of s...

When autumn arrives, reminders typically start going out for people to get their annual flu shot. The vaccine changes each year, based on what strain of influenza is likely to be circulating then. Sometimes it’s a good match and other times, not so good. But what if you could get one vaccine that would confer lifetime protection against the flu and its ever-changing strains?  Scientists...

Neal Cummings has owned and run Video Horizons in Astoria for the last 40 years. It’s now the city's only video rental store, and one of only a handful of businesses in Oregon where you can rent movies on VHS or DVD. We talk with Cummings about how he got into this business, what keeps him going and why he thinks people still want an alternative to streaming movies in the digital age.

A sleepaway camp designed for and by Indigenous theater aficionados is being held at Portland State University July 29 through August 2. The 26 students in attendance will live in the dorms and attend daily theater trainings as well as college prep sessions. The students also get to meet and work with Native staff on campus. By the end of the week-long camp, students showcase their work in a varie...

For inmates who are starting to plan for life after incarceration, delayed or unexpected release dates can scramble job opportunities and housing arrangements. A number of factors can affect release dates, including paperwork issues, miscommunication among corrections staff and changes to the way state corrections departments calculate time served. Ben Botkin covers criminal justice and health for...

There’s a new Portland-based, independent comedy on the scene. “Cora Bora” follows Cora, a snarky, somewhat aimless musician struggling her way through solo shows in bars and coffee shops across Los Angeles after the mysterious dissolution of her band. When she suspects her girlfriend is seeing someone new, Cora returns to Portland to try and salvage the relationship. While there...

 Last year, city officials decided to end Portland’s contract with the independent Regional Arts and Culture Council. The organization was previously responsible for doling out grants and providing art advocacy for the city. Now, Portland’s Office of Arts and Culture has taken shape and has found organizations, including RACC and MusicOregon, to help administer grants to artists a...

In the last few years, the state has come under intense criticism from civil rights advocates for its failure to provide constitutionally mandated defense attorneys to people charged with crimes if they cannot afford them. A 2022 report by the American Bar Association found the state had barely a third of the lawyers it needed to represent defendants who qualified for a public defender.  Sinc...

What does parking have to do with climate change? Everything, according to Parking Reform Network founder and president Tony Jordan. Getting rid of parking mandates in Oregon means that housing developers can also build more units rather than having to set aside space for car infrastructure. Four years ago there were fewer than a dozen cities nationwide that had lifted their parking mandates. Sinc...

Starting next week, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office will no longer allow prospective jurors to be dropped without reason for misdemeanor trials. The change was made to reduce racial bias during jury selection, according to outgoing DA Mike Schmidt. The new policy will not apply to trials involving domestic violence charges, and will allow for some exceptions for prosecutors t...

Wildfires spreading throughout the state have caused multiple road closures and prompted evacuations. The Durkee Fire, which is burning in Malheur and Baker counties, is so hot it created its own weather. Record dry conditions combined with lightning strikes and human activity have set off over 60 fires across Oregon and Washington already this season. The U.S. Forest Service is bringing in resour...

The Snoopy Senior World Hockey Tournament is an annual event that draws hundreds of hockey players to an ice rink in California. But unlike other tournaments, this one is specifically for older adults. Eugene’s Oregon Old Growth is a team with players ranging in age from 70 to 83. Mike Sheehan and Bob Carolan both just returned from the tournament last week. They join us to share more on the...

Before telephone wires were coated in plastic, they were originally protected by a layer of lead. Lead-sheathed cables were largely phased out in the 1950s, but in Portland’s oldest neighborhoods, some of them still hang from utility poles. A recent study from Oregon State University tested lead levels in moss in some neighborhoods and found that lead levels are up to 600 times higher in pla...

Family Connects Oregon is a program that brings nurses to the homes of newborns and their families, as NPR recently reported. It’s an opt-in service that aims to improve health and socioeconomic outcomes for parents and children. Family Connects continues to expand in Oregon and has visiting nurses in counties including Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington. We learn more about the service from...