Think Out Loud

Portlanders passed a ballot measure in November 2020 to overhaul police oversight with more than 80% of the vote. And exactly how to do that is what the volunteer members of the Police Accountability Commission have been meeting for the better part of two years to do. That commission presented its findings and roughly 100-page report to the city council this summer. The city council will be voting...

Last week, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum gathered experts from different fields together to talk about the fentanyl crisis facing the state. The all-day event included discussions of the scope of fentanyl addiction, what works to treat it, what young people know about the drug, and how law enforcement  can effectively address the crisis. AG Rosenblum joins us to talk about what she...

In July 2022, oceanographer Dawn Wright made history by becoming the first Black person to dive to the deepest known spot on the planet. Victor Vescovo, a former Naval officer, entrepreneur and explorer, invited Wright to accompany him on the expedition to descend more than six-and-a-half miles to Challenger Deep in the western Pacific Ocean.  Wright is the chief scientist at Esri, a Californ...

Many Portland and Seattle sports fans were angry last month after Xfinity announced they would have to pay more to watch Trail Blazers, Mariners and Kraken games on cable. As the Washington Post reports, regional sports networks are feeling the pressure as streaming services cut into their revenues from broadcast rights. And with immersive reality domes expected to broadcast NBA and NHL games in t...

Undergraduates at the University of Oregon have organized student workers - a first in the country at a public institution. The union represents a number of positions, including resident assistants, dining hall workers and other undergraduate positions. Mae Bracelin is a second-year political science student at the University of Oregon. Noah Thompson is a fifth year political science major. They a...

Doctor Carlos Sanchez has an unusual and challenging caseload of patients. For one thing, they have scales, feathers, horns and fur, and can’t really say where it hurts. But it’s his job to oversee the medical care and treatment of more than a thousand animals as the head veterinarian at Portland’s Oregon Zoo. In our latest installment in our series on professions, we accompany D...

Vasectomy rates have risen in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere in the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the legal right to abortion in 2022. At Oregon Health & Science University, Jason Hedges performs about 500 vasectomies a year. He’s also one of the relatively few surgeons who does reversal procedures as well. He says like others in his field, he’s seen the inte...

Last summer, Oregon made national headlines as timbers from the infamous Beeswax Wreck were discovered along the North Coast near Manzanita. The Beeswax Wreck, named for one of the products the ship carried, is said to be one of the inspirations for the beloved film, “The Goonies.” The wreck has also attracted the attention of treasure hunters in the past, searching for signs of its wr...

Mercy Corps, a humanitarian aid organization based in Portland, has had a small staff based in Palestine for years. For the last month, they have been checking in with staff members about the conditions on the ground. The organization is calling for a humanitarian ceasefire to provide aid to Gaza. Arnaud Quemin, the Middle East regional director for Mercy Corps, joins us to talk about what he&rsqu...

 RuPaul might be the country’s most famous drag queen, but in the Pacific Northwest, the LGTBQ+ community is still feeling the loss of Darcelle, who passed away earlier this year. The icon, also known as Walter Cole, was arguably the best known and loved drag queen in the region. Darcelle XV Showplace, the drag bar institution she created, lives on where she and others have performed fo...

Two Oregon high schoolers have teamed up with their grandfather to create a biodegradable drinking straw. They say the seaweed-based invention is a step toward more sustainable alternatives to disposable plastic products. The crew conducted many experiments in a garage-turned-laboratory and hope to create other products using biodegradable materials like shellfish exoskeletons, seaweed and lac bug...

Today marks one week since Portland Public Schools teachers declared a strike and campuses have been closed. Negotiations are ongoing with no clear timeline on when an agreement will be met. In Oakland, California, a teachers strike in the spring lasted a week and a half and kept kids out of school for several days. Jill Tucker is the education reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. She joins u...

Shakespeare’s “Henry IV, Part 1” follows the titular king as he prepares for war while his ne’er-do-well son Hal shirks — then ultimately accepts — his duties. The play deals with themes of violence, masculinity, power and leadership, all of which speak to Indigenous playwright Yvette Nolan. She recently updated the play’s language as part of Play On Shake...

 It’s hard to imagine a writer who has had as enduring an impact on the English language as William Shakespeare. Phrases like “neither rhyme nor reason,” “too much of a good thing,” or “It’s Greek to me,” color our language today centuries after the playwright immortalized them with quill and paper. But many of these linguistic contributions wou...

The Hollywood Theatre will host a screening of the new movie, “The Holdovers,” on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a live ensemble performance from the Portland-based composer of the film. We hear more from composer Mark Orton about the score and his work creating music for other films. 

Last week, the Black Business Association of Oregon, in partnership with ECONorthwest, revealed a new Black Economic Prosperity dashboard. The dashboard provides data on the current state of Black Oregonians which reveals that one out of every five Black individuals in Oregon lives in poverty. Additionally, the median income for Black households is only two-thirds of that for white households and...

The Oregon Quality Education Commission is responsible for figuring out how much the state should be spending on students for a quality education. While the commission has been around for a little more than two decades, the state legislature has not once spent the suggested amount the commission puts forward. John Rexford is the chair of the commission. He joins us to share how the commission come...

Several recent court cases have upheld transgender prisoners’ right to gender affirming care while incarcerated, and the right not to be held in segregation. Tara Herivel has represented a number of transgender prisoners, and joins us to discuss the legal options available to these adults in custody. We are also joined by Nova Gaia, an inmate at Snake River Correctional Institution, who rece...

At the beginning of the year, test exam fees for anyone seeking a social worker license were temporarily waived with funds allocated by the Oregon Legislature. The Oregon Health Authority told KLCC this was meant to address the number of social workers who left the industry during the pandemic and increased demand. The funds have also allowed fees for some license renewals and new applications to...

Portlanders may be familiar with Brian Kidd, the founder of Weird Portland United. He can be seen around town on a unicycle playing a bagpipe, often in a kilt. Kidd founded the nonprofit in 2018 in an effort to bring together artistic and creative types who are all engaged in the effort to keep Portland weird. Kidd joins us, along with Christine Lassiter, host of the "Finding My Own Weird" podcast...

Portland Public School teachers have been on strike since Wednesday. While district offices are open, schools have been closed, and students have not been attending classes. Winnie Keane is a sophomore at Grant High School. Cassidy Goodwin is a sophomore at Ida B. Wells High School. They both join us to share their thoughts on the strike and how they’re spending their new found free time.

During their very first meeting, musicians Lamiae Naki and Nat Hulskamp wrote their first song together and decided to get married. The resulting project was Seffarine, an eclectic ensemble that blends traditional Andalusian and Moroccan music with jazz and other contemporary influences. The band is based in Portland, but has performed and recorded throughout Europe, Africa and North America. Thei...

The Career Technical Education Center in Salem is hosting a behavioral health and human services program for students. It’s designed to give high schoolers an inside look into the mental health field and teach students about principles and careers in psychology, sociology, counseling, and social work. Erin Dannecker is an industry teacher at CTEC and a licensed clinical social worker. Nevaeh...

The first teachers strike in Portland Public Schools history is currently underway. Schools have closed across the district, which is Oregon’s largest, as teachers lobby for better pay and working conditions. Renard Adams is chief of research, assessment and accountability for PPS. Angela Bonilla is the president of the Portland Association of Teachers. They join us with back-to-back perspec...

More than 80 schools in Portland are closed today, as teachers began their first-ever strike in the history of the Portland Public Schools district. The Portland Association of Teachers represents nearly 4,500 teachers and coaches in Oregon’s largest school district. Negotiations between PPS and PAT have been ongoing for months to ratify a new contract, including sessions held with a state m...