Think Out Loud

Oregon was the first state in the country to ban single-family zoning in all but the smallest cities, meaning duplexes and triplexes can be built next door to single-family homes. The idea is to increase density within cities while preserving land for farms and wilderness in more rural areas. Denser housing could also help to combat climate change, and create more affordable housing to help reduce...

Live music was hit hard by the pandemic. After managing years of cancellations, quick thinking and reimagining the live music experience, some are feeling hopeful as the summer festival season kicks off. But some fans haven’t returned, and inflation is taking a toll for concert goers and venue owners as well. Christina Fuller is the owner of Fuller Events and a festival director for the Wate...

After a nationwide search, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) has hired longtime nonprofit leader Paul Lumley as its new CEO. Currently the CEO for the Portland-based Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), and the former Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Lumley will be CAP’s first Native American CEO. Lumley joins us to talk about the future of Cascade A...

Cities in Oregon are finalizing their budgets. They’re juggling shrinking funding streams and increasing costs – especially from inflation. Twylla Miller is the chief financial officer for the city of Eugene. Robby Hammond is the city manager for Hillsboro.  They join us with more on how cities are managing priorities and navigating tough financial decisions.

Today nurses at Providence Portland, Seaside and Home Health and Hospice will end a strike that began on Monday. Both sides expect talks about higher wages to resume, although no date is set. Kara Hayden, a speech and language pathologist with Providence Home Health and Hospice joins us to talk about what’s next.

Portland author Joshua James Amberson has a rare genetic condition that may eventually lead to blindness. His new book Staring Contest: Essays About Eyes, is a deep meditation on eyes, vision, and what we see.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has suffered the same pandemic setbacks as many other big theatres in the country. Seasons have shrunk, as has the staff. Earlier this year, former Artistic Director and Interim Executive Director Nataki Garrett stepped away after a staff shakeup and an emergency $2.5 million funding campaign. Shortly thereafter, the company announced it would need in excess of $7 m...

Since 2020, two schools in the Eugene 4J School District have shared one building. The Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion School began sharing space with Eugene’s Kelly Middle School when the district decided to demolish the Silver Lea building. Over the years, the collocation has created tension between the two schools’ teachers, parents and students as they both now deal with limited cl...

Pride Month is here and across the country LGBTQ+ communities are celebrating. At the same time, The Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest gay rights organizations in the U.S., has issued a state of emergency because of anti-LGBTQ legislation passing in states across America. We talk to three LGBTQ organizers from around the state about why celebrating pride is important and what it means to c...

When the gates on The Dalles Dam closed in 1957, Celilo Falls was flooded and a vital salmon fishery for Yakama and Warm Springs tribal people was forever changed. Warm Springs Tribal Elder Linda Meanus was a young girl at the time, being raised by her grandparents, Flora Thompson and Chief Tommy Thompson, in nearby Celilo Village. In that bustling community along the Columbia River where salmon p...

The FDA has approved three medications to treat opioid dependence. But only one – buprenorphine – is approved for patients under age 18. The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine recommends the medication as a “critical component” of treating addiction in teens, especially with adolescent overdose deaths on the rise. However, a new study from Oregon Health & Scienc...

Thirty years ago, a movement called riot grrrl started in the Pacific Northwest. It wasn't just music – it was politics, feminism, culture and zines. And we're still feeling its effects today. This podcast tells the history of riot grrrl: why it started here in the Pacific Northwest, and what its lasting impact has been. And it focuses on the stories that haven’t really been told as part of the hi...

The 2023 James Beard Awards had a strong showing from Oregon this year — particularly from chefs and other creators of color in the Portland food scene. Winning the reality or competition visual media category was a video produced by All the Homies Network, a collective that documents the experience of six BIPOC food business owners in Portland. The network’s video of a restaurant takeover by Viet...

Opened in August 1953, the 99W Drive-InTheater has been delivering nostalgia and fond memories to Oregonians for nearly 70 years. Over the years Oregon has been home to nearly 50 drive-in theaters, but now less than a handful remain. Michael Aronson is the co-director of the Oregon Theater Project and an associate professor of Cinema Studies at the University of Oregon. Brian Francis is the owner...

In a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act. The act was initially passed by Congress in 1978 and challenged in 2018 by the state of Texas and several families. The 45-year-old law created standards for when the federal government can remove Native children from their families and provides guidelines for the placement of Indigenous children in foster or a...

LGBTQ youth are more than twice as likely to experience homelessness than their peers, due to a lack of support. Oregon youth in foster care need more options for temporary homes with foster parents committed to creating an affirming and safe environment. The state’s child welfare department is partnering with Basic Rights Oregon and Unicorn Solutions to educate people about the depth of the need...

Portland photographer Ivan McClellan said the first time he went to a Black rodeo, it made an indelible impression on him. He says, “It was like Black culture combined with Western culture in a way that I never, never could have imagined existed.” That visit sparked his multi-year project of photographs called “8 Seconds,” which became the basis for the creation of a new Portland rodeo, centering...

After 35 years, Cycle Oregon will no longer be offering its 7-day bike ride. Facing a number of challenges, the organization has decided that this year will be the final year. Steve Schulz is the executive director of Cycle Oregon. He joins us to share more on what led to this decision and plans for the future.

As fires in Canada continue to rage, the U.S. Forest Service has dispatched firefighters to combat the flames. When local crews aren’t actively fighting fires in the Pacific Northwest, they’re often sent elsewhere to help. We check in with the U.S. Forest Service on how they’re preparing for the summer fire season in the Pacific Northwest and what their work looks like elsewhere. Our guest is Alex...

Mt. Tabor Park in southeast Portland was recently named the nation’s first “Urban Quiet Park” by Quiet Parks International, a nonprofit that aims to “save quiet for the benefit of all life.” The organization has recognized nine other Urban Quiet Parks around the world, including Hampstead Heath in London, Yangmingshan National Park in Taipei and Parc del Montnegre i el Corredor in Barcelona. Jacob...

In November 2020, Oregon became the first state in the nation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illegal drugs with the passage of Measure 110. The measure also directs money from cannabis tax revenues to expand drug treatment and recovery services. Researchers at Portland State University are now studying the effects of Measure 110 with a three-year study funded by the National I...

Last month, the Salem Reporter revealed that the city’s police chief, Trevor Womack, wants to hire 15 additional police officers and launch a new community policing program. As of early May, the department is facing nearly two dozen vacancies and has shifted resources in recent years in response to reduced staffing levels. City leaders are proposing to fund the new positions by raising monthly uti...

Fentanyl has taken over the illegal drug market largely due to its low cost and abundant supply. It’s fueling rising addiction rates, and those in need of treatment often have no options. Enter the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde’s Great Circle Recovery program. Great Circle runs two clinics in Portland and Salem, as well as a mobile clinic. It serves not just tribal members, b...

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

Last week, Multnomah county commissioners approved a $3.5 billion budget for the next fiscal year. County chair Jessica Vega Pederson joins us to discuss the role that the county will play in addressing homelessness, behavioral health, and other challenges facing the region.