Willamette Wake Up

Girlypop Politics talks with Salem Keizer Schools' Superintendent Andrea Castañeda about what's behind proposed cuts in the district's Fiscal Year 26-27 budget; and, how & why the district plans to prioritize early childhood education in spite of budget challenges.

Women leaving incarceration face different challenges than men.  Find out how CREW - Connecting Resources to Empower Women - helps them re-enter the community safely and with more success.  Taryn VanderPyl, CREW director and Kyle Black, who was formerly incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, tell us how the program works.

Willamette Block Party engages with Julie-Ray Joy, Movement Building Director for Partnership for Safety & Justice. They explore the complexities of the criminal justice system in Oregon, highlighting the significant financial and social costs of incarceration versus community-based solutions. 

Keeping Oregon Oregon Examines Senate Bill 1586 (2026) which, if passed, would rezone 1700 acres of prime farmland in Washington County Oregon. Nellie McAdams, 1000 Friends of Oregon and Araon Nichols of Stoneboat Farm discuss the impact for agriculture if the land was used for high technology manufacturing purposes as allowed for in the bill.  (Note: this bill will not move forward this session.)

February 27th hundreds of high school students in the Salem-Keizer School District walked out of the classroom and marched to the State Capitol to demonstrate against federal immigration enforcement. This report shares comments from a few students who talked about how federal immigration enforcement is affecting them and their families and what they want from policy makers.

March 1st the U.S. & Israel attacked Iran, killing the country's Supreme Leader. History professor Bill Smaldone talks with host Ken Adams about the implications and unanswered questions about what this means for democracy in the U.S. and international relations overall.

Meet Community, Business & Education Leaders (CBEL) and how this collaborative is engaging with neighborhoods and families to help them thrive through Family Neighborhood Councils. Plus, how the general community can participate in conversations every two months. 

Holla for Labor celebrates Black History Month with Terry Melvin, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Tim Newman, president of the Salem Bicycle Club shares the club's mission, upcoming events and how to get involved.

Health, Thought and Transformation explores aspects of healing through traditional Chinese medicine with Dr. CT Holman, LAc. Dr. Holman talks about treating emotional trauma with Chinese medicine; and that Chinese medicine recognizes that each patient is unique, and addressing that uniqueness is part of a finding the best treatment.

Girlypop Politics will be joined by Becka Bonner of Radness Ensues to share about the work it takes to run a non-profit and why focusing on youth today will build a better future for everyone.

Cheryl Nester Wolfe, President and CEO of Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics, and Maggie Hudson, President and CEO of Santiam Hospital & Clinics discuss a proposed merger/affiliation of the two health care systems. They address the reasons behind proposing the partnership, why they believe it benefits the community and next steps in the process.

Conservation Spotlight talks with Keith Norris, Executive Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology, about the organization’s conservation work and partnerships across the West. Keith also discusses the impacts of recent federal funding cuts and what IAE needs most as they work to move forward. 

Monmouth Monthly talks with Nikita Vincent and Erubiel Valladares about their work in farming and about their involvement with the Cultural Harvest Farmers Collective and the Monmouth Feasibility Study.

Marion County Clerk, Bill Burgess, reviews the mail-in voting process in Oregon to illustrate its complexities, and the guardrails in place to prevent voter fraud.  Then he reflects on a bill currently in Congress to nationalize the voting process called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility or SAVE Act.

Policy for the People examines the looming crisis facing Oregon's subsidized child care program, Employment Related Day Care with Marchel Kaleikini and Ivy Major-McDowall of "For All Families Oregon". The program is on course to run out of money in January 2027. If that were to happen, thousands of families would lose child care, and with that, their ability to work and earn a living.

Gwen Carr, Director of Bush House Museum, invites us to a new heritage talk series at Bush House this spring, starting with "Help Wanted: The Working Hands of the Bush House" on March 1st.  Then docent and presenter, Bill Galbraith, talks about how he researched the topic. The series has limited seating and charges a nominal fee to attend.

Salem Fire Chief David Gerboth talks about the City of Salem's new partnership with Marion County to assist people in a medical crisis in downtown Salem with the REACH team - Rapid Engagement, Assessment & Community Health team. He'll address the goals of the pilot program and how it's working - just a few weeks into the program.

Exploring legislation on housing and homelessness with Jimmy Jones & Christopher Lopez, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency. They discuss a bill that could change the way unsheltered people are treated while occupying public space; and a bill designed to create more housing, by allowing cities to more easily expand their urban growth boundary. Plus, they identify funds needed to prev...

Willamette Block Party's Ray and Allie wish us a Happy Black History Month with activities and organizations to explore. 

Keeping Oregon Oregon speaks with Jim Johnson, Working Lands Policy Director with 1000 Friends of Oregon, regarding farmland issues to be brought forth in the 2026 legislative session.

Elephant in the Room talks with Brooke Edmunds, with the Master Gardener Extension Program in Marion and Polk Counties. She describes their new “Garden Future” initiative for gathering information from home gardeners about climate-related changes in their gardens, and sharing recommendations about how to adapt gardens to our changing climate.

We explore the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program (JREP) which offers culturally specific programs for people reentering the community from incarceration. We hear how the program changed one man's life trajectory, and how funding for the program may now be in jeopardy, with Juli Ray Joy and Patrick Alexander.

Neuro Emergent talks with Shawn Sullivan, Vice President of the Autism Society of Oregon and host of the podcast Sullivan's Unheard Voices. Plus, what's in the news about neurodiversity.

Health Thought & Transformation explores uncovering hidden toxins in everyday life.  Jamie Stanley shares how researching the products in her own home transformed her family’s health, and why reading labels matters—especially when it comes to chemical fragrances.