PODCAST

Think Out Loud

Oregon Public Broadcasting

OPB"s daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts. Hosted By Dave Miller.

news

All Episodes

10:51

U.S. Forest Service let wildland firefighters wear...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/09

According to a new investigation from ProPublica, the U.S. Forest Service knew for years that firefighters were wearing clothing containing “forever chemicals” for years. Abe Streep, a reporter at ProPublica, joins us to discuss his story.

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22:29

A look at University of Oregon’s first-ever course on...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/09

There’s a course being taught at the University of Oregon that’s unlike any class offered there before — and possibly the first of its kind in the nation, according to UO. Now in its second year, the course on hostage diplomacy is attracting undergraduates interested in pursuing careers in journalism, public relations and advertising.The students hear from guest speakers, including family members of current and former hostages and experts who’ve helped

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52:40

Michael Pollan meditates on consciousness

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/06

When you open your eyes in the morning, become aware of the world around you and have your first thoughts about the day ahead … what exactly is happening inside your brain and body? What are the actual mechanisms of consciousness? And how did we go from single celled organisms to conscious beings? Or, for that matter, are single celled organisms conscious? All of these questions and more are addressed in Michael Pollan’s new book “A World Appears.” We

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14:40

PeaceHealth Oregon to use out-of-state company for...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/05

PeaceHealth Oregon has decided to use the Atlanta-based company ApolloMD to staff its emergency departments in Lane County, ending a decadeslong contract with Eugene Emergency Physicians. The decision led the group to hold a no-confidence vote in PeaceHealth leadership, which the hospitals’ medical staff supported overwhelmingly. In a statement, PeaceHealth said it selected ApolloMD based on “Lane County’s future emergency medicine needs and the type of

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13:29

New research from the University of Washington finds...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/05

Snowpack in the West is facing a historic drought, and new research from the University of Washington shows that forest thinning with modern tools cannot only reduce wildfire risk, but it can also increase the snowpack in winter by up to 30%. The researchers suggest this could help recover lost water and safeguard future water supply.Forest thinning involves shredding and mulching small trees, shrubs and brush -- vegetation that is least resistant to fire. Creating more gaps

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25:00

REBROADCAST: ‘Juniper House’ that once provided...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/05

An unassuming house in Southeast Portland’s Buckman neighborhood was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. Once known as “Juniper House,” the building served as one of the first end-of-life care homes for AIDS patients in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s. An OPB documentary at the time explored the lives of some of the patients in Juniper House and the neighboring Assisi House, which provided a range of care for patients with

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20:09

REBROADCAST: Eugene’s Lucky Enough Social Club...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/04

Rodger Deevers knows he’s a lucky man. He’s a financial advisor in Eugene with all his basic needs met — and then some. But in 2023, after he and his wife took a vacation to the island of Curaçao off the Venezuelan coast, he wanted to bring some of the sense of community and vibrant public art back to the Eugene-Springfield area — and contribute to area nonprofits.He says he didn’t know quite how to begin, so he just started with an idea for

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20:32

Lakayana Yotoma Drury’s ‘503’ collection of essays,...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/04

Lakayana Yotoma Drury is an educator, social entrepreneur, community advocate, writer, poet, filmmaker—and now an editor-in-chief. He’s published a new magazine-formatted publication with a collection of essays, poems, and photographs he calls a “defiant anthem of Black joy and resilience against a backdrop of gentrification, community violence, miseducation, and white supremacy.” It’s called “503” and Yotoma Drury says the magazine is

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12:07

Iranian in Portland shares perspective on ongoing...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/04

The Trump administration attacked Iran over the weekend, bringing the US into a now widening conflict in the middle east. Airstrikes have killed leaders and senior officials in Iran, including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Gatherings were held in Portland over the weekend to both protest and celebrate the military action in Iran. On Saturday, protesters gathered to condemn the US involvement in a war in Iran. On Sunday, hundreds of Iranian people

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14:37

Tualatin High School cheer team wins national...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/03

The Tualatin High School co-ed cheer team entered this competition season with the pressure of defending the state title they won last year. In response to that pressure? The team not only took first place at the state championships in Oregon City, but one week later, took home first place in the USA Spirit Nationals championship. They competed in the Advanced Co-Ed Varsity Large division, against varsity teams from across the US.The team had just a few days to alter their

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14:59

Longtime Columbia River Gorge commissioner resigns in...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/03

The Columbia River Gorge Commission oversees land use and stewards both economic development and conservation efforts within the National Scenic Area. Robert Liberty served as the Multnomah County appointee to the commission since 2015, and was most recently reappointed in 2023. But he resigned earlier this year with more than a year to go in his term, citing “the gentrification of working lands with luxury homesites for the wealthy” and “the anti-conservation,

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10:49

Last week of Oregon’s short legislative session

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/03

Oregon lawmakers must end the legislative session by March 8th. Bills are still moving through chambers, but several major issues remain unsettled, among them balancing the state’s general fund budget and solving transportation funding. OPB political reporter Dirk VanderHart joins us to talk about the key bills and developments in Salem as the session nears its end.

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12:55

Oregon US Sen. Jeff Merkley says presidents ‘has no...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/03

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said President Trump’s decision to launch an attack on Iran “shreds our Constitution, which assigns decisions of war to Congress.” As of March 2, at least six U.S. Service members have been killed in the military operation. The House and Senate are set to vote this week on bipartisan war powers resolutions, which would limit Trump’s ability to take military action — in Iran and around the world — without

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13:10

Why a Bend resident spent more than 4,000 hours to...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/02

La Pine Library is hosting a free event this Saturday, “Not Your Mama’s Cheddar,” as part of Deschutes Public Library's monthlong exploration of fermentation, decay and rot. Teri Tith is leading Saturday’s event, drawing on her extensive knowledge about cheese and years of experience working as a cheesemonger at Market of Choice in Bend to help educate the public about this delicacy, including cheddar, her personal favorite. But to say Tith is a cheese

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23:13

Oregon programs facilitate care for pregnant women...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/02

Navigating substance use disorder can be especially difficult for those who are pregnant. As reported in InvestigateWest, state data shows that mental health conditions and substance use disorder were the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in Oregon from 2018 to 2021. And a study from OHSU found that the rate of opioid use during pregnancy has more than doubled over the last decade. Those with substance use disorder are often reluctant to seek prenatal care due to

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16:03

New OHSU study reveals low rates of routine patient...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/03/02

National guidelines recommend a routine screening for anxiety and intimate partner violence in adolescent girls and women. But the screenings are rarely implemented across clinics in Oregon, according to a new study from Oregon Health and Science University. The study cites reasons such as provider discomfort, lack of awareness and challenges to workflow as reasons these screenings aren’t being implemented. Amy Cantor, a researcher and OHSU family physician, was the

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13:21

4 breweries and 1 cidery in Central Oregon form...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/02/27

It’s tough to be a craft brewer these days, whether that’s in Oregon or elsewhere in the nation. Shifting consumer demands, including for non-alcohol beer, along with rising costs and market saturation have contributed to declining craft beer sales in recent years. In Oregon, the abrupt closure of Rogue Ales last November after nearly 40 years was a stark reminder that even iconic brands aren’t immune to the industry’s struggles.It’s against this

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18:40

OSU professor explains pitfalls and uncertainties of...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/02/27

A veritable gold rush appears to be opening up, not in the dusty hills of California but in the deep seabeds of the Pacific Ocean that’s being driven by an insatiable global demand of critical minerals that power our electric cars, smartphones, computer chips and more. While manganese, nickel, cobalt and other critical minerals are currently being mined on land, they could also be extracted by mining seabeds in locations like Gulf of Alaska seamounts or near the U.S

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20:25

Portland’s housing authority plagued by high...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/02/27

Home Forward, the housing authority for Portland and Multnomah County, is the largest provider of affordable housing in the state. Reporting from Willamette Week has found that the agency has an unusually high vacancy rate and takes, on average, half a year to fill vacant units at some of its properties. The lack of rental revenue from empty units is making it difficult for the agency to pay off its debts. Sophie Peel is a reporter for Willamette Week covering Portland City Hall

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29:12

Oregon lawmakers may boost protections for those...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/02/26

The Oregon state Senate may soon take up the bill that would enshrine additional protections for Oregonian patients and providers of reproductive services or gender-affirming care. That bill, HB 4088, has already passed in the House and has been referred to the Senate by committee. Chief sponsor Rep. Lisa Fragala (D-Eugene) says the bill reflects a commitment to the rights of Oregonians to access these types of medical care and retain their privacy. Fragala joins us with more on

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