PODCAST

Think Out Loud

Oregon Public Broadcasting

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

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16:09

OSU-led project aims to reduce whale entanglements in...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/17

Last year, there were 36 whales entangled with commercial fishing gear off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and California, or found entangled with West Coast fishing gear off the coasts of other countries. That’s the highest number of whale entanglements in the West Coast region since 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. More than eight years ago, scientists at Oregon State University began collaborating with the Oregon Department of

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13:52

How researchers are testing climate resilient...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/16

As Western Oregon faces drier and hotter summers, researchers at Oregon State University Extension are investigating crops that can withstand drought and require less irrigation. Shayan Ghajar is an organic pasture and forages specialist at OSU Extension. He has been researching grasses and legumes that can resist Oregon’s drying climate and still feed people and livestock. Ghajar joins us with details of his research and what it could mean for Oregon farmers.

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12:40

UW scientists discover teeth growing on forehead of...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/16

To say spotted ratfish are unusual is an understatement. Related to sharks, they abound in the inky, dark depths of the Puget Sound. Armed with a venomous fin, they swim gracefully along the sea floor trailing a long, pointed tail half the length of their bodies, with green, glowing eyes hunting for mates or prey to crack open with their beak-like mouths. And if all that wasn’t weird enough, they are now the first animal documented to have teeth growing outside of the jaw,

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25:36

Rural Oregon counties face financial uncertainties as...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/16

For decades, rural Oregon counties that contain large swaths of federally owned forest land have depended on a share of timber revenues from federal logging to fund schools, law enforcement and other essential public services. These payments were originally meant to offset the loss of property tax revenue that counties could not collect on federal lands. But when logging on these lands slowed drastically in the 1990s due to new environmental protections — like the

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13:39

PSU researchers simulate earthquake to test...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/15

Last week, a plot of land in North Portland felt a shake, but not one caused by an earthquake, but instead by a machine known as T-Rex. Researchers with Portland State University were simulating a minor quake to test a soil treatment that would fortify the ground from liquefaction. Arash Khosravifar and Diane Moug are both associate professors in Civil and Environmental Engineering at PSU. They both join us to share why their research is important and what they learned from the

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18:36

Samaritan will keep birth centers in Lebanon and...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/15

Samaritan Health Services considered closing the birth centers at its hospitals in Lebanon and Lincoln City earlier this year. The move drew pushback from nurses, community members and lawmakers. The health system recently announced it would keep the centers open for at least another year — but not without some changes. Lesley Ogden is the CEO of both Samaritan’s North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City and Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport. She joins us to talk

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20:15

Gorge commission explores changes after fires in...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/15

The Rowena Fire and Burdoin Fires affected communities along the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River. Many of the structures destroyed were part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The region has legal protections in place to preserve its natural and recreational resources, although the areas typically have some people already living there. The Columbia River Gorge Commission helps create and enforce policies that preserve this area. Krystyna

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18:32

Boosting pedestrian and biking safety for students in...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/12

The new school year means that once again some kids are walking or biking through neighborhoods and on busy streets to get to class. Safe Routes to School is a nationwide, federally funded initiative that works to educate and encourage students to bike and walk to school safely. There are Safe Routes to School programs across Oregon, including one serving students in the Salem-Keizer School District.The Salem-Keizer Safe Routes to School program started five years ago, but

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22:32

New community health center comes to Wheeler, OR

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/12

In October, a new community health center and pharmacy will be coming to Wheeler, Oregon. The Nehalem Bay Health Center and Pharmacy will replace an aging clinic that provided services to the region since the early 1980s. The new 16,000 square feet facility will double the capacity of the old clinic and will now provide some new services, such as dental care and x-rays. Marc Johnson is the president of Nehalem Bay Health District. Gail Nelson is the CEO of the new center. They

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11:31

OSU analysis shows edibles advertised as including...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/12

”Magic mushroom” edibles sold at smoke shops and other retailers might be missing psilocybin but can contain undisclosed ingredients, according to a joint study published Thursday. Oregon State University researchers collaborated on the analysis with Rose City Laboratories, a state-certified testing lab in Portland, and the manufacturer Shimadzu Scientific Instruments. The edibles, including gummies and chocolates, contained caffeine and synthetic psychedelics

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16:40

How a 2010 Portland bombing plot arrest reverberates...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/11

Fifteen years after the arrest of Mohamed Mohamud, Portland writer Jamila Osman reflects on the aftermath of that time on the local Somali community in a new essay in Oregon Humanities. Osman grew up in the same tight knit community as the young man who would go on to press a button that he thought would blow up the Christmas tree at Pioneer Square. She joins us to discuss the essay.

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20:43

Two Oregon restaurants are on The New York Times’ 50...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/11

Two Oregon restaurants appear on The New York Times’ annual list of the 50 best restaurants in the country. Yardy Rum Bar is a Caribbean restaurant in Eugene “celebrating the food and drinking culture of the West Indies using seasonal ingredients from the Northwest.” The Paper Bridge is a Northern Vietnamese restaurant in Portland specializing in house-made rice noodles and chili sauces.Isaiah Martinez is the chef and co-owner of Yardy Rum Bar. Quynh Nguyen

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15:44

Invasive emerald ash borer spreads to Portland

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/11

On Wednesday, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced that the emerald ash borer has now been found in the Hazelwood neighborhood in East Portland and five other new sites in the north Willamette Valley. In addition to Portland, the highly invasive and destructive beetle has now been found near other urban areas in the region, including Beaverton, Banks and Oregon City. The Oregon Department of Agriculture said that the discovery of EAB in Portland has now put all of

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19:20

Musician Erika M. Anderson pushes boundaries at Time...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/10

Portland’s Time Based Art Festival brings performers from all over the world for 10 days of performances, exhibitions, music and movement. This year the Portland-based musician Erika M. Anderson, who has performed internationally under the name EMA, will present a piece of music, video and storytelling that she hopes will be like nothing audiences have seen before. We talk to Anderson about the piece and about the arc of her career from fronting punk bands in Montana to

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21:10

How nearly 50-year-old camp in Gates is still...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/10

Upward Bound is a faith-based camp that opened in 1978 for pre-teens and adults with disabilities to experience traditional camp activities, from making s’mores around a campfire to hiking, fishing or playing outdoor games. In 2014, the camp bought an 18-acre property in Gates in Linn County that included an elementary school, a gymnasium and high school building. Classrooms were converted into bunks for campers to stay in, along with other modifications made to allow for

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11:43

How tribal health clinics in Oregon are navigating...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/10

Tribal health clinics often provide healthcare to tribal members and non-tribal members in their area. The providers can also be the only accessible healthcare option for people in rural communities. The Ko-Kwel Wellness Centers serve Coos Bay and Eugene. The clinics are grappling with looming changes to Medicaid and gaps in funding. Lyric Aquino, an indigenous affairs reporter and Report for America corps member, has covered this issue for Underscore Native News. She joins us

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27:08

REBROADCAST: Warm Springs tribal member wins coveted...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/09

Scott Kalama is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. He works as a certified prevention specialist at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation to mentor youth and raise awareness about the risks associated with drug and alcohol use. Growing up on the reservation, his older brother handed down CDs and mixtapes of Tupac and other hip hop artists which sparked Kalama’s own musical calling and journey. Performing under the name “Blue Flamez,”

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11:54

Oregon State Parks visitors are paying more for...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/09

Day use fees for some state parks went from $5 to $10 dollars at the beginning of the year, and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will be applying those same fees in locations where there were none previously. According to the department website, the agency manages 259 properties, which include camping at 52 parks as well as the entire ocean shore along 362 miles of the Oregon coast. The parks and recreation department is also raising camping and other fees to close its

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14:06

As budgets shrink and costs grow, East Multnomah...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/09

The cities of Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village are rethinking what fire service might look like in East Multnomah County. For decades, Gresham’s fire department has contracted with the other cities to provide service. But the cities have grown, and funds for firefighters have not kept up. Now, the cities are considering a new option: a fire district. Instead of Gresham having primary control of services, the municipalities would work together to offer fire

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22:55

Wood treatment company pleads guilty to polluting...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/08

Stella-Jones, a Canadian wood products company, recently pleaded guilty to exceeding legal limits of pentachlorophenol in water discharged from its plant near Sheridan, Oregon. The chemical is used to protect wood from insects and fungi and poses a number of health concerns, including an increased risk of cancer.According to a recent investigation from the journalism nonprofit InvestigateWest, regulators have known about Stella-Jones’s history of pollution for years. On

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