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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30:05

As Washington state mulls changes to roadside...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/08

Since 1994, the Washington Department of Transportation has operated a roadside memorial program that allows for the creation and installation of signs along state highways in honor of victims of fatal collisions. Washington was the first state in the nation to start a roadside memorial program, and there are now more than 1,000 signs posted along state highways bearing a message such as “Reckless Driving Costs Lives” or “Please Don’t Drink and

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17:46

Nonprofit building community in Sisters pivots to...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/05

Since it broke out two weeks ago, the Flat Fire burning two miles northeast of Sisters has burned more than 23,000 acres. The wildfire destroyed five homes, threatened hundreds of others and prompted evacuation orders that have since been lifted or reduced in Jefferson and Deschutes Counties. Although the fire isn’t yet fully contained, the focus in the Sisters community has shifted to recovery. Those efforts are being coordinated by Citizens4Community, a nonprofit that

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10:02

Portland's mayor wants to end unsheltered...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/05

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson made ending unsheltered homelessness central to his policy agenda. He’s leaned into one kind of shelter to do that, overnight-only shelters. And he’s successfully opened five of these this year, as part of his plan to provide an additional 1,500 beds by Dec. 1. Last month, the mayor announced plans to open what will eventually be four centers where homeless Portlanders can access services during the day. But Multnomah County estimates the

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24:23

Oregon could be facing a near $373 million hole in...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/05

he Trump administration has created a lot of uncertainty as state lawmakers crafted a budget this year. In the latest economic forecast, Oregon went from a nearly $500 million cushion over the next two years to a roughly projected $373 million deficit. Carl Riccadonna is the state’s economist. Democratic Senator Kate Lieber represents Beaverton and Southwest Portland and is a co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee. They join us with more on

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20:48

REBROADCAST: University of Washington...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/04

Tory Johnston is an enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation and a lecturer in American Indian Studies at the University of Washington. He grew up in the Quinault Indian reservation on the Washington coast with a love for music, whether it was the loud guitar riffs of Metallica or the jazz improvisation of Thelonious Monk. In 2023, with no prior experience as a radio DJ, he applied to work on a new show Seattle radio station KEXP was launching that appealed to his academic

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16:32

What deflection has looked like in Washington County...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/04

Last year, Oregon ended its three-year experiment with drug decriminalization known as Measure 110. This came when Oregon lawmakers passed House Bill 4002 to implement new criminal penalties for drug possession and fund efforts at the county level to deflect drug users away from the criminal justice system and into treatment as a way to avoid charges. Those deflection programs look different in every county across the state. It has now been a year since that program began in

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15:37

Oregon teachers and students navigate cellphones, AI...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/04

Class is now back in session for students across Oregon. Schools are navigating a new statewide ban on cellphones in the classroom, as well as the growing use of artificial intelligence among both students and educators. Meanwhile, aggressive federal immigration enforcement tactics have raised fears in some communities that schools could become hotspots for arrests.Natalie Pate covers K-12 education for OPB. She joins us to talk about these issues and more.

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28:13

Oregon Arts Commission celebrates 50 years of public...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/03

This summer, the Oregon Arts Commission is marking the 50th anniversary of the Percent for Art program, which has helped 900 artists create 3,000 pieces of public art. The 1975 law requires that one percent of the cost of new and renovated buildings go toward a piece of art that’s accessible to the public. The arts commission and Travel Oregon launched a “50 for 50” program in August, highlighting 50 pieces in the collection that span across the state and

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15:45

University of Oregon study shows fear of deportation...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/03

A recently published study from the University of Oregon found that the fear of deportation declines with age among immigrants without protected status. The research is based on interviews with Mexican immigrants over the age of 50 in the California communities of Oakland, Fremont and Berkeley. The interviews were mostly conducted in 2019 and some in 2022, before the second Trump presidency.The study found several factors that affected the fear of deportation. For example,

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9:08

Where things stand with Oregon’s special legislative...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/03

Last Friday, Oregon lawmakers convened in Salem for a special legislative session called by Gov. Tina Kotek to pass a transportation funding bill. The special session will now likely not end until later this month to allow Democrats to muster the necessary votes to pass the bill in the Oregon Senate. On Monday, the House passed a bill that would raise gas taxes by 6 cents per gallon, hike vehicle registration and titling fees, raise costs for drivers of EVs, and temporarily

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19:26

Former manager of Portland homeless shelters helps...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/02

Three years ago, Paul Susi launched PDX ID Assistance, a free service to help people replace lost forms of identification, such as a driver’s license or birth certificate. In a recent magazine essay he wrote for Oregon Humanities, Susi says he was motivated to start PDX ID Assistance after working for years as a manager of homeless shelters in Portland where he saw firsthand the frustration clients experienced trying to obtain housing, employment health care or other

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11:13

No Vacancy Window Gallery turns boarded-up Portland...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/02

The No Vacancy Window Gallery is a self-guided art tour through Portland’s Old Town-Chinatown neighborhood. It launches on September 4 and runs through November 30. The gallery aims to create accessible art in the area by turning boarded-up buildings into exhibition venues. We hear more from curator Lauren Lesueur about the exhibition.

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10:30

Will Vaux’s swifts return to Portland’s Chapman...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/02

Vaux’s swifts are small, migratory birds that travel from their breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest to Central and South American each fall, roosting in chimneys and hollowed-out trees along the way. For a few weeks in September, huge flocks of the birds have spiraled into the chimney of Chapman Elementary in Northwest Portland. The nightly display has entertained crowds for decades, but as of last year, the birds appear to have abandoned the chimney.Joe Liebezeit

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12:45

In Washington, some people accused of domestic...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/02

In Washington, the Flannery decision has caused confusion over when people accused of domestic violence need to surrender their firearms. More recently, another court decision has provided more clarity over the issue. We dig into this story with Kelsey Turner, an investigative reporter with InvestigateWest.

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52:39

A day at the Oregon State Fair

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/01

The 160th annual Oregon State Fair in Salem wraps up on Labor Day. The 10-day event features live music, monster trucks, carnival rides and competitions that showcase excellence in Oregon art, livestock, agriculture and more. From the tallest sunflower grown to blue ribbons awarded for beef and dairy cattle, the fair is also an opportunity to honor the hard work of future farmers, ranchers or hobbyists who’ve waited months to compete and show off their skills. We visited

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12:43

Community land trust builds housing in the wake of...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/08/29

When the Holiday Farm Fire roared through the McKenzie River corridor five years ago, it destroyed at least 500 homes and most of the community of Blue River. In the aftermath, many former home owners sold their property rather than rebuilding. Property values went up, and housing - especially affordable or mid-range housing - became very hard to find. In response, some community members founded the nonprofit McKenzie Community Land Trust. One of the only rural land trusts for

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15:47

5 years after the Almeda Fire, Talent’s new...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/08/29

Erica Alexia Ledesma was born in Medford and grew up in nearby Talent and Phoenix. After graduating from the University of Oregon, she moved back to Southern Oregon and, as she put it, “immediately got to community organizing.” She was among the community members who gathered for a strategy and solutions brainstorming meeting a month after the 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed thousands of homes, displacing many who had lived in historically low-income, Latinx and

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14:41

What rebuilding Phoenix has been like, 5 years after...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/08/29

Five years ago, the Labor Day Fires killed 11 people and destroyed more than 4,000 homes, becoming the deadliest and destructive wildfire season in the state’s history. Since then, the city of Phoenix has focused on rebuilding, including housing, rebuilding Blue Heron Park and building a new food truck lot known as the Phoodery. Eric Swanson is the city manager of Phoenix. He joins us to share more on what rebuilding has looked like.

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10:24

An update on the Flat Fire and its impact on...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/08/29

The Flat Fire, which is burning two miles northeast of Sisters in Central Oregon, has grown to more than 23,000 acres and is 13% contained, as of Friday morning. The fire broke out last week, grew rapidly and prompted Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation orders in Deschutes and Jefferson counties. On Thursday, Level 3 orders were downgraded to Level 2 in both counties. According to an update posted Thursday morning, five homes have been destroyed by the fire, the cause of which is still

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14:55

How IRCO is helping Oregon refugees and immigrants...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/08/28

President Donald Trump declared an indefinite pause on new refugee admissions to the U.S. on his first day in office in January. Shortly after, he froze federal funding for resettlement agencies that provide services to refugees in the U.S. The decisions are part of a broader crackdown on immigration that’s led to arrests and deportations across the country.The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, or IRCO, provides education, health, employment and other support

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