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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All Episodes

17:45

Oregon’s slow progress on addressing plight of...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/20

Five years ago, the Oregon state legislature passed a bill declaring missing Native American women a statewide emergency. The bill also authorized an investigation into the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, and the release of a report containing recommendations to more effectively respond to it. But as reporting from InvestigateWest reveals, Indigenous activists are frustrated by the lack of progress and a lack of direct engagement by law enforcement with their

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52:08

Author Brit Bennet explores race and identity

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/18

Brit Bennett’s book The Vanishing Half was on a lot of best-of lists in 2020. Though spanning the second half of the 20th century, the novel speaks to questions about race and identity that have been central to national conversations for the last two years. In that novel and her other writing, Bennett deals with the bonds of family, the importance of storytelling, and nature of identity. We spoke to Bennett about her essays and novels in front of an audience of students at

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23:35

Oregon neurologist studied Alzheimer’s, and then was...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/18

Daniel Gibbs dedicated his career as a neurologist to the study of Alzheimer’s and care for patients living with the disease. Then he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s himself. Gibbs says that early diagnosis has allowed him to slow the progression of the disease through diet, exercise and other treatment. A documentary based on the book he wrote about his experience, “Tattoo on my Brain,” is airing on June 22 at OHSU. Gibbs and his wife, Louis Seed, join us

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14:27

How computer science classes are making their way...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/18

The Oregon Department of Education released its first statewide plan for computer science education late last year. The chief goal is for all K-12 public schools to offer some level of computer science classes by the 2027-28 school year. The plan received some initial funding through the governor’s office, but has yet to receive long-term funding from the state Legislature. Joanna Goode is the Sommerville Knight Professor in the University of Oregon College of Education

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14:20

Providence nurses on 3-day strike in largest nursing...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/18

Nurses in six Providence hospitals around Oregon are going on a 3-day strike at the same time. It’s the largest such nursing strike in Oregon history. Each of the six different bargaining units are negotiating with their employer separately but they say their issues are similar across the board, including staffing ratios and levels and benefits and overall compensation. We hear from Anne Tan Piazza, executive director of the Oregon Nurses Association, and Jennifer Gentry,

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24:35

'From Thorns to Blossoms’ recounts an Oregonian’s...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/17

Mitzi Asai Loftus was in elementary school when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order No. 9066 sent people of Japanese descent – many of them U.S. citizens – from their homes to “relocation centers,” resulting in the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Asai Loftus was born in Hood River on a fruit orchard and spent years of her childhood in the government camps. After leaving the camps, her family returned to Hood River

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13:52

Salem teen killed in police shootout reveals systemic...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/17

Salem resident Bobby Brown was killed in a shootout with city police in 2022 when he was just 16 years old. As reported in a recent three-part profile published by the Salem Reporter, Brown's birth mother used methamphetamines. When he was born he went into withdrawals and was immediately placed into foster care. He was adopted when he was 4, and later struggled with substance abuse and mental illness, despite repeated efforts by his adopted family to get him help. Reporter

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14:06

Checking in on Oregon’s regulated psilocybin industry

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/17

It’s been a year since the first licensed psilocybin service centers in Oregon opened – facilities where people 21 and older can legally ingest psychedelic mushrooms in a supervised, therapeutic setting. Oregon became the first state in the nation to approve and regulate the use of psilocybin through a legal framework set up and administered by the Oregon Health Authority. The agency has currently awarded licenses to 28 psilocybin service centers which continue to

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21:16

Large crowds and busy summer days lead to messes at...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/14

University of Oregon and University of California, Davis students were blamed for leaving a large mess at Shasta Lake in California over Memorial Day weekend. In Oregon, the Fourth of July is a busy day for parks throughout the state and 2023 was a near-record breaking year for visits.More guests, however, typically means more trash left behind, and workers spending hours of their day picking up after visitors. John Mullen is a park manager for the Southern Willamette

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17:25

The disgrace and legacy of Neil Goldschmidt

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/14

Former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, one of the state’s most powerful figures before revelations that he had sexually abused a teen, died Wednesday at the age of 83. Goldschmidt’s abuse was hidden for nearly 30 years until it was broken by Nigel Jaquiss at Willamette Week after a long, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation. Jaquiss joins us to reflect on that reporting, and on Goldschmidt’s legacy.

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14:13

World Naked Bike Ride in Portland takes a hiatus

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/14

Organizers of Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride have announced that they will take a year off from programming the massive ride this year. The army of volunteers who put on the ride say they need time to make sure that the event is better, safer, and easier to plan in the future. We talk to Meghan Sinnott, longtime organizer of the ride, about the decision and the future of naked bike riding in Portland.

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52:29

Author Annalee Newitz on new book, ‘Stores Are Weapons’

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/13

Looking at the history of psychological operations, “Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind” is the latest book by author and journalist Annalee Newitz. It explores misinformation, propaganda and how the stories we hear can manipulate us. The book also features a chapter on the work the Coquille Indian Tribe has done to undo damage these operations did to some Oregon tribes in the past. Newitz spoke in front of an audience with “Think

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14:51

Coastal martens get federal habitat protection in...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/12

Coastal martens, also known as Humboldt martens, are small, catlike members of the weasel family that live in the coastal forests of Oregon and northern California. The animals were thought to be extinct due to logging and trapping, but were rediscovered in northern California in the 1990s. Today, there are only about 400 coastal martens left in the wild, living in four isolated communities. The animals were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2020, and just

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14:48

How Oregon would be affected by further sea level rise

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/12

Global climate change is warming oceans, melting polar ice and causing sea levels to rise around the world. Scientists predict that in the next 80 years, waters will rise at least 3 feet, but that a rise of more than 6 feet cannot be ruled out. That level of increase would submerge small islands in the Columbia River and leave much of Sauvie Island underwater as well. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released a new mapping tool that helps people visualize

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10:28

How seasonal outlooks are changing in the Pacific...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/12

NOAA recently released a seasonal outlook that shows much of the United States will likely experience a hotter than usual summer, including in Oregon. And, last year was already the hottest summer on record. What role is climate change playing in the seasonal outlook? How might they look different moving forward? We dig into these issues with Dan Collins, a meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center.

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12:59

Oregon’s Planned Parenthood affiliates rocked by...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/12

The two new leaders of Oregon’s Planned Parenthood affiliates are pushing to dissolve the political arm of their organization in a move that has blindsided some long-time advocates and has them worried about the future of reproductive rights in the state. Oregon has two Planned Parenthood affiliates. They provide reproductive health care, including abortion access, but do not engage in political work such as lobbying or campaigns. Last week, the leaders of those two

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22:36

How Oregon designers, retailers are making fashion...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/11

According to Credence Research, the U.S. plus-size women’s clothing market is expected to be worth over $101 billion by 2032. But at the same time, within the past few years the market has faced challenges with major retailers like Old Navy and the LOFT scaling back on its sizes. Why do retailers struggle to meet the needs of plus-size clientele, and what does it take to make plus-size clothing consumers want? To answer these questions and more we’re joined by Claire

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11:13

Oregon’s seed orchard breeds resilient forests

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/11

Douglas firs, hemlocks and ponderosa pines probably feel like fundamental parts of Oregon’s natural forests. In fact there are people working across the state to breed better versions of those trees to be more resistant to insects, diseases and climate change. Don Kaczmarek, a forest geneticist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, joins us to talk about his work breeding trees, and producing seeds for the state’s forests and seed banks.

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18:05

A Portland building is certified as one of most...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/11

Last month, a 5-story commercial building in Portland’s Old Town historic district was awarded one of the most rigorous sustainability certifications in the world, given by the Portland-based International Living Futures Institute. There are only three dozen certified Living Buildings in the world, and the Portland building is the first commercial one to achieve it. Living Buildings must meet a range of strict requirements, from the design to operation. That includes using

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12:39

Oregon lawmakers address transportation policy and...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/06/10

State lawmakers are traveling across Oregon to host meetings about transportation issues. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation has kicked off a 12-stop tour to hear perspectives on the state’s transportation system and the challenges it faces. Lawmakers will use information from the tour to craft Oregon’s next transportation package in the 2025 legislative session. Julia Shumway recently reported on this issue for the Oregon Capital Chronicle and

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