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

11:39

New strain of hazelnut blight overcomes disease...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/15

Eastern filbert blight, a fungal pathogen that kills hazelnut trees, first made its way to the Northwest in the 1960s. Since then, farmers have managed the fungus by pruning infected trees and spraying orchards with fungicide. But the most successful intervention has been a disease-resistant cultivar that’s been bred into newer hazelnut varieties. A new strain of the blight has overcome that disease resistance, however. As reported in the Capital Press, the strain

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20:38

Southern Oregon now boasts world’s largest Dark Sky...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/14

An area that’s nearly half the size of New Jersey in southern Oregon was recently named the world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary by DarkSky International. The nonprofit works to combat light pollution through advocacy and conservation, including a program that has certified more than 200 places around the world to protect the night sky.The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary spans 2.5 million acres of mostly public land in eastern Lake County, and could

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15:56

Quagga mussels will be catastrophic for wildlife and...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/14

You may have heard that various kinds of invasive plants and animals create problems for the species that are native to an area. In the case of the quagga mussel, which only grows to the size of a thumbnail, its effects extend beyond the natural ecology and into the built environment. Not only can it take food away from juvenile salmon and other fish, but the mussels can clog all sorts of water systems, from municipal water to irrigation and hydropower. The quagga and the

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16:01

Linn County will launch mobile mental health services

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/14

Linn County will soon dispatch a mobile mental health care clinic for residents. The Mobile Crisis Intervention Team will be able to work with residents throughout the county and assist in a crisis situation.Workers have traditionally met with residents in emergency rooms but the mobile clinic, a modified van with a workspace and onboard generator, will provide more flexibility. We hear more from Todd Noble, the county’s health administrator, about the need for more

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18:14

Grants Pass works on sustainability plan, struggles...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/13

Grants Pass has been working on a sustainability plan that will help the city be more resilient in the case of a natural disaster. The plan includes projects like installing electric vehicle charging stations downtown and adding solar panels at city-owned landfills. But the city is struggling to find funding for the projects and has limited resources to work on grants that could help. Claire Carlson is a reporter for The Daily Yonder, a nonprofit newsroom that reports on rural

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11:23

USDA issues natural disaster designation for some...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/13

The United States Department of Agriculture issued two natural disaster designations, and they affect several counties in Oregon. Wasco, Hood River, Clackamas, Multnomah, Clackamas, Gilliam, Jefferson, Marion, Sherman and Wheeler counties were listed in the designations. This means that farmers in the affected counties are eligible to apply for emergency assistance.Extreme weather events in recent years have affected Oregon growers and spurred agency action. Farmers have faced

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22:58

As Gov. Kotek rolls back on freeway tolls for I-5,...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/13

On Monday, Gov. Kotek announced that a proposed tolling project on Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 would not commence. The project was meant to reduce congestion and fund future transportation projects, but rising costs and uncertain toll revenues led the governor to bring the projects to a halt. Anessa Hartman is a Democrat who represents district 40 in the Oregon House, which covers Oregon City, Gladstone and parts of Clackamas County. She joins us to share more on why she

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13:12

ODA proposal could raise license fees for hundreds of...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/12

Animal rescue organizations across Oregon could soon be paying thousands of extra dollars in license fees. That’s according to a proposal from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, which oversees the organizations. The new fee structure would charge rescues and shelters based on the number of animals they take in per year. Nearly 200 people testified against the changes at a hearing last month, saying the tiered structure would disproportionately impact smaller

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18:43

Native seeds stored in the soil can help restore...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/12

Ecological restoration projects often require thousands of seeds or seedlings. But there's another approach that's gaining momentum, especially on Tribal lands: introducing water or fire to a landscape and then letting long-buried seeds come back to life. Portland-based freelance journalist Josephine Woolington wrote about this recently for High Country News and joins us with more details.

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20:38

Grants Pass ordinance would regulate homeless service...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/12

The Grants Pass City Council recently passed an ordinance limiting the amount of time homeless service organizations can spend helping unhoused people in city parks and on other public property. Service providers would have to register with the city and provide data on the number of people they serve. The ordinance still needs the mayor’s signature to become law.Sara Bristol is the mayor of Grants Pass, and Cassy Leach is the executive director of MINT, a homeless

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26:32

Portland General Electric could raise rates by 7% in...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/11

Portland General Electric residential customers saw an 18% increase in the cost of their electricity bills since the beginning of January, the highest rate increase within the past two decades. Now, a new proposal from the utility aims to raise those rates again. If approved, electricity bills could be 7% higher than they are now starting at the beginning of 2025. Bob Jenks is the executive director of the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, an advocacy group that represents

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12:45

How Washington tracks truant students

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/11

In Washington, school districts are working on how they interact with truant students. The state has laws in place that allow for school districts to work with kids and understand why they’re missing school so often. Rules include referring students to community engagement boards and working with juvenile court. But district success with current policies vary widely from county to county, and some kids are falling through the cracks. Kelsey Turner has covered this issue as

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13:23

Monthlong legislative session wraps up with passage...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/11

In just 31 days, Oregon lawmakers ended the 2024 legislative session. They passed bills with bipartisan support that targeted affordable housing, homelessness, campaign finance and the fentanyl crisis. They also delivered on Governor Tina Kotek’s top legislative priority with a $376 million housing package to boost affordable housing construction, help counties acquire land to develop properties and expand emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness. The

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20:01

New research explores how discrimination and...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/08

A recent study shows that chronic exposure to discrimination and stigma can negatively impact the health of trans and nonbinary people. But it also shows that a strong sense of community can help alleviate those impacts. The findings are part of the broader Trans Resilience and Health Study, co-led by Jae Puckett, an assistant professor at Michigan State University, and Zachary DuBois, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Oregon.DuBois joins us to talk

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15:37

SheBrew celebrates women in brewing industry

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/08

Jenn McPoland has been homebrewing beer for about 20 years. It’s become her main hobby and something she loves to share. She likes to tell people, “If you can cook, you can brew.” McPoland says while the industry remains pretty male dominated, more women than ever are getting into the craft all the time. When she first got into SheBrew, a one day festival celebrating women in the industry, there were just two women-owned breweries in the state. Now there are a

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12:00

Ashland city council rejects millions in state funds,...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/08

City councilors in Ashland voted 5 - 1 this week to close its 24/7 emergency homeless shelter. The city opened the shelter last November. Oregon state officials had offered Ashland $1.8 million for renovations and $800,000 for operational funds for the facility. But the councilors voted to decline the funding and shut the shelter down when the current state funding ends March 31. Meanwhile, the council is currently working on a master plan for addressing homelessness. Jefferson

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6:06

Eugene school board won’t renew embattled...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/08

The Eugene School District 4J board voted Wednesday night not to renew the contract of Superintendent Andy Dey. The departure comes a month after Eugene Weekly broke the news that Dey was under investigation following complaints of discrimination and retaliation. Since then, the paper has reported on the board’s formal reprimand of Dey and a new allegation that Dey kissed a teacher without her consent. Eugene Weekly Editor Camilla Mortensen joins us for an update on the

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33:31

Portland musician Hannah Glavor performs new songs

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/07

Hannah Glavor’s music used to lean toward singer-songwriter folk. But her newly released single, Otherside, shows an indie rock side to the Portland musician. She writes about loss and hope, and about darkness and the light on the other side. Hannah Glavor joins us in the studio to perform songs from her new album.

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19:14

Oregon bill would limit campaign donations

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/07

Oregon is on the verge of reshaping how political campaigns are financed. HB 4024 would limit contributions for individuals and for organizations. If passed, limits would not begin until January 2027. Jason Kafoury is the co-chair of Honest Elections Oregon. He joins us to share more details of the bill.

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19:22

Astoria romance novelist and English instructor on...

Think Out Loud ·

2024/03/06

Astoria author Kama O’Connor thinks a lot about romance and love. Writing under the pen name Kristine Lynn, her seventh romance novel - “Accidentally Dating His Boss” - was published last month by Harlequin. In addition to being a romance novelist, O’Connor is also a writing and English instructor at Clatsop Community College in Astoria. Next month, those two passions will converge in a new humanities course called “Modern Love.” From Jane

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