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

10:52

Portland Trail Blazers aim to keep season alive with...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/14

The Portland Trail Blazers will face off against the Phoenix Suns tonight in the NBA play-in tournament, which kicks off today. The Blazers ended the NBA regular season on Sunday with a 42-40 record and are the number 8 seed in the Western Conference. If they beat the Suns, the Blazers would make it to the NBA playoffs for the first time in five years. But even if the Blazers lose tonight, they could still punch their ticket to the playoffs with a victory over the winner of the

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19:16

Why Portland General Electric and Pacific Power...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/14

Beginning April 1, two of Oregon’s largest utilities increased their rates for residential customers. Portland General Electric raised rates by 5%, and Pacific Power’s rates went up by nearly 3%. These rate hikes are on top of others in recent years — since 2020, PGE’s residential rates have gone up nearly 60%.Usually, rate increases arise in November, but due to the Fairness & Affordability in Residential Energy Act, passed last year, utilities can

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22:11

Portland OB-GYN's new book focuses on the labor and...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/14

In Jennifer Lincoln’s work as an obstetrics hospitalist, she met many new parents who were fearful and felt uninformed about the labor and delivery process, even when arriving at the hospital for their own births. She’s quick to note, however, that this gap in understanding isn’t due to patients being lazy, or their lack of interest in learning, but due to brief prenatal visits and the often overburdened system of maternal healthcare in the U.S. A 2024 report

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12:46

Amid ICE threats, Portlander organizes safe soccer...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/13

Som Subedi’s daughter, a fifth-grader, was concerned about attending her soccer practice for fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raiding the public practices and games. She was worried her father would be targeted by ICE officers. Subedi assured her daughter that he is, in fact, a U.S. citizen, by showing her his Real I.D. card and passport. Subedi is originally from Bhutan, and after spending nearly twenty years in a refugee camp in Nepal, he moved to

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11:06

What prediction markets can tell us about Oregon’s...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/13

Over the last year, prediction markets have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. Prediction markets, such as sites like Polymarket, Kalshi and Robinhood, allow bettors to put down money on the likelihood of an event happening — including for political races in Oregon. Market sites show users are placing their bets on who the Republican candidate will be for Oregon’s governor. OPB politics reporter Dirk Vanderhart covered this story. He joins us to share more.

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27:47

Portland proposal to raise pay for Uber and Lyft...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/13

Portland city councilors are discussing a proposal that would raise take-home pay for Uber and Lyft drivers by limiting how much money the companies can take from each trip. Councilors are considering a limit of 20% for the portion that Uber and Lyft can take from a driver. Currently, the amount isn’t fixed, and can sometimes be over40%. Uber and Lyft have threatened to leave Portland over the proposal. Uber claims it would force the company to raise its rates or operate

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25:54

Cochlear implant helps Portlander make new music...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/10

Portlander Sean Wolfe has been making electronic music off and on under the moniker Salvo Beta for more than three decades. During the pandemic, he started experiencing hearing loss in his right ear and other symptoms such as balance problems and tinnitus, or a ringing sensation in the ear. Wolfe was diagnosed with a kind of rare, noncancerous tumor that left untreated can lead to permanent hearing loss, facial paralysis and worse.So in October 2024, Wolfe got surgery to not

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16:11

Industry groups raise concerns about Oregon's Climate...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/10

Oregon’s Climate Protection Program was established in 2021 to place a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels throughout the state. The program hadn’t gone into effect for most natural gas customers until November 2025. Natural gas users must use less natural gas, or face higher costs. Many environmentalists are happy with the program and its progress towards reducing carbon emissions, but many policymakers view the program as flawed. Nigel Jaquiss, the

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10:26

Vancouver’s housing construction not keeping pace...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/10

By 2045, Vancouver’s population is expected to grow by more than 80,000 new residents – a roughly 40% increase. According to Vancouver’s 2025 Housing Report, the city will need to develop 2,500 new units a year to meet housing demand. But the city is falling well short of that goal for both market-rate and affordable housing projects, as OPB recently reported. City officials point to a range of factors for the slowdown. That includes rising construction costs,

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16:40

Students at two Portland high schools organize...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/09

On Saturday, a climate justice summit will take place at Lincoln High School in Southwest Portland. The event is free, open to the public and is being organized by students at Lincoln’s environmental justice class and students at Ida B. Wells’ Eco Action Club. It’s the first time students at the two PPS schools have collaborated to create a climate justice summit, according to Tim Swinehart, a Lincoln social studies teacher who launched the environmental

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11:53

What the reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/09

The Trump administration announced a massive reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service last week. The agency’s headquarters will move from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, and its regional offices will be replaced by 15 state-based offices. Additionally, more than 50 research stations will close across 31 states, including one in Oregon and two in Washington.Christine Peterson is a freelance reporter covering wildlife, the environment and outdoor recreation. She

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23:59

‘Price of Justice’ report says rural, low-income and...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/09

The Oregon justice system imposes fees, fines and restitution on people found guilty of a wide range of crimes. These different kinds of financial penalties are having a severe and disproportionate impact on people of color and those in low- income neighborhoods and rural communities, according to a new report called “The Price of Justice in Oregon.” The broad look at jurisdictions all over the state was years in the making and resulted from the combined efforts of

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18:08

Jackson County nonprofit health provider rolls out...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/08

In February, a bright blue, 38-foot-long, custom-built mobile health clinic rolled into Jackson County. Five days a week, it provides an array of free or low-cost services in Medford and Ashland that range from filling medications and running lab tests to dental exams and wound treatment. The mobile health clinic is operated by La Clinica, a nonprofit that for nearly 40 years has been helping meet the health care needs of primarily low-income residents in Jackson County.This

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15:51

OHSU program helps children on Medicaid prepare for...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/08

Access to preschool in Oregon remains limited, with more than half of the state’s school districts reporting that demand has outpaced available slots. The deficit could leave many children without the early literacy and math skills they’re expected to bring into kindergarten. The Kinder Coaching Program at Oregon Health & Science University aims to incorporate school readiness into medical care. During a routine visit, medical providers can refer children on

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18:46

Nurses say patients at the Oregon State Hospital in...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/08

The Oregon State Hospital in Salem, the state’s only public psychiatric hospital, is facing multiple lawsuits alleging retaliation against those who have formally raised serious issues about the way it is treating — or failing to treat — its patients. OSH has been out of compliance with federal standards in recent years, and it has been found in contempt of court for not admitting mentally ill criminal defendants quickly enough. Last year, Lindsey Sande, the

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20:51

New podcast from KUOW investigates rumors of high...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/07

In the 1990s, a beloved high school teacher in Seattle was rumored to be sexually abusing a student. Students at the school newspaper started investigating. The teacher later died by suicide. A new podcast from KUOW dives deep into the story - exploring what really happened back then. Isolde Raftery, managing editor at KUOW, was also a student in that high school in the 90s. She brings us the story.

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13:47

How banned fish traps could help salmon in the PNW

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/07

Nearly a century ago, fish traps were banned on the Columbia River. The practice had been used by indigenous communities of the Northwest for a millenia, but when European settlers expanded west, they set up their own industrial versions, catching as much as 73 tons of salmon a season. Voters would ban these traps in Washington and Oregon in 1934 and 1948, respectively. But now some permitted experiments are being conducted using traps to sustainably harvest fish. Zach Theiler

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18:04

Severe drought impacting Oregon farmers as...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/07

Historic-low snowpack and drought in the West this year has come with a myriad of complications for the agricultural industry. As irrigation season begins, this winter’s drought combined with record-high temperatures is creating a stark reality for Oregon’s farmers, ranchers and water managers as they look to the coming summer.We’ll hear from Jeremy McCulloch, a rancher in Wallowa County, and Gordon Jones, an agronomist with Oregon State University’s

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17:20

Oregon Donkey Sanctuary saves animals and provides...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/06

When you think of a donkey, you might think of some stubborn, more dangerous version of a horse. But the couple that runs the state’s only donkey sanctuary in Oregon City say, if so, you’d be dead wrong. The myths and folklore about these animals is one reason they need special care in the first place. Jim and Rhonda Urquhart formally incorporated their nonprofit five years ago, but the sanctuary has been growing since they took in their first donkey in 2010. They

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15:58

The Portland Fire gears up for their inaugural WNBA...

Think Out Loud ·

2026/04/06

Typically, new WNBA teams have five to six months to acquire players and practice as a team before the season starts. The Portland Fire have only five weeks. With the WNBA expansion draft on April 3, the Fire were finally able to start building their team roster. The draft was delayed several months due to tense contract negotiations between the WNBA and the players’ union. The season is set to tip off May 9 at the Moda Center. Kimberly Veale is the senior vice president

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