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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53:27

Working toward wildfire resilience in Jackson County

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/09

In 2020, the Almeda Fire ripped through Jackson County. The catastrophic blaze destroyed more than 2,600 homes in Phoenix, Talent, Ashland and Medford. The “Think Out Loud” team traveled to Southern Oregon recently and talked to residents about how they're thinking about fire in their communities now. In Ashland, the city and the forest are tied together. The watershed, which provides the source of Ashland's drinking water, is more than 15,000 acres of potentially

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52:14

REBROADCAST: ‘Class of 2025’ first grade

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/06

In 2012, then Oregon governor John Kitzhaber announced a lofty goal: by 2025, the state would achieve a 100% high school graduation rate. That hasn’t happened — the state’s graduation rate is around 82% — but the goal sparked the creation of a 12-year reporting project at OPB called “Class of 2025.”OPB journalists began talking to 27 students who were then in kindergarten at Earl Boyles elementary school in Southeast Portland, and have

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21:41

A look at the changes coming to Oregon’s Bottle Bill

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/05

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek recently signed a piece of legislation that makes notable changes to Oregon’s landmark Bottle Bill. The new rules allow grocery and convenience stores across the state to reduce the hours that customers can redeem cans and bottles for cash. They also allow retailers in downtown Portland to stop accepting containers altogether if they’re close enough to an “alternative redemption site” such as The People’s Depot, which

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14:36

Oregon bill to ban plastic bags at checkout now...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/05

If you’re having a bit of deja vu over a plastic bag ban, you’re not alone. When Oregon lawmakers passed the first ban in 2019, which prohibited using so-called single-use plastic bags, more than a dozen Oregon cities had already passed such bans. But the ban's environmental aim of reducing the use of plastic - and its impacts on the environment and human health - did not end up achieving that goal. Grocers replaced the thinner, single-use bags with a thicker,

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16:39

Salem is recovering after stabbing at Union Gospel...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/05

A man who attacked a dozen people with a knife at Salem's Union Gospel Union Mission shelter on Sunday night is now in police custody facing attempted murder and assault charges. Several of the 12 stabbing victims suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized. The Union Gospel Mission has operated in Salem for 73 years and Director of Community Engagement Mark Hunter says, while it’s hard to make sense of the attack, he and the other staff and volunteers remain committed

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38:56

OPB’s ‘Class of 2025’ project culminates with seniors...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/04

In 2012, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber announced a goal that by 2025, the state would achieve a 100% high school graduation rate. Although Oregon today graduates only about 4 out of 5 students, that aspiration sparked the creation of OPB’s “Class of 2025” project. Journalists at OPB began tracking 27 students starting in first grade at Earl Boyles Elementary School in Southeast Portland through their senior year. For the past 12 years, the production team has

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12:54

Crater Lake National Park superintendent resigns in...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/04

Until last week, Kevin Heatley was the Crater Lake National Park superintendent. He’d worked in the private sector for much of his career, but for most of the last decade he’s been in leadership positions with the federal government, including with the Bureau of Land Management. He had only taken the Park Service job in January, a move he made in anticipation of possible BLM cuts. But last week, he chose to resign, saying he could no longer be party to President

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39:36

Portland author examines race in the workplace in...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/03

After the killing of George Floyd in 2020, millions of Americans participated in protests for racial justice. Much of corporate America promised to address racial equity. Now, many of those companies are retreating from diversity initiatives.“Qualified: How Competency Checking and Race Collide at Work” identifies how to create a more equitable workplace. Through research and anecdotes, Portland author Shari Dunn illustrates the institutional racism that exists in

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11:58

University of Oregon study investigates water injustice

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/03

A study led by researchers at the University of Oregon explores water injustice across the U.S. The analysis focuses on vulnerable communities facing systemic barriers to clean water and also investigates water privatization in America. “We found that violations and risks of water injustice tend to cluster in specific areas or hot spots across the country,” said Alex Segrè Cohen, the paper’s lead author. “We designed our method to capture not just

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20:09

Along the Klamath River, restoration efforts continues

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/02

Long before the four dams along the Klamath River were removed, the habitat restoration process began. RES, a company that specializes in ecological restoration, has been involved in the process since 2019. It’s charged with working on habitat restoration and will continue to maintain the project for about 5 years. We check in on the effort with Dave Coffman, the director of Northern California and Southern Oregon for RES.

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23:43

Portland business hit hard by tariffs is solicited...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/02

Less than 24 hours after a lower court ruling on Wednesday found that President Trump had illegally used an emergency powers law to enact global tariffs, a federal appeals court paused that decision and allowed the tariffs to continue – for now, that is. The legal topsy-turvy added a fresh round of uncertainty for business owners like Leslie Jordan, who started a company in Portland nearly 40 years ago which manufactures athletic apparel and accessories made in factories

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8:48

AMR river rescue has saved thousands of lives in...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/06/02

With the warm weather over the Memorial Day weekend you might have been tempted to cool off in one of the region’s many beautiful rivers. If you headed to Glen Otto park or High Rocks park in the Portland area you might have seen Emergency Medical Technicians from the American Medical Response (AMR) River Rescue Program on hand to help out in case of an emergency in the water. The EMTs are getting training in river currents and rescue operations this week and will staff

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30:15

Oregon mother advocates for federal bill that aims to...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/30

Abill in the U.S. Senatewould put more responsibility on social media companies to design their platforms to better protect children from online dangers. The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA,appeared setto pass Congress last year, only tostall in the House. It wasreintroducedearlier this month.Advocates say KOSA is necessary to keep kids from being fed harmful content through algorithms, such as posts encouraging eating disorders or suicide. But opponentssuch as the ACLUhave

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22:54

Looking back at Steve Prefontaine’s legacy 50 years...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/30

It’s been 50 years since legendary Oregon track and field athlete Steve Prefontaine died in a car crash on May 30, 1975. He was only 24 years old. At the time, the Coos Bay runner held every U.S. distance record from the two-kilometer race to the 10K and was training for the 1976 Olympics. His athleticism and charisma made him one of the best-known runners to come out of the University of Oregon and helped him land a brand deal as Nike’s first celebrity

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12:45

How Oregon’s Head Start programs are affected by...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/29

The Head Start program provides free early childhood education and support for low-income families. The federal government funds the program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Project 2025 proposed eliminating the program.While Head Start still exists, regional offices have closed and programs have run into issues receiving their funding. We’ll learn more about what the program looks like now from Nancy Perin, the executive director of the Oregon

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10:44

Oregon AG-led challenge to Trump’s tariffs...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/29

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Arizona AG Kris Mayes have prevailed in their challenge to a set of tariffs Pres. Trump had imposed on most countries on April 2. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade in April. The coalition of Attorneys General included Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont. The judgment issued Wednesday said that the executive orders Trump issued using the

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29:01

Oregon bill would again allow foster kids to be sent...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/29

A foster care bill in the Oregon legislature is controversial, but unlike other hotly contested issues, it’s not one that breaks along party lines. House Bill 3835 would allow kids in the child welfare system to be sent out of state to receive services — a practice Oregon stopped several years ago after documented incidents of abuse. Democratic governor Tina Kotek has publicly spoken in favor of the bill, and it’s sponsored by Rep. Rob Nosse, D - Portland. But

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23:54

Author Renée Watson on “skin & bones,” her first...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/28

Renée Watson has topped bestseller lists and won multiple awards for her children’s and young adult literature. But the author, who splits her time between Portland and New York City, recently released “skin & bones,” her first book for adults. The story follows 40-year-old Lena Baker as she navigates dating, fat-shaming, friendship and motherhood while also working to bring Oregon’s Black history to the general public. The book also deals with

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29:44

Portland comedian Susan Rice releases first stand-up...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/28

Portland comedian Susan Rice has performed on stages across the country since the 1980s. But it was only last year, at the age of 72, that she received wider acclaim after her appearance at a Don’t Tell Comedy showcase went viral. The 10-minute set has now been viewed more than 1.4 million times on Youtube. Following that success, Rice dropped her first stand-up album, “Silver Alert,” earlier this month. Rice joins us to talk about her long career in comedy

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17:04

Black Belt Eagle Scout creates new composition for...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/27

Katherine Paul is an Indigenous musician who performs as Black Belt Eagle Scout. The band’s most recent album, “The Land, Water, The Sky,” draws inspiration from the landscape of the Pacific Northwest and Paul’s return to her home on the Swinomish Reservation in Washington after many years in Portland. Paul recently created a 45-minute “soundwalk” in partnership with Third Angle New Music. The composition is meant to be listened to on a walk

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