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

18:58

Salem-Keizer superintendent shares more on proposed...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/15

Some of Oregon’s largest school districts are facing cuts this year, including Portland Public Schools, Eugene 4J School District and the Beaverton School District. However, Oregon’s second-largest school district, Salem-Keizer Public Schools, is looking to spend more. Superintendent Andrea Castañeda shared a proposal last week that aims to increase the budget to invest more in mental health and special education. This comes after last year’s dramatic cuts

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16:12

Oregon’s economic outlook clouded by tariffs and...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/15

Oregon lawmakers will have roughly $500 million less to work with for the next two-year budget cycle, according to the state’s latest economic and revenues forecast unveiled Wednesday in Salem. The uncertainty sparked by tariffs, slashed federal spending and immigration issues are clouding the state’s economic outlook, according to Oregon Chief Economist Carl Riccadonna. Also on Wednesday, the state released its latest jobs report. It showed that unemployment in

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15:53

Oregon arts organizations scrambling after National...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/14

The National Endowment for the Arts has withdrawn more than half a million dollars worth of grants that arts organizations all over Oregon were relying on. Portland Playhouse got a letter that said it would not get $25,000 meant for its production of August Wilson’s and Joe Turner’s "Come and Gone" that was to open the next day. Other organizations that saw their funding pulled include All Classical Portland, Oregon Children’s Theatre, NW Children’s

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15:57

New Washington law making clergy mandatory reporters...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/14

Earlier this month, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill into law that now requires clergy to be mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect. Under SB 5375, clergy in Washington must report suspected abuse or neglect to authorities even if they learn of it during so-called penitential communications, such as confessions. The bill was first introduced in 2023 after reporting by InvestigateWest described how a lack of a mandatory reporting requirement for clergy in

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20:46

Portland Pickles gear up for new baseball season and...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/14

Ever since its debut 10 years ago, the wood-bat baseball team the Portland Pickles have been delighting fans with its summer games that feature quirky fan appreciation events, such as a “Redhead Appreciation Night” for the season opener on May 27, or one honoring bee sting survivors.In addition to its 10th anniversary and winning the West Coast League championship last year, the Pickles are celebrating another milestone. Tomorrow marks the debut of the Portland

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16:27

Oregon legislature on track to repeal controversial...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/13

After the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill that was supposed to lead to more wildfire awareness and resilience. It created a map of areas at high risk of fire. But that map led to a huge backlash from property owners. Now one of the democratic state senators who helped create the map is sponsoring a bill that would repeal it. We’ll talk to Jeff Golden, who represents the Ashland area, about why – and what should happen instead.

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12:47

Port of Portland reacts to tariff changes

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/13

On Monday, the U.S. and China agreed to suspend increased tariffs for 90 days while negotiations continue. Prior to that announcement, the Port of Portland had projected exports and imports to be down 30% in May. We hear from Curtis Robinhold, the executive director of the Port of Portland, and from Tim McCarthy, the chief operating officer of Harbor Industrial, a maritime services company at the Port’s container terminal.

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11:44

What NSF funding cuts could mean for misinformation...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/13

Late last month, the National Science Foundation, a U.S. federal agency that supports scientific research, terminated more than 400 grants that related to misinformation, disinformation and diversity, equity and inclusion. A proposed budget from the Trump administration would also cut the NSF budget in half. Kate Starbird is the co-founder of UW’s Center for an Informed Public. She joins us to share more about the broader impacts of these cuts.

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14:12

After 115 years, Malheur Enterprise is closing

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/13

The owners of Malheur Enterprise are retiring.Les Zaitz is the retiring publisher of the Malheur Enterprise. He joins us with details.

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18:56

West African dance company Sebé Kan brings dancers of...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/12

Derrell Sekou Walker teaches West African dance to elementary and middle schoolers at two Portland public schools. He loves his job, but as the founder and artistic director of Sebé Kan Youth African Dance Company, he is bringing his love of this art form — along with the feelings of joy and freedom it inspires — to the larger community. He first formed Sebé Kan more than 20 years ago, but since 2018, he’s been focused on teaching the dance

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13:33

Bill in Oregon legislature would provide legal aid to...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/12

When Rep. Ricki Ruiz (D-Gresham) was growing up with immigrant parents, the pervasive fear of deportation was integrally woven into his experience of childhood. He told KGW that even today, as an adult and a U.S. citizen, he’s always looking over his shoulder. That’s why he’s co-sponsoring SB 703, which would provide funding to nonprofits to help immigrant families that are eligible to apply for legal status to do so. On his Instagram account, he posted about

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19:48

How the North Portland peninsula is preparing for a...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/12

The North Portland peninsula, which includes the St. Johns and Cathedral Park neighborhoods, could become isolated from the rest of the city after a major earthquake. If the St. Johns Bridge and the railroad bridges on the peninsula’s eastern border fail, emergency responders could have no way into the area — and residents will have no way out. A bill in the Oregon Legislature would partially address the issue by designating funding for the city to design a

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52:08

Author M. Gessen brings lessons from Putin’s Russia...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/09

During the last year of the first Trump presidency, M. Gessen wrote a book about what lessons Americans could learn from countries like Russia and Hungary. The book, called “Surviving Autocracy,” draws on Gessen’s own experiences growing up in Russia and the scholarship of European philosophers who have written about modern day authoritarianism. We talk to Gessen in front of a student audience at Grant High School.

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21:25

Oregon lawmakers grapple with transportation policy

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/08

Transportation funding is a priority for Oregon lawmakers this legislative session. The Democratic proposal includes a major gas tax hike and other new taxes. The Republican plan puts less money towards public transportation, biking and pedestrian infrastructure. Sarah Iannarone is the executive director of The Street Trust. John Charles is the president and CEO of the Cascade Policy Institute. They join us with their perspectives on what approach lawmakers should take.

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22:31

Oregon bill would expand drone use for law enforcement

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/08

A bill in the Oregon Legislature would make it easier for law enforcement to use drones. Senate Bill 238 passed in the state house with bipartisan votes and is now being considered in the senate. It would give law enforcement agencies more authority to use drones without a warrant. Many law enforcement officers have testified that it would make their work more efficient and more safe. Opponents of the bill have concerns about its constitutionality and the future of automated

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15:51

Checking-in on Oregon Zoo’s efforts to help save the...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/07

Since her birth in February, Asian baby elephant Tula-tu has become a star attraction at the Oregon Zoo. Asian elephants are endangered, with roughly 40,000 of them remaining in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. With all the attention Tula-tu has been getting, it’s easy to overlook the presence of Chendra, a Bornean elephant who has been in the zoo’s care for more than 25 years and whose relatives in the wild are even more at

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14:03

Trump proposes cutting national program to help low...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/07

A federal education program known as TRIO is effectively zeroed out in President Trump’s proposed budget. It began as part of Lyndon Johnson's so-called War on Poverty in the 1960s. Today close to a million low income and disadvantaged students in the U.S. get help from these grants. Earlier this year, the Trump administration excluded students without legal status from being eligible for these programs. We'll hear what TRIO means for Oregonians from the executive director

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14:08

OHSU and Legacy Health merger called off

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/07

On Monday, Oregon Health and Science University and Legacy Health announced they are mutually walking away from an effort to combine the two healthcare organizations. The merger was first announced last August, when OHSU agreed to acquire 8 hospitals, $3 billion in assets and promised a whopping $1 billion in upgrades to Legacy facilities. The merger garnered scrutiny from a citizen review committee and public comments have reflected opposition to the deal. Amelia Templeton is

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19:55

Most Oregon hospitals now in jeopardy, according to...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/06

Oregon hospitals are “on the brink” according to a recent Oregon Hospital Association report. Half of them are losing money on operations, and more than two-thirds say they don’t have the resources to keep up with patient care. The data is from 2024, and anticipated federal cuts to Medicaid make the outlook even worse. Becky Hultberg, the President and CEO of the Hospital Association of Oregon, said in the report that if the trends continue or worsen, the state

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11:41

How cormorants are helping us understand coastal...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/05/06

From acidic excrement that eats through bridge coating to nesting near roadways causing accidents, cormorants have been known to create some problems for humans here in Oregon. But for more than a decade now, researchers at Oregon State University have been using these diving birds to better understand oceans in Oregon and around the world. As recently featured in Audubon Magazine, by strapping sensors to birds, researchers are able to chart and understand data around underwater

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Think Out Loud

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