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

35:01

2025 Oregon Book Award winner “We Were the Universe”...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/31

Kimberly King Parsons debut novel, “We Were the Universe” received the Oregon Book Award’s Ken Kesey Award for Fiction earlier this year. The novel explores grief, trauma and psychedelic experiences as readers follow young mom, Kit, through journeys both physical and emotional. Parsons joins to discuss Texas, motherhood, loss and more.

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16:10

After historic dam removal, salmon return to...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/31

After more than 100 years, Chinook salmon have made it to areas above Upper Klamath Lake in Southern Oregon. Earlier this month, a radio-tagged adult salmon was detected in the Williamson River and others were found in tributaries on the west side of Upper Klamath Lake and in the Sprague River.The return of salmon follows the largest river restoration project in U.S. history. The removal of four dams in Southern Oregon and Northern California was completed last year. Adult

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44:50

Season Two: Hush

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/30

Eighteen-year-old Sarah Zuber was found dead in 2019 just 400 feet from her home in Rainier. The second season of OPB’s investigative podcast "Hush" focuses on her story and the ways that citizen sleuthing, declining local media, and a police department that can’t find answers led to serious rifts in rural Columbia County. We’ll listen to the first episode of the new season.

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8:23

In Sisters, welcoming tourists and managing local...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/30

LONG SYNOPSIS:The city of Sisters has built a strong tourism base, from its acclaimed rodeo and quilt shows to its outdoor experiences. But Sisters also grapples with economic development and big challenges, from wildfires to housing shortages. City officials are working on providing more affordable housing options for residents. And earlier this year, the Flat Fire burned as close as two miles northeast of the city. The blaze destroyed roughly 23,000 acres and five

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19:12

What a county lawsuit could mean for Oregon’s...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/29

Marion County filed a lawsuit this summer asking a federal court to clarify what information it could provide to federal immigration officials. Since then, 20 of Oregon’s 36 counties have voiced their support for the lawsuit, along with nearly all county sheriffs in the state. Attorney General Dan Rayfield has asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Oregon’s sanctuary state law clearly prohibits local cooperation in immigration enforcement. Juliet Stumpf is

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18:53

Portlander’s global health development podcast...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/29

In February, the Trump administration announced cuts to more than 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall assistance around the world. In July, the agency’s remaining programs were brought under the control of the State Department. Thousands of USAID staff and contractors working in the US and around the world have been fired or laid off, including Portlander Leah Petit. A global health professional for nearly 20 years, Petit was a senior

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15:12

In Oregon, food pantries prepare for delay in SNAP...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/29

Earlier this month, the Trump Administration said it will not tap emergency dollars to keep funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program flowing during the government shutdown. On Tuesday, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that Oregon had joined a coalition of more than 20 states, including Washington, suing the Trump Administration for suspending the federal food assistance program. Organizations that provide groceries and other services have already

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19:48

Report shows more than 170 US citizens were detained...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/28

The U.S. government does not track how many citizens are being detained by immigration agents. But new reporting from ProPublica found that there were more than 170 incidents where citizens were detained by authorities at raids and protests, including people who were held for more than a day without being given the chance to call loved ones or a lawyer. Nicole Foy is the Ancil Payne Fellow for ProPublica. She joins us to share more on her reporting.

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14:27

New Washington program makes it easier for family...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/28

Since July, a new streamlined process in Washington allows family members of children in the foster care system to become licensed caregivers. As first reported in the Imprint, the change allows "kinship caregivers" to receive resources that were initially not available to them. The updates made by the state of Washington come after federal policy changes made under the Biden administration to allow states to come up with their own licensing standards. Ruben Reeves is the

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18:08

Should Portlanders support the parks levy? Both sides...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/28

Some Portlanders will be seeing a single issue on their ballot, a 75% increase in the current levy that funds parks. Under this new increase, the average homeowner would pay an extra $133 a year in taxes. The levy would help fund swim lessons, summer camps, sports programs and allows the Parks Bureau to provide free or reduced cost programs to low-income residents. However, the levy would not be used for much needed maintenance and the city still lacks a stable funding plan for

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14:45

REBROADCAST: PNW organization emphasizes lacrosse’s...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/27

Indigenous tribes in what is now the northeastern U.S. and Canada have played lacrosse for millennia. Similar stick-and-ball games were played by tribes across the Southeast and Great Lakes region. But according to NCAA data, less than 1% of college lacrosse players are American Indian or Alaskan Native, and more than 80% are white. Pacific Northwest Native Lacrosse is trying to change that. As reported in Willamette Week, the organization recruits Indigenous lacrosse players

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22:36

Emissions from economic growth undermine...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/27

A decade ago, nearly every country in the world adopted the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the rise in global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. Member nations are required under the legally binding treaty to submit every five years their climate action plans, or Nationally Determined Contributions, that detail the voluntary actions they commit to take to cut their carbon emissions. The treaty couldn’t have come at a more urgent time. Last year was

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15:08

Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition services in high...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/27

President Trump’s use of federal immigration officers to arrest people alleged to be in the country without legal status has led to mass arrests, detentions and deportations. Some of those are U.S. citizens, and at least one such man in Milwaukie is suing the federal government over his unlawful detention. Alyssa Walker Keller is a coordinator for the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC). She says in years past, their statewide hotline, 888-622-1510, might receive

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52:13

REBROADCAST: Author Charles Yu talks about latest...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/24

Charles Yu has written a lot about the nature of reality, how we understand what is real, and the assumptions we make about each other and the universe we live in. Yu’s first novel, “How to live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe,” follows a time machine repairman who is searching for his father who is lost in time and memory. His latest book, National Book Award winning “Interior Chinatown,” takes place in a Chinese restaurant that’s also

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17:21

Portlanders place second in 11-day car race

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/23

The Alcan 5000 Rally isn’t the kind of car race you might think of. It runs from Kirkland, Washington over 5,000 miles up to the Arctic Circle over 11 days. It’s what’s known as a time-speed-distance rally, where following the course, maintaining the right speed and arriving at checkpoints on time is what matters the most. Portlanders Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal placed first in their class and second overall this year. The couple, who are both automotive

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19:06

As crypto and romance scams grow more sophisticated,...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/23

Last year, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 18,000 reports of confidence/romance scams that resulted in losses of more than $672 million. Perpetrators of romance scams typically find their victims online, often through social media. They use a fake persona to deceive victims into trusting them or believing they’re interested in them romantically while making gradually increasing demands for money, which is usually sent by wire or

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16:15

Why Eugene paused the use of cameras that read...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/23

Earlier this month, Eugene paused the use of its automatic license plate reader cameras. They use AI to capture a car’s characteristics, like model and color, and can be used as a tool by law enforcement.Local officials said the cameras have helped close more than 60 cases. But opponents of the technology say it can be used for mass surveillance, since the system is linked to a nationwide network. Some residents say they’re concerned the technology could be abused

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20:17

Exploring the intricacies of open adoption

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/22

According to reports from U.S. adoption agencies, only 5% of domestic infant adoptions in recent years were completely closed, meaning no contact between the adoptee and their birth parents. Research suggests that some level of openness tends to benefit adoptive families, birth parents and adoptees, but navigating those relationships still presents a host of challenges. Author Nicole Chung has documented her experience growing up as a Korean American adoptee in a white family in

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15:43

Portland program places unhoused people with family...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/22

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s big campaign promise was to end unsheltered homelessness in the city by 2026. One part of that effort involves reuniting unhoused people with family members or loved ones outside of Portland. Individuals can opt into the program or be referred by a member of the city’s outreach team. Outreach workers then connect with the person’s family or friends and arrange transportation to their new community. Contact largely ceases after the

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17:25

How Report for America journalists are serving...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/22

In Oregon, employment in the newspaper industry has fallen nearly 80% since 2000, according to OPB reporting. And when communities lose journalists, information gaps can be exploited. The Ashland Daily Tidings closed in 2023, and the newspaper’s website was later invaded by artificial intelligence. When a community loses a local newsroom, residents have fewer places to turn to for regional news that keeps them informed. Report for America is a nonprofit that places

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