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Good morning, Northwest.
Members of the Oregon National Guard this week were deployed to the southern Texas border to assist with military operations there.
Meanwhile, a federal court continues to consider whether to allow the president to deploy the Guard in Portland.
OPB law and justice reporter Conrad Wilson asked legal experts what the judges are weighing — and how the Guard could be used if deployed in the Rose City. We start this morning’s newsletter with his report.
In other news, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek still hasn’t signed the transportation bill she urged lawmakers to pass. And thousands of nurses and skilled medical professionals with Kaiser Permanente hit the picket lines yesterday.
Here’s your First Look at Wednesday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks
Military vehicles are seen at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Ore. on Sunday, Oct. 5.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
What we know — and don’t — about troops in Portland
As Oregonians and the White House await a ruling from federal appeals court on whether President Donald Trump can deploy 200 members of the National Guard over the governor’s objections, the role a military deployment could play in Portland isn’t clear.
Legal experts say the president is asking the court system to clarify — and even expand — the ways he can use National Guard members on American streets.
Many Oregonians, meanwhile, have questioned whether troops are needed at all to enforce laws at regular protests outside a federal immigration building in Portland.
While it remained unclear as of Tuesday how the court would come down on troop deployments, OPB gathered input from experts on some common questions around the issue. (Conrad Wilson)
Related: Portland mayor focuses on safety in face of potential federal troop deployment to city (Sage Van Wing)
FILE - Texas Army National Guard members talk while patrolling behind razor wire on the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, late Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.
Andres Leighton / AP
3 things to know this morning
- While a panel of judges deliberates over whether President Donald Trump can deploy the National Guard to Portland, some members of the state’s National Guard are heading to the Texas border. (Lauren Dake)
- Environmental groups and the state of Oregon are seeking a court injunction to force federal dams on the Columbia River to lower reservoirs and increase the amount of water they spill downstream. (Tony Schick)
- A bill to raise billions for roadwork and public transit — and avert hundreds of state employee layoffs in the process — is sitting on Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk, unsigned. Kotek suggested Monday that it might stay that way until Nov. 12, her deadline to sign or veto the bill. (Dirk VanderHart)
Hush season 2 explores how a young woman's death shook a rural Oregon community and the ways true crime media has helped keep answers out of reach.
Van Cooley / OPB
‘Hush’ Episode 2: Don’t speak ill of the dead
The tragic death of 18-year-old Sarah Zuber offers a chance to examine the cultural obsession with true crime media. Understanding the tropes of that genre may offer new insight into what happened.
Khristina Krewson, a registered nurse working in regional advice, works the picket line outside of Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, Ore., on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Northwest Kaiser nurses seek double-digit wage increase over 4-year contract (Amelia Templeton)
- Lawmakers condemn ICE arrest of 4 Gresham construction workers (Holly Bartholomew)
- Oregon Democrat who criticized Senate president removed from legislative committee (Bryce Dole)
- After finding forever chemicals in its drinking water, Hermiston stopped testing for them (Antonio Sierra)
- Vancouver city councilor fends off ethics complaint ahead of general election (Erik Neumann)
- Cascadia quake may create ‘emergency situation’ in San Andreas Fault Zone, study warns (Shaanth Nanguneri)
- Klamath River ecosystem is booming one year after dam removal (Lyric Aquino)
- Washington officials take stock as the state’s wildfire season winds down (Emily Fitzgerald)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- Ashland Mystery Festival draws cozy mystery fans and authors to the city
- Protesters near Portland’s ICE facility could have been been surveilled by fake cell tower, new reporting finds
Searching for York
It’s been about 220 years since the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived in modern-day Portland.
It was a pivotal moment in American history, but the story of York, a man enslaved to William Clark and comrade on this journey, has been obscured by omission and stereotype.
In 2010, OPB’s “Oregon Experience” compiled what we know about York and his role in the Corps of Discovery. (Beth Harrington)
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