OPB’s First Look: PCC strike drags into second week

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Good morning, Northwest.

The strike at Oregon’s largest institution of higher learning has lasted more than a week, and the effects are piling up for students.

OPB’s Tiffany Camhi followed last night’s Portland Community College board meeting, where faculty, staff and students spoke directly to school leaders. Her dispatch starts today’s newsletter.

In other news, the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team starts its NCAA Tournament run against Virginia Tech this morning at 10:30.

Here’s your First Look at Friday’s news.

—Bradley W. Parks

Tensions rise at Portland Community College board meeting as strike continues

Dozens of Portland Community College faculty, staff and students spoke directly to the college’s president and board of directors at a remote meeting last night.

Their message was clear: Meet union demands, end the strike and get students back in the classroom.

Two unions at PCC have been on strike for more than a week. The school and the unions are still far apart on wages, and the disruption is already having effects on students.

The strike could possibly delay final grades for the college’s winter term and set back financial aid awards for some students for the upcoming spring term. (Tiffany Camhi)

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3 things to know this morning

• Washington-based Providence is looking for a buyer for its insurance subsidiary, Providence Health Plan, the organization announced yesterday. (Amelia Templeton) 
• Two new locations in Salem have been flagged as measles exposure sites. According to state data, there have been nine confirmed cases of measles across Oregon this year. (OPB staff) 
• Oregon joined a lawsuit to block Nexstar Media Group, owner of KOIN, from buying Tegna, KGW’s owner, a deal that would create the largest local broadcaster in the country and impact local news across the state. (Lauren Dake)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• Federal judge in Oregon rules US government overreached with transgender health care declaration (Associated Press)
• A fight beyond Chavez: Oregon farmworker union leader on gender justice after sexual abuse allegations (Crystal Ligori)
• Washington governor says state won’t celebrate Cesar Chavez following sexual abuse allegations (Noel Gasca)
• Face mask ban for police in Washington is signed into law (Jake Goldstein-Street)
• Probe launched after Portland-departing Alaska flight’s near miss with FedEx at Newark (Associated Press)
• US senators from Oregon, Montana aim to renew funding for roads into popular federal lands (April Ehrlich)
• Oregon agriculture regulators adopt nitrate monitoring rules for Lower Umatilla Basin (Alejandro Figueroa)
• Women in the Portland area continue to earn less than men with a wider gap for Black and Latina women (Kyra Buckley)

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):

• Author Annalee Newitz explores history of psychological operations in ‘Stories Are Weapons’

Superabundant recipe: Herby orzo cacio e pepe with jammy eggs

The vernal equinox is upon us, and with the arrival of spring you might be thinking more about eggs.

This week’s recipe — a special take on classic cacio e pepe — proves there’s more than one way to eat eggs in pasta. It’s also a lot lighter (but just as satisfying) as carbonara.

Cacio e pepe isn’t just for the birds, though — it’s also a tribute to all those egg-fortifying greens and herbs that probably need thinning.

Best of all, it’s fast enough to get you back out in the garden right away. (Heather Arndt Anderson)

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