OPB’s First Look: Forest Service to shut down Northwest research centers

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Good morning, Northwest.

The fire season is just months away. How is the Pacific Northwest preparing, especially as the U.S. Forest Service closes 50 research centers, including those in Portland, Seattle and Wenatchee?

John Ryan, a reporter with OPB’s partner station KUOW in Seattle, examines how these closures could affect the region’s preparedness for wildfires this summer.

Plus, if you go to the gym regularly, are you training for weight loss or for strength? As part of OPB’s “At Work With” series, producer Julie Sabatier talks with a Portland coach about their approach to fitness training.

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

— Winston Szeto

Forest Service axes research stations as severe fire season threatens Pacific Northwest

The U.S. Forest Service is shutting down research stations around the country, including centers in Portland, Seattle, and Wenatchee, Washington.

Though much of the stations’ research is long-term, some fire experts say the cuts could hamper firefighting efforts as soon as this summer.

The closures are part of an agency-wide restructuring that includes moving the Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City and replacing nine regional offices with 15 state-level offices. (John Ryan)

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3 things to know this morning

• After Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a bill Thursday that will functionally hike taxes by more than $300 million, two Republican state lawmakers — Rep. Ed Diehl of Scio and Rep. Dwayne Yunker from Grants Pass — are leading a charge to collect 78,116 signatures to put Senate Bill 1507 on the November ballot. (Dirk VanderHart) 
• Bend could soon become the second city in Oregon to make it more costly to build new homes with gas appliances as part of a commitment to reduce emissions and meet its climate goals. (Kathryn Styer Martínez) 
• Eugene 4J School District leaders say the tens of millions of dollars in reductions they announced earlier this year did not save as much money as they hoped. (Rebecca Hansen-White)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• PeaceHealth places top Oregon executive Jim McGovern on administrative leave (Tiffany Eckert) 
• In Oregon, Democrats weaken protections against hospital bills for low- and middle-income patients (Amelia Templeton) 
• In $475K settlement, Oregon State University works to improve blind student experiences (Karen Richards) 
• Gov. Kotek signals she’ll veto bill changing Oregon public meetings law criticized by journalists (Alex Baumhardt) 
• Ashland extends homeless camping hours to ease pressure on Garfield Park (Jane Vaughan) 
• DHS secretary visits Coast Guard facilities on North Coast (Katie Frankowicz) 
• Avdija erupts for 35 as Trail Blazers pull away from Clippers (Erik García Gundersen)

‘At Work With’ a Portland fitness coach who focuses on strength instead of weight loss

Asher Kondziela leads a class at Prism Moves in Northeast Portland.

In addition to working one-on-one with people, Kondziela tries to coach each person in a class so that they can work out at the level they’re comfortable with.

People have all kinds of motivations for hitting the gym — mental health, weight loss, building strength or finding community to name just a few. Sometimes, finding the motivation to keep going can be tough. That’s where a coach can come in.

For OPB’s “At Work With” series, we wanted to learn more about what it takes to be a fitness coach. (Julie Sabatier)

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