OPB’s First Look: Land back to NAYA

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Good morning, Northwest.

The Indigenous-led organization NAYA is obtaining land from a Northeast Portland church that shuttered two years ago.

OPB’s Joni Auden Land starts today’s newsletter with a report on why the Lutheran Church is transferring the land and what NAYA plans to do with it.

In other news, students in the Roseburg school district will soon be able to earn credit for learning the Takelma language.

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

— Bradley W. Parks

Top story

After Portland church closes, Oregon Lutherans return land to Indigenous organization NAYA

The Lutheran Church is transferring land in Northeast Portland to the Native American Youth and Family Center, known as NAYA.

Bethany Lutheran Church closed in 2024, after years of declines in its congregation. Since then, church leaders have discussed what to do with the building and the land on which it sits.

Paul Stromberg, vice president of the Synod Council, said they spent months learning about Indigenous history and how often tribes were driven off their land in the name of religion.

The council voted to return the land to NAYA, which had discussed similar projects with religious organizations for months. NAYA has plans to build elder housing on the site. (Joni Auden Land)

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3 things to know

• Big battery farms, which are critical to storing renewable energy, are drawing opposition in western Washington. Many cities and counties have enacted moratoriums on new utility-scale battery facilities. (Tom Banse, Washington State Standard)
• An arson investigation is underway after Portland firefighters responded to multiple Amazon vans on fire early yesterday morning. (OPB staff)
• For the past three years, Washington state lawmakers and state Superintendent Chris Reykdal have pushed for cellphone restrictions in schools. Now, the governor has joined them. Will that make a difference? (Aspen Ford, Washington State Standard)

Northwest headlines

• Battle ramps up over Washington ballot measure to bar transgender students from girls’ sports (Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard)
• Lane Transit District to reduce summer bus fares and passes by up to 50% (Rebecca Hansen-White, KLCC)
• Judge orders fence around Eugene Federal Building to be removed (Nathan Wilk, KLCC)
• Ashland considers how to spend the fee Asante paid for ending hospital services (Justin Higginbottom, JPR)

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):

• Annual skateboard deck art show puts community creations on display in Portland
• University of Portland was home base for Jordan’s national soccer team
• How work requirements and other federal changes to SNAP are impacting vulnerable Oregonians

One more look

Roseburg schools to offer credit for learning Oregon tribe’s Native language

Students in the Roseburg school district will be able to earn academic credit for coursework in the Takelma language starting next school year.

Takelma is spoken by members of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The tribe has worked for years to revive the language with the aid of linguists and audio recordings after the last known speaker died.

A tribal citizen who has become the “master teacher” of Takelma has been holding Zoom classes on the language, building a growing roster of Takelma speakers of varying levels. (Brian Bull, KLCC)

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