Kris McAlister was homeless in Lane County as a teenager. He’s now bringing that experience to his advocacy and policy work, helping lead the nonprofit Carry It Forward. We talk with McAlister and Lane County Joint Housing & Shelter Strategist Sarai Johnson about how the plan to meet the needs of unhoused people is coming together, and what still needs to be done.

Umatilla County is experiencing one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Oregon. We talk to Umatilla County vice chair George Murdock about how the community is dealing with the setback, and how it’s approaching the political and public health challenges to get COVID-19 cases down.

Amid protests over racial justice and inequality, Mike Schmidt has officially taken over at the new district attorney for Multnomah County.

Dan Ryan and Loretta Smith are vying for the seat on Portland City Council left vacant when Commissioner Nick Fish died in January.

Mike Schmidt campaigned for Multnomah County District Attorney on a platform of criminal justice reform, one of a number of similarly progressive DAs around the country who won office. His predecessor Rod Underhill stepped down early, so Schmidt could get started on enacting his agenda.

Portland activist and hip-hop journalist Mac Smiff tells us about how the presence of federal officers changed the protests, and what comes next for him if they leave the city.

As the Portland Wall of Moms begins to crumble, questions have been raised about race, motherhood and why white women are going viral now when Black women have been protesting since the beginning.

We get opinions and analysis on some of the biggest news of the week with Camilla Mortensen, Lisa Bates, and Eric Fruits.

Zachary Stocks recently started as the Oregon Black Pioneers’ first-ever executive director. As the latest Black Lives Matter movement has sparked efforts to rename racist geographic locations across Oregon and take down racist monuments, Stocks has been reflecting on the role of his organization in uncovering and preserving the history of Black Oregonians.

After Portland protests and federal law enforcement’s treatment of protesters made national headlines, stories and photos of predominantly white mothers in the Portland Wall of Moms received national attention. But Black mothers like Julianne Jackson have been involved with the protests against systemic racism and police violence since the beginning. Jackson, an activist in Salem, has organized several events for racial justice and is advocating for the removal of school resource officers in Salem schools.