Think Out Loud

The West Coast seafood industry is caught in the crosshairs of tariff uncertainty.

Thistle & Nest, an affordable housing provider in Bend, says the city’s new tree code isn’t flexible enough and is raising the cost of building new housing in Central Oregon. At one of the affordable housing developments Thistle & Nest is currently building, the code will mean fewer homes get built, according to the organization, which is refusing to submit a tree preservation plan for the site. That challenge is currently being reviewed by a hearings officer and could be appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. Amy Warren, board president and co-founder of Thistle & Nest, joins us to explain why the nonprofit has decided to challenge the tree code.

We get details from Stacy de Assis Matthews, the immunization coordinator at Oregon Health Authority, and Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director for the Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section at OHA.

In Oregon, some fear changes to Medicaid could hit healthcare in rural communities especially hard.

Oregon Homegrown is a collaboration featuring more than 20 breweries across the state that have come together to develop an array of different beers using a unique and versatile Oregon hop.

Coos County Commissioner John Sweet and Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington join us to share more about their respective budget challenges and how they’re thinking about potential cuts to programs and services for their residents.

When someone accused of a crime is found unable to aid and assist in their own defense, they are sent to the Oregon State Hospital for an evaluation. After that, they often need to spend time at a residential treatment center until they are fit to stand trial. A new rule from the Oregon Health Authority requires residential treatment facilities in the state to accept those patients ahead of any who might be on their waiting list, setting aside their normal admissions standards. Attorneys for the Oregon Council for Behavioral Health and six residential treatment providers filed a petition with the Oregon Court of Appeals to block that rule. We hear from Heather Jefferis, executive director of the Oregon Council for Behavioral Health, about the challenges faced by behavioral health providers in Oregon.

Street Soccer Portland aims to lower barriers to playing soccer, especially for low-income youth. We hear from the nonprofit's program director and its program coordinator about the impact it's having on and off the field.

Oregon Chief Economist Carl Riccadonna shares details about the state's latest economic and revenues forecast, which lawmakers in Salem will use to craft the 2025-2027 budget.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools is proposing a slight budget increase for the coming school year. We'll hear from the superintendent to learn more.

We hear from a science teacher and a senior at Prairie High School in Vancouver about their quest to win another statewide championship in esports.

The Portland Pickles give us a preview of its new season and its new soccer team, the Portland Bangers, which debuts its premiere season this month as well.

Washington state Sen. Noel Frame (D-Seattle) joins us to discuss a new bill she sponsored that was recently signed into law that requires clergy to be mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect.

Claire Willett, a Portland-based playwright, artist and grant writer, joins us to share the latest developments.

We hear more about the newspaper from the retiring publisher.

We hear from Curtis Robinhold, the executive director of the Port of Portland, and from Tim McCarthy, the chief operating officer of Harbor Industrial, a maritime services company at the Port’s container terminal.

After the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill that was supposed to lead to more wildfire awareness and resilience. It created a map of areas at high risk of fire. But that map led to a huge backlash from property owners. Now one of the democratic state senators who helped create the map is sponsoring a bill that would repeal it. We’ll talk to Jeff Golden, who represents the Ashland area, about why — and what should happen instead.

The National Science Foundation has terminated grants for research around misinformation. We'll hear from a misinformation researcher to learn about the wider implications.

The North Portland peninsula, which includes the St. Johns and Cathedral Park neighborhoods, could become isolated from the rest of the city after a major earthquake.

Rep. Ricki Ruiz (D-Gresham) joins us to tell us more about the bill and the impact it would have on immigrants and their families.