Think Out Loud

Oregon Public Broadcasting
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OPB's daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts. Hosted By Dave Miller.

  1. 18 HR AGO

    Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival of new plays offers audiences an enormous variety

    The Fertile Ground festival of news plays in development has become a staple of the Portland theatre scene since it first began in 2009. This year’s festival has expanded to 17 days, the longest festival yet, to take in the 80-some different productions that run through April 26. We talk with the festival director Tamara Carroll and Kristin Tehrani, who helped create “When I Was a Mexican: A Bollywood Musical.”

    21 min

  2. 18 HR AGO

    How charitable donation bins in Oregon, and around the US, can be deadly

    Charitable donation bins, the large steel and metal boxes often found in parking lots, began appearing in the U.S. in the 1950s. By 1960, Portland had more than 70 goodwill bins, collecting tens of thousands of bags of donated goods a year. But there is a cost that comes with charitable giving. New reporting from The Believer found more than 30 documented cases where people have died while trying to access donated goods. Many of the deceased were people experiencing homelessness, and the documented number of deaths is believed to be an undercount.   Paul Collins, an English professor at Portland State University, wrote about this issue for the publication. He joins us to share more about the people who have died because of these bins and why they are so deadly.

    16 min

  3. 18 HR AGO

    First year of Washington County’s deflection program shows progress, areas to improve

    Oregon voters passed Measure 110 in 2020. The goal was to decriminalize small amounts of street drugs and move users into treatment. That goal was ultimately not realized, and in 2024, the legislature changed the drug laws. They implemented a new program: it let counties set up deflection programs to direct people facing misdemeanor possession charges away from the criminal justice system and into treatment.   Most counties set up these deflection programs, and some, like Washington county, kicked off their program on as early as they could: Sept. 1, 2024. Now, a new report is out that details how many people went through the deflection program, or otherwise received treatment and social services to support their sobriety. We’re joined by Danielle Far, the senior program coordinator of the county’s deflection program.

    16 min

  4. 1 DAY AGO

    Salem McKay High School teacher wins state award for improving youth financial literacy

    For more than four years, business teacher Marcia Latta has been helping youth improve their financial literacy at McKay High School in Salem. In recognition of her efforts, Latta was recently named the Oregon Financial Empowerment Educator of the Year by Oregon Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner. The Salem Statesman Journal first reported news of Latta’s award, which includes a $1,500 cash prize for Latta, $500 for her school and $500 total in college savings plan gift certificates for her students.     Starting next year, all Oregon high school students will be required to earn a half credit in personal finance education in order to graduate. Latta teaches two classes at McKay, including one that’s a requirement on personal finance that helps high school juniors understand bank loans for car or home purchases, how to save for retirement and other financial concepts. For three years now, Latta has also used a grant from the Oregon Department of Human Services to organize free tax preparation clinics for students, many of whom she says get refunds on their filed returns.    Latta joins us to share her work educating youth about their personal finances.

    15 min

  5. 1 DAY AGO

    Why some researchers are editing human genes in embryos

    In 2023, the FDA approved the first gene therapies to help treat people with sickle cell disease. The treatment is for patients 12 years and older, but what if you could use this technology before someone is born? That’s what some researchers, and others, believe is the hope for the future. The idea is to use CRISPR, a technology used to edit the genes of living beings, during in vitro fertilization. It is much easier said than done, but could be possible in theory. Ashley Smart is the associate director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. He is also a senior editor at Undark and reported on embryonic gene editing for the publication. He joins us to share how these treatments and technologies might work, as well as the current challenges and limitations.

    16 min

  6. 1 DAY AGO

    Ukrainian folk singers honor 40th anniversary of Chernobyl nuclear disaster with Portland concert

    An explosion on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which was then a part of the Soviet Union, resulted in the worst nuclear disaster in history. Massive amounts of radioactive material spewed into the atmosphere. At least 30 people were killed. A Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was established and today remains largely uninhabited with lingering radioactive contamination.    To mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster, a free concert is being held tomorrow night at Portland State University. The concert is being organized by Inna Kovtun, a Ukrainian singer, folklorist and ethnomusicologist who settled in Portland four years ago with her daughter after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Chornobyl: A Song Never Silenced” showcases the folklore and music traditions of Polissia, the region in northern Ukraine which is home to Chernobyl, or Chornobyl, as it’s known in Ukraine.  The concert features performances by Kovtun and her friends, Nadia Tarnowsky, a Ukrainian American Fulbright researcher in Ukrainian folk songs who lives in Cleveland; and Hanna Tishchenko, a Ukrainian folk singer who lives in Chicago. Kovtun and Tarnowsky join us for a discussion and a studio performance with Tishchenko.

    23 min

  7. 2 DAYS AGO

    The Portland-based band The Builders and The Butchers release new album

    The Portland-based band The Builders and The Butchers released their seventh album, “No Tomorrow,” this month. The band started in 2005 busking and playing house shows and are now known for playing raucous, audience-involved stage shows. Many of the songs on the new album are a response to the current political moment in the U.S. Vocalist and songwriter Ryan Solee joins us for an acoustic performance and interview.   The Builders and The Butchers will have an album-release party at The Aladdin Theater in Portland April 16.

    26 min

  8. 2 DAYS AGO

    Coyotes in Washington carry tapeworms that can be passed to dogs, humans in rare cases

    Researchers in Washington state have found that about a third of the local coyotes studied have a species of tapeworm. These can be passed to dogs, and in rare instances humans. These parasites are also present in foxes and other canid urban wildlife. Domestic dogs can also contract them, and it can be years before the symptoms of the severe disease they cause are detected, making diagnosis and treatment difficult. In rare instances, dogs can spread the tapeworms to humans. We talk with Yasmine Hentati, the study’s lead author who recently got her doctorate in environmental and forest science from the University of Washington. She shares more about these parasites and the relative risks for people and dogs.

    10 min
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About

OPB's daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts. Hosted By Dave Miller.

Information

  • Creator
    Oregon Public Broadcasting
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.9k
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oregon Public Broadcasting
  • Show Website
    Think Out Loud

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