Think Out Loud

In the 1970s and 80s there were dozens of women’s communes in Southern Oregon. These were more than just living spaces. They also hosted workshops on everything from feminism to photography. A new book, Notes on Fundamental Joy, explores the photography produced in these workshops, and the difference between the way men pictured women and the way the women saw themselves. Carmen Winant is the artist who produced the new book. Carol Newhouse is one of the founders of a commune called WomanShare.

Up to 50 percent of the water flowing through irrigation canals can be through seepage into the ground, or evaporation into the air. Some irrigation districts in Oregon are working to run the water through pipes instead. This saves water for everyone who uses it, from fish to farmers, but it can be expensive. Margi Hoffman, of the Farmers Conservation Alliance, and Marc Thalacker, of the Three Sisters Irrigation District, explain how irrigation districts have been working to modernize.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would give undocumented farmworkers a path towards legal status. The bill now heads to the Senate. We listen back to a conversation with PCUN Executive Director Reyna Lopez from December, when she had just gotten back from Washington D.C. to lobby for the bill.

Last week a group of leaders at the United Methodist church announced a plan that would formally split the church into two branches over a disagreement related to same-sex marriage and gay and lesbian clergy. The Bishop for the church in the Pacific Northwest, Elaine Stanovsky, explains the disagreement, and what it could mean for Methodists here.

In 2015, Harney County residents learned that their groundwater supply was running out. Not wanting to fight or avoid the inevitable, local water users teamed up with county, state and federal officials to brainstorm credible solutions. We hear from Harney County commissioner Mark Owens about how four years of regular water stakeholder meetings have built a solid and somewhat uncommon foundation of trust among the rural county’s water stakeholders.

The Administration for Native Americans and the Northwest Indian Language Institute are teaming up to teach a native language seminar class at the University of Oregon. The goal is to develop community-based programs aimed at revitalizing endangered languages.

A University of Oregon student recently filed a class action lawsuit against e-cigarette maker Juul Labs and Altria Group, claiming the companies failed to disclose that their products are addictive and contain harmful chemicals. The complaint says, “In a pattern eerily similar to what the U.S. saw with combustible cigarettes, millions of American youth have been led by advertising campaigns to think that ‘it’s cool to JUUL,’ picked up the JUULing habit, and become addicted to nicotine.” We get legal analysis from Oregon class action lawyer Michael Fuller.

The Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected its first female bishop. We talk with Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar about what her new role means to her and the church.

Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish died Jan. 2, 2020. Today, we listen back to our recent interview with him about his father, Hamilton Fish Jr., who served on the House Judiciary Committee in 1974 and was one of six Republicans who voted to approve articles of impeachment. Nick Fish joined us in November to look back on his father’s role in the impeachment process following the Watergate scandal.

Danielle Outlaw left her job as Portland Police Chief this week to become Philadelphia’s Police Commissioner. Former Deputy Chief of Police Jami Resch has been appointed by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to be the new chief. Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, tells us how the rank and file officers feel about the tenure of Chief Outlaw, and what they hope for from the new chief.

We talk about some of the biggest regional news of the week with Jim Moore, Scott Bruun and Marisa Zapata.

The13 member Portland Committee on Community Engaged Policing, or PCCEP, is leading the community oversight of the Portland Police Bureau’s settlement agreement with the federal government. Andrew Kalloch and Lakayana Drury explain the next steps for PCCEP after Chief Outlaw’s departure, and what they’d like to see from the new chief.

OPB political reporter Dirk Vanderhart joins us to talk about the new laws that went into effect yesterday. We’ll also preview the upcoming 2020 short legislative session.

More than half of Grants Pass residents are rent-burdened, meaning that they spend more than a third of their income on rent. As required by state law, the city held a forum this week to discuss the problem and possible solutions. Jefferson Public Radio reporter April Ehrlich fills us in about the state of housing in Grants Pass.

For a week last June, we visited Wheeler County in Eastern Oregon. While we were there, we met the men behind Painted Hills Natural Beef, talked to the mayor/pastor/barber in the tiny town of Mitchell, and learned about the company town of Kinzua. We listen back to some of our favorite moments from our week in Wheeler County.

In her new memoir, Oregon author Jackie Shannon Hollis explores her decision not to become a mother. It's a choice she faced over and over again in her life. Her second husband was certain he didn’t want to be a parent, but Hollis wasn’t always so sure. She documents this intimate struggle in "This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story."

How does American Sign Language interpretation help people who are deaf and hard of hearing enjoy music and other live performances? What are these experiences like for people who are hard of hearing if they don’t have an interpreter? We talk about deaf culture and the arts with Rian Gayle, an ASL music translator who is deaf; Aimee Miller, a person who is deaf and enjoys music; and Amanda Hays, an ASL interpreter who grew up with a deaf parent. Our interpreters were Andrew Tolman and Jenna Curtis.

“Think Out Loud” brings listeners around 760 interviews or recorded audio segments every year. The producers who work on those segments naturally have some favorites that they remember more than others. Each year around this time, the producers have a chance to share some of their favorites with you.

On The Road is Think Out Loud’s radio road trip series: conversations with wanderers, tourists and residents along Oregon’s backroads and highways.Pull up a map of Portland’s urban core, and you’ll see a tidy checkerboard of right-angled roads. The city’s blocks pack together like snugly fit teeth. Its streets run crisp lines — north to south, east to west. The system’s simple, elegant.And then there’s Sandy Boulevard.Sandy cuts a wide, reckless scar through Portland’s otherwise orderly grid. It scoffs at your roundabouts. It laughs at your stop sign.We wanted to get a better feel for this decidedly punk rock boulevard. And so we decided to walk it — all the way from its origin, near the corner of SE 7th and Alder, to The Grotto, out at NE 85th.

How do you talk to kids about sex? Or drug use? Or bullying? What makes children feel comfortable enough with adults that they are willing to disclose abuse or trauma? Having conversations with young people about difficult topics can feel daunting to any adult. But talking about trauma is an important part of healing. Sonia Manzano spent years talking to kids as she played the role of Maria on “Sesame Street.”Today we listen back to a conversation recorded last spring with Sonia Manzano; Desiree Bansile, a wraparound partner manager for Youth ERA; Dr. Kristan Collins, a pediatrician; and Bob Stewart, superintendent of the Gladstone School District.