Think Out Loud

We listen back to a conversation about how activism has evolved over almost 50 years in an intergenerational conversation about what it takes to change the world.We hear from Eva Jones, a high school sophomore who is a newly energized advocate against gun violence and Cathy Wood Wyrick, who took part in anti-war protests at Portland State University in 1970. We also hear from Cameron Whitten who has been in the news most recently for his event series known as “Reparations Happy Hour” or “Reparations Power Hour” and Art Alexander, who volunteered with the Black United Front before going on to a career in public policy.This show was taped June 12 with an audience as part of an event put on by Senior Advocates for Generational Equity (SAGE) and their Citizen Project.

Todd Vogt is devoted to rowing, as both a coach and a competitor. When he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease, he was worried about how it would affect his ability to continue with his favorite sport. What he didn't anticipate was the new doors that would open for him to compete in the paralympics. We talk with Vogt about his passion for rowing and how it's helped him manage his Parkinson's symptoms

An Oregon woman is suing Miss United States of America, LLC because she says she was excluded from a beauty pageant after organizers found out she's transgender. We hear from Anita Noelle Green and her lawyer, Shenoa Payne.

Temporary foreign agricultural workers in Oregon and Washington will continue to have the highest minimum wage in the nation next year. We talk to Adam McCarthy to see how this will affect his farm business.

We look back at the big local and regional news in 2019 with Christopher McKnight Nichols, Eric Ward and Julie Parrish. And we look ahead to 2020.

Earlier this month Salem city council voted to ban tent camping within the city. The ban goes into effect today, and police have already been warning homeless campers to find somewhere else to stay. Kristen Retherford, Salem’s Urban Development Director, and Jimmy Jones, Executive Director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, tell us about what this means for Salem.

Following the House vote to impeach President Donald Trump, we check in with members of the Oregon Congressional delegation. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) will join us. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) declined our request.

Seattle novelist David Guterson has turned to poetry to describe the Pacific Northwest mountains that he loves. His new book, “Turn Around Time,” is a book-length poem meditating on the beauty of the natural world and our place within it

When she is sworn in to the Washington Supreme Court in January, Raquel Montoya-Lewis will be the first Native American justice in the state’s history. Montoya-Lewis is currently a superior court judge in Whatcom County. She joins us to talk about her judicial career and her new role.

Last week, 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. PCUN Executive Director Reyna Lopez was in Washington D.C. last week to lobby for the bill.

The Democratic Party of Oregon voted last month on a proposal to allow voters outside the party to participate in its primary election. In a vote of 76-55, the party rejected the proposal and opted to keep the closed primary system. We hear from DPO deputy director Molly Woon about the decision and what could happen in the future.

Earlier this month the Kansas City Council voted to eliminate bus fares. That makes Kansas City the largest city in the country to eliminate transit costs for riders.

Stephanie Littlebird Fogel created an exhibit called “This is Kalapuyan Land” for the Washington County Museum. It is a look into the Kalapuya tribe’s history and contemporary culture. We talk with Fogel about what this exhibit means to native people in Washington County and throughout Oregon.

Last month, the city of Hood River passed a resolution recognizing the global climate crisis, but they wanted to do more than just recognize it. The resolution also moves up the city’s goal for reaching net-zero municipal greenhouse gas emissions from 2050 to 2035. We hear from Hood River Mayor Kate McBride and Lottie Bromham, a senior at Hood River Valley High School who testified in favor of the resolution.

Beau, Taylor and Blake Ohlson are wrestlers who have all won state tournaments. We talk to the triplets about being on the Mountain View wrestling team and attending the same university come Fall.

An investigation by USA Today found that student athletes who were administratively or criminally disciplined for sexual offenses were able to transfer to other NCAA schools and continue playing college athletics. This includes athletes from the University of Oregon. Kenny Jacoby, the investigative reporter that launched the story, joins us.

The wealth gap in which students receive music education is closing. That’s thanks to programs like the one at the David Douglas School District, which works with low-income students to reduce barriers for music classes. Hechinger Report reporter Lillan Mongeau and OPB’s Liz Miller looked into how the program works and why it’s successful. Mongeau joins us, along with David Douglas music coordinator Tom Muller.

50 years ago, Wilbur Bluhm began collecting information on important stages of Salem plant life cycles, like when they bloomed and lost their leaves. Bluhm, a professor emeritus at the Oregon State University Extension Center, has noticed these phenological events happening earlier over time. We hear from Bluhm about his extensive dataset, and how it may reflect long-term local impacts of climate change.

After over nine months of work, Governor Brown’s Wildfire Response Council has released a report detailing how the state can be better prepared for catastrophic fires. The price tag is at least $4 billion. Matt Donegan is chair of the council and tells us about their final report and recommendations.

People in state custody are required to have access to legal resources. But the legal books available to prisoners can vary widely at different institutions. Now, prisoners across Oregon will be able to look up legal resources online in a new secure web portal. Cathryn Bowie is the state law librarian. She coordinated with Kelly Raths, an administrator for the Department of Corrections, on this project.