Think Out Loud

A new exhibit at the Oregon State Archives in Salem shines light on the history of 20 Oregon ghost towns. “Rust, Rot and Ruin” shows how gold mines, logging companies and even man-made jetties caused populations of towns like Sumpter and Bayocean to swell, then scatter. We hear from one of the curators of the exhibit.

Last month Paul Knauls was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame for his role as owner of the legendary jazz venue, The Cotton Club. Today, Knauls will be honored with a commemorative marker on Alberta Street, for his role as the owner of the barbershop Geneva’s Shear Perfection. Knauls, who is known unofficially as the Mayor of North Portland, shares his memories of Portland’s African-American community.

The Hillsboro School District voted recently to approve a new comprehensive sex education curriculum. The plan includes new statewide standards for teaching about abuse, consent, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Some parents expressed concerns about the new curriculum and said they would be opting out. We hear from Hillsboro school board member Mark Watson, Minter Bridge Elementary school teacher Sindy Avila and Jennifer Zohar, who has two children in the Hillsboro School District.

Columbia Sportswear Company’s longtime chairwoman Gert Boyle, the inspiration behind the brand’s iconic “One Tough Mother” ad campaigns, died Sunday at the age of 95. Kerry Tymchuck, co-author of her autobiography, and executive director of the Oregon Historical Society, tells us about Gert Boyle’s life and legacy.

Populations of purple sea urchin have exploded up and down the west coast, decimating kelp and crowding out other marine animals. In a recent count of one Oregon reef, the population of purple urchins was 350 million, an increase of 10,000 percent over the last five years. Shellfish biologist Scott Groth with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife explains the factors that have led to this situation. We also hear from Tom Ford, the executive director of The Bay Foundation, about efforts to remove urchins and restore kelp on the southern California coast.

Sixteen-year-old Doug Faoa went missing on October 10 and was found miles away on October 31. On Wednesday, a funeral mass was held in memory of University of Portland freshman Owen Klinger whose body was found after he had been missing for 18 days. What is the process for finding missing persons, especially when they are no longer minors? We also talk with Jon Harrington, a captain with the Oregon State Police, and David Jensen, a detective with the Vancouver Police Department to learn how law enforcement respond to missing persons reports.

Richard Blaine has been an apple farmer for over 40 years, but the last 5 years have been so challenging, he recently had to declare bankruptcy. OPB business reporter Kate Davidson recently profiled the Blaines and their struggles with global trade, weather and tariffs.

We get opinions and analysis of some of the big stories of the week with Nkenge Harmon Johnson, Doug Badger and Christopher McKnight Nichols.

Portland-based band The Slants is retiring after 13 years of making music together. The band made national headlines in 2017 after the Supreme Court ruled that The Slants could trademark their name. Founder Simon Tam says he'll focus now on writing and activism. The Slants’ last show will be November 4 at the Doug Fir in Portland. Simon Tam will be talking about his memoir “Slanted” at Powell’s City of Books November 3.

Herman Anderson, a rancher and member of the Klamath Tribes, competed in the Indian National Finals Rodeo team roping competition in Las Vegas last weekend. Though he didn’t win big, Anderson comes from a long tradition of rodeo. His family started the Klamath Indian Rodeo Association, and his father Miller Anderson was a successful professional rodeo cowboy.

Metro, the regional government for Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties, voted to approve guidelines that will benefit women and people of color who want to enter the construction industry. Metro councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez, carpenter foreman Tanda Lovenguth, and president and owner of O’Neill Construction Group Maurice Rahming explain the program and the benefits of more diversity in construction.

A new study from University of Oregon professors published in a prestigious industry journal found major factors that induce news consumers to trust and believe the news they read, watch and listen to. Assistant professor Jesse Abdenour is one of the study’s authors and says the narrative engagement and to a lesser degree, a focus on solutions, were significant factors in whether consumers said they trusted the piece and believed the facts in the story. We talk with Abdenour about the study and its implications in the current social and political environment, and the implications for media outlets on their climate change coverage and science reporting.

Opioid overdoses are a leading cause of death for women who have been recently released from prison. But a new pilot program is pairing women with recovery mentors to help them transition to life post-incarceration. We talk with Elizabeth Waddell, one of the researchers behind the program and Morgan Nelson, one of the recovery mentors.

Oregon Health and Science University has just released a new study comparing the medical care access of patients with private health insurance and the access for similar care for Medicaid recipients. John McConnell tells us about the significant differences — and similarities — between the two groups, and why it matters.

Portland musician and KBOO co-founder Ernest Hood combined field recordings from around Portland with synthesizers and zithers on his 1975 album “Neighborhoods.” Only about 1,000 copies were initially released, but it’s since become a cult classic. Now, the album has been re-released for the first time. We talk with Hood’s son, Tom, and Russ Gorsline, who engineered the original album.

Oregon’s lone Republican representative in Congress, Greg Walden, announced Monday he will not seek reelection in 2020. OPB political reporter Dirk VanderHart joins us to talk about what this announcement means for the second congressional district and the Oregon Republican Party.

Diversity consultant Alexis Braly James is leading a monthly conversation series about race for Oregon City residents. The conversations, which take place inside the Oregon City Public Library, span topics from cultural appropriation vs. exchange to microaggressions and identity development. We hear from Braly about the series.

We talk with the manager of the new statewide child abuse hotline in Oregon, Kristen Khamnohack. The hotline replaced 15 previous hotlines all over the state, and was one of the reforms recommended in the 2018 Child Welfare audit. Khamnohack joins us to discuss why the new system got off to a rocky start, how the state is addressing the challenges and how the hotline fits into the overall system for protecting Oregon’s children and youth.

OPB News Director Anna Griffin tells us about the levies, bonds, and measures we’re paying attention to on the ballot this year.

Our series “After The Big One” explores what life will be like after a catastrophic earthquake in the Pacific Northwest. This time, we discuss how basic communication infrastructure will be affected. Lisa Gorsuch, emergency preparedness manager for the Oregon Public Utility Commission, fills us in.