Think Out Loud

On Saturday, Portland Audubon celebrated their annual event Lights Out. Each fall, billions of birds begin their migration south. The majority fly at night and use the night sky for navigation. Light pollution from cities can disorient birds and confuse their navigation, resulting in collisions with buildings or windows. Portland Audubon BirdSafe Campaign Coordinator Mary Coolidge explains the health risks for birds and humans from overnight exposure to artificial light.

Only 7 percent of pilots are women, and the new documentary series “With the Wind and the Stars” tells the stories of three women pilots in a male-dominated field. We talk with director Rachel Bracker and Canadian pilot Teara Fraser.

It's not uncommon to see people consuming coffee, cigarettes, and sugary snacks at an AA meeting. A recent article in the "Street Roots" newspaper highlighted the role of unhealthy eating in recovery. We talk with two people who are trying to change that with a focus on fitness and healthy recipes. Brent Canode is the executive director of Alano Club of Portland, which runs the Recovery Gym. Liv Pennelle is a writer, founder of Liv’s Recovery Kitchen and co-host of the Breaking Free podcast.

Hannah Baggs came face-to-face with the shooter at the Clackamas Town Center in 2012 when she was 14 years old. Seven years later, Baggs decided to write a handbook to support other shooting survivors. We hear from Baggs about her healing experience, and why she wrote the book.

A transgender woman was assaulted in Portland last week. That comes on the heels of a transgender Lyft driver who said she was attacked by a passenger earlier this month, and another transgender woman who was assaulted in Newport last month. Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall tells us about the attack in Newport, and how the community has responded. Nancy Haque ,Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon, tells us about concerns about safety in the transgender community.

Paul Stamets has been studying mushrooms for most of his life. Even though he doesn’t have a scientific degree, Stamets is one of the most well known advocates for the benefits and value of fungi. Stamets is featured in a new film called “Fantastic Fungi,” which will be opening next weekend at Cinema 21. Paul Stamets will be speaking tonight at Newmark Theater.

Portland students are organizing a walkout today calling on government officials to take action on climate change. Organizer Jaden Winn tells us what he hopes the march accomplishes.

We get opinions and analysis on some of the biggest news of the week from Rachael McDonald, Julie Parrish, and Marisa Zapata.

Crashes on a stretch of Highway 199 in rural southern Oregon are more likely to be deadly than those on busier highways across the state. We hear from crash survivor Anna Fetty and ODOT Safety Coordinator Rosalee Senger about why Highway 199 crashes happen, and what can be done to stop them.

A new report lays out a series of recommendations for how Portland’s first responders handle homelessness. The report, conducted by Portland State University’s Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, is based on a survey of people who are homeless. Greg Townley, research director for the collaborative tell us about the report. We are also joined by Vince Masiello, a Street Roots vendor who helped conduct the survey.

Portland city commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty is supporting a proposal that would place restrictions on facial recognition software that are greater than any other in the country. She says she wants government and even private party use to be restricted because of racial and gender equity problems, as well as concerns about accuracy.

Sara Boone became Portland Fire and Rescue's first African-American female firefighter when she joined the agency in 1995. Now, she's the city's first African-American fire chief. We sit down with Boone to talk about her career and her plans for the agency.

In the early 20th century, American cowgirls and cowboys often competed in similar rodeo events. But after famed cowgirl Bonnie McCarroll died in a tragic accident at the 1929 Pendleton roundup, everything started to change. We hear from historian Bill Willingham about McCarroll, and Nicole Schrock, the organizer of a growing, annual all-girls Oregon rodeo.

A federal judge is allowing a case to move forward that pits Oregon’s wine and cannabis industries against each other. A McMinnville vineyard says a neighboring cannabis farm is contaminating the vineyard’s grapes with the smell of marijuana. The conflict began not long after the farm began operations. Industry lawyer Alex Tinker tells us more about what could become a precedent-setting case.

A photography exhibit showing at the University of Oregon’s depicts life at gay rodeos from the 1980s and 1990s. We talk with photographer Blake Little about the photos and the time he spent traveling with the rodeos.

After Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared addiction a public health crisis in the state in 2018, cities and counties are following suit. We talk with Mike Marshall, executive director of Oregon Recovers, and Reginald Richardson, the executive director of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, about the declarations and the state’s efforts to combat addiction.

Three years ago, Larnell and Natasha and Bruce’s son, Larnell Bruce Jr., was killed by a white supremacist in Portland. The Bruces have since advocated for stronger hate crime laws, education and culturally-appropriate therapy. We hear from them about their work to pass a new Oregon hate crime policy — which Gov. Brown signed into law Monday — and the larger goals of their nonprofit, The Larnell Bruce Jr. Foundation.

A new housing complex in the Kenton neighborhood is using an old idea to house low-income people. It's using the model of single room occupancy or SRO -- basically small rooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms. George Devendorf, director of Transition Projects tells us about what advocates are calling SRO 2.0.

The state isn’t inspecting funeral homes as often as it’s supposed to. And it can be hard for consumers to find out information on how funeral homes and crematoriums are performing. Statesman Journal reporter Ben Botkin tells us about the lack of oversight in the funeral home industry.

China stopped accepting recyclable plastics from the U.S. last year. Now, Metro is partnering with private industry groups to try to reduce the amount of plastic going into landfills. We hear from Pam Peck, resource conservation and recycling manager at Metro, about the pilot project and what else the regional government is doing to address problems with plastic recycling.