Think Out Loud

Native American graduation rates at Madras High School have more than doubled in the past few years, rising from 39 percent in 2016 to 81 percent in 2018. Butch David is the Native American liaison for Madras High School. He joins us.

he U.S. Supreme Court directed Oregon state judges to review a court ruling against a Gresham bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The Justices directed the state to consider their ruling last year on a similar issue in Colorado. University of Oregon professor Alison Gash joins us for analysis on the decision.

What does pride month look like in Oregon’s small communities? We check in with the organizer of one of the only pride events on the Oregon coast. Helen Anderson is the president of Yachats Pride Inc, and she says Yachats has a history of welcoming LGBTQ people into the community.

Three years ago, the Portland Public Schools board passed a resolution promising a district-wide climate justice curriculum. After pressure from students and teachers, the board allocated $200,000 in funding toward the new curriculum this year. We hear from Lincoln High School teacher Tim Swinehart and Lincoln High School senior Sriya Chinnam.

Portland resident Otis “TeTe” Gulley’s death was originally ruled a suicide, but according to Gulley’s family, there could be more to the story. Gulley’s body was found hanging in a tree in Rocky Butte Park near a homeless campsite on May 27, according to Portland Police. OPB reporter Erica Morrison spoke to Gulley’s family, and others. She fills us in on the details.

Uhusti Gause became a father at the age of 15. Almost four years later, he says having a son had a positive influence on his life — motivating him to finish high school and to reconnect with his own father.

We get opinions and analysis on some of the biggest stories of the week with John Schrag, Julie Parrish, and Kalpana Krishnamurthy.

A recent article in “Education Week” highlights a trend in school security — digital surveillance. More and more districts around the country, including the Northwest, are buying software to monitor and flag students’ social media posts and emails for language that could indicate they are at risk of harming themselves or others. But what are the consequences of constant surveillance? We talk with “Education Week” reporter Benjamin Herold.

Is hiking with a face mask the new normal? That’s the headline from a recent Buzzfeed News piece written by Wudan Yan. We hear from Yan about how climate change is affecting outdoor recreation in the Pacific Northwest.

Defendants who can’t assist in their own criminal trials are supposed to be admitted to the state hospital within seven days for mental health treatment. That isn’t always happening, and dozens of people are waiting in jails around the state to get into the state hospital. Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, says one solution is to fund community health centers.

ver a dozen sheriffs in Washington State have said they’ll refuse to enforce a new gun control law that goes into effect this summer. Some sheriffs all across the west have said they have the right to enforce laws and interpret the constitution as they see fit. OPB reporter Jonathan Levinson gives us an overview of the constitutional sheriffs movement, and where it stands in Oregon.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee died last November in the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. Mergensana Amar was a 40-year-old man from Russia who died after he attempted suicide. Crosscut staff reporter Lilly Fowler reported new details about Amar’s life and his death. She joins us.

Portland will soon be using location data collected from smartphones to study the ways people move around the city. The pilot launching later this summer will use a software called Replica to create a synthetic model of Portland’s population to track traffic patterns and other information that could influence future policy decisions. Reporter Kate Kaye focuses on tech ethics and wrote about Portland’s use of Replica software for GeekWire. She joins us to dig into the details.

Last summer, Stephanie Lourenco was promoted to captain in the Portland Police Bureau. The 19-year PPB veteran was the first transgender police officer in the bureau’s history to be promoted to that rank.

Stimson Lumber Company announced that its 85-year-old mill in Forest Grove is cutting 60 jobs, about 40% of its workforce. CEO Andrew Miller attributes the cuts to a changing business environment in Oregon and rising costs of operation. Those costs include environmental permit fees, Oregon’s Clean Fuels Tax and pending cap-and-trade legislation that he believes hurt rural communities and businesses disproportionately.

In response to the ongoing crisis in the child welfare system, including scathing audits and a class action lawsuit, democratic Governor Kate Brown appointed a Child Welfare Oversight Board. The body is meeting every other week and is chaired by the governor herself. We talk with two of its members, Judge Nan Waller and the Casey Foundation’s David Sanders, to find out how they’re approaching their momentous task and why they think this panel will succeed where similar efforts have not.

In 1970, a young orca whale was captured off the coast of Washington. She was called “Tokitae” and later “Lolita” and currently resides at the Seaquarium in Miami, Florida. The whale’s name is actually Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, according to the Lummi Nation. The tribe considers her part of their family and they want to bring her home. Lummi council member Freddie Lane joins us to talk about the cross-country trip he’s been on with an orca totem pole to raise awareness about the whale and the Lummi Nation’s effort to bring her back to the Pacific Northwest.

Lawyers from Multnomah Defenders Inc. will be absent from courts this week as they press Oregon lawmakers to address issues with the state’s public defense system. Last year, a report from the Sixth Amendment Center found that Oregon’s public defense system is unconstitutional. Autumn Shreve, a public defender for Multnomah Defenders Inc., tells us about what she and her colleagues want to see from lawmakers.

We discuss the latest regional business news with Suzanne Stevens, editor of the Portland Business Journal.

Brooks Nelson and Yee Won Chong are friends and housemates, and they consider each other family. So, when they were both diagnosed with cancer at the same time, it was a huge blow. Nelson and Chong are also both transgender, and though they both identify as male, they were facing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Chong and Nelson have made a documentary called “Trans Dudes With Lady Cancer” about their difficulty navigating the medical system.