Think Out Loud

We get opinions and analysis on some of the biggest news of the week with Ryan Haas, Kevin Mannix, and Naseem Rakha.

May 31 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Walt Whitman. One of the most influential American poets, his life and work is being celebrated around the country and around the world. The Northwest Film Center is hosting a screening tonight, highlighting his unique place in American literature and culture. We talk with Oregon poets, Kim Stafford, Wendy Willis and Harold Johnson about how Whitman affected their work and about how Song of Myself — his most famous poem — resonates two centuries after the poet’s birth.

At every Portland Timbers match, the energy is highest at the north end of Providence Park. This is where the Timbers Army, one of the most passionate supporter groups in the league, show their love for their team. But it’s not always just about the game; banners for social causes like antifascism and refugees are also common. The recent ban on signage the league deems “political” has rankled some Timbers Army diehards. To talk to us about this and why human rights are core to their ethos, we are joined by Timbers Army community liaison Stephan Lewis. Also joining us is Mike Golub, president of business for the Timbers.

Last year, a report from the the Sixth Amendment Center found that Oregon’s public defense system is unconstitutional. Now, lawmakers are trying to pass legislation to overhaul the system and, hopefully, avoid a lawsuit. OPB justice correspondent Conrad Wilson fills us in on the details.

PeaceHealth Oregon recently announced it plans to close the Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield by the end of August. Midwives and expectant mothers are disappointed and say this will significantly impact the options available for giving birth in Lane County. We hear from Cindy Hunter, a retired midwife, and Hannah Austin, who was planning to give birth at the center in November.

We sit down with a woman who has been at the forefront of U.S. efforts to counter violent extremism since 9/11. Farah Pandith is the former special representative to Muslim communities at the U.S. Department of State. Her new book, “How We Win,” details the social and political causes of violent extremism and how governments, businesses and individuals can overcome violent extremism in this country and around the world. She is appearing Wednesday night in downtown Portland as part of WorldOregon’s International Speaker’s Series.

We explore the legal issues raised by a bill in the Oregon legislature that would allow farmers to sue companies that hold GMO patents if those seeds contaminate the farmers’ non-GMO crops. We talk with the co-director of the Food Resiliency Project at the University of Oregon Law School, Michael Fakhri.

After 15 years of working on a management plan for the Blue Mountain Forests, the US Forest Service finally came up with a draft last year. And then they scrapped it. We’ll talk to the regional forester Glenn Casamassa about the plan, and about his philosophy on coordinating planning with local counties.

The Green Lighting Black Lives Matter Youth Media Project gives young African American filmmakers the equipment and technical training to make short films. The films will screen this week. We talk with the program’s executive director John Washington, and one of the filmmakers, Hailei Aberson-Holford.

Oregon lawmakers are considering a bill that would significantly narrow the state’s death penalty statute. It would redefine the crime of aggravated murder, which is the only offense punishable by death under Oregon law. Just days after it passed the state senate, we hear two different perspectives on this bill from Rep. Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, and Marion County deputy district attorney Katie Suver.

Last week the Oregon Health Authority voted to remove a requirement to taper patients with neck and back pain off of opioids. The requirement had drawn criticism from chronic pain patients, Human Rights Watch, and others. Dr. Dana Hargunani, Chief Medical Officer at Oregon Health Authority, and Dr. Kevin Olson, who chairs the committee that made the decision, join us to explain the change.

We get opinion and analysis of some of week’s big stories from Amanda Manjarrez of the Latino Network of Oregon, Scott Bruun with Hubbell Communications, and KLCC news director, Rachael McDonald.

The trade war between the United States and China is heating up, with tens of billions of dollars in tariffs and counter-tariffs imposed by both sides. Some major Oregon industries will be severely affected, including agriculture and apparel. We learn more about the effect of the trade war on Oregon’s economy from Tim Duy, professor of Economics at the University of Oregon and director of the Oregon Economic Forum.

Earlier this month, the Portland State University Board of Trustees approved an 11% increase of undergraduate resident tuition. Oregon State University has increased tuition just over 4%. Other colleges and universities in the state are waiting to find out how much money the legislature might put aside to support higher education. Steve Percy, acting president of PSU, and Mark Mitsui, president of Portland Community College, join us. We also hear from M’Kya Bettega, a senior at Roosevelt High School, who plans to attend PSU in the fall.

Fighting wildfires is a risky occupation, but women firefighters must also battle sexism and harassment. High Country News correspondent Krista Langlois talks us through her investigation and ex-firefighter Aili Johnston presents a potential solution.

Most of the nurses at Portland’s 24-hour emergency psychiatric center are moving to unionize. Nurses at the Unity Center for Behavioral Health say unionizing will give them a better voice in how patients are cared for. Unity Center has faced investigation from OHA, and several lawsuits from former employees. We talk to two nurses about the work they do at Unity.

It took decades of advocacy and planning for Maupin to get high-speed broadband. After securing funding from the state of Oregon and six other sources, the town of 430 now has some of the fastest internet in the Pacific Northwest. Mayor Lynn Ewing shares the challenges of rural broadband and the changes it’s bringing to his town. Chris Tamarin, Telecommunications Strategist at the Oregon Business Development Department, also joins us.

Seventeen years ago, Lori Guerrero temporarily lost custody of her kids due to her meth addiction. Now she’s in long-term recovery, and she helps other parents struggling with addiction. She’s a FIT program supervisor for Volunteers of America Oregon. We hear her story and talk about the overlap between addiction recovery and the child welfare system.

Last weekend the Oregon College of Art and Craft held its final graduation ceremony. The school faced significant financial problems, and after exploring several merger options, ultimately sold its northwest Portland campus to the private Catlin Gabel school. Mardy Widman, a retired Student Services Coordinator, tells us about what OCAC meant to the craft community in Oregon.

An Oregon Court of Appeals ruling invalidated the 2016 Damascus disincorporation vote. The ruling has divided the small rural community, and left a host of legal and logistical questions in its wake. The plaintiff, Jim De Young, a former city councilor and others are meeting to try to figure out the way forward. On yesterday’s show we heard from Chris Hawes, one of the leaders of the campaign to disincorporate. Today we’re joined by Jim De Young, who has just been selected as the mayor of the city by a newly formed city council.