Think Out Loud

Colleen Hunt plead guilty to manslaughter yesterday for her role in the death of Larnell Bruce Jr. in 2016. Hunt was a passenger in her Jeep, driven by her boyfriend Russell Courtier, when it struck and killed Bruce. Prosecutors are attempting to prove that Courtier, a member of the gang European Kindred, committed a hate crime in the murder of Larnell Bruce, an African American teen. Willamette Week reporter Katie Shepherd has been following the trial.

A new play at Oregon Shakespeare Festival imagines a sequel for the Steinbeck classic “Grapes of Wrath.” “Mother Road” by playwright Octavio Solis tells of a Latino American farm worker and a journey across the country.

A study released last year showed that 22 percent of millennials had not heard of, or were not sure if they had heard of the Holocaust. An Oregon state senator and a high school student are working together to change that for the next generation. Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) has introduced a bill to require schools to teach age-appropriate lessons about genocide. We’ll hear from him and from Claire Sarnowski, a Lakeridge High School student who has been advocating for the bill.

Bill Griesar, who teaches psychology and neuroscience at Portland State University, teamed up with artist Jeff Leake to create a nonprofit called NW Noggin. Their goal is to engage kids through both art and science to help them learn about their how their brains work.

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

A Lane Community College dance production is honoring Oregon poet Hazel Hall, a paralyzed woman who gained international fame in the early 20th Century, but was largely forgotten for years after her death. “The Room Upstairs” focuses on Hall’s work and life through a blend of dance, music and poetry. We talk to Lane Community College choral instructor Matthew Svoboda and the production’s lead performer, Karen Daly.

Oregon lawmakers are considering a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. California was the first state to pass a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags, and Washington state is moving in this direction as well. While the ban seems to have momentum, some critics are questioning the huge increase in paper bag use – and the environmental impact of reusable bags. We get three guests’ perspectives on the issues involved: David Tyler, head of the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Oregon; Joe Gilliam, President of the Northwest Grocery Association; and Terry Webber, Executive director for packaging for the American Forest and Paper Association.

Ramin Tokhi came to the U.S. from Russia in 2013 years ago, at the age of 21, and began taking English classes at the library. Four years later, he was teaching English and cultural skills to other immigrants and refugees and helping native English speakers become better teachers. We talked to Tokhi in 2017 about learning English as an adult and how that set him on his path to study linguistics.

The Indian Child Welfare Act gives tribal governments a voice in native child welfare and adoption cases. That law is being challenged in federal court this week. A Portland nonprofit has filed an amicus brief in support of the 40-year-old law. We hear from Sarah Kastelic, executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association and Oregon State Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland).

Last month, the mayor of Ashland vetoed an ordinance that would have allowed ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in the city. City councilors voted to override the veto, and the ride hailing will be allowed in Ashland next week. Ashland City Council president Dennis Slattery fills us in on why this has been such a controversial issue.

We continue our series of conversations about Oregon’s child welfare system, with a focus on a Youth Villages program aimed at helping young people transition from foster care to independent living. We traveled to Tennessee where the nonprofit developed its Lifeset program, and we bring you the story of Raygan Bean and her specialist, Caroline Myers. Then we sit down with Portland State University sophomore Torrey Brunot, who was in foster care, and talk with and her Lifeset worker, Ariel Ford, to hear how the program works in Oregon.

We hear opinions and analysis on this week’s news from Laura Gunderson, Scott Bruun and Mike Marshall.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler joins us for a check in. We discuss many things, including the city’s withdrawal from the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the investigation into text messages between Patriot Prayer and Portland Police, and the Mayor’s new budget.

Our Bodies, Our Doctors, is a new documentary from Portland director Jan Haaken [HAWK-en] that focuses on the lives of doctors who provide abortion care. Andrea Chiavarini is one of the doctors featured in the film.

The town of Elkton was out of power for 3 days because of the snowstorm last week. But now it appears they will be out of power for the next three weeks as Douglas County Electric Cooperative rebuilds infrastructure. Debra Koehler lives in Elkton and tells us what it’s like.

The Oregon Equal Pay Act of 2017 which went into effect this year, has been hailed as a huge step forward towards pay equity. But the details of how it will play out in the lives of employees is anything but clear. We talk with Laurie Grenya with HR Answers, the largest human resources consulting firm in the Northwest, about how employers are complying with the new law. Existing Oregon law already prohibited gender-based pay discrimination, but the new law specifies that transgender Oregonians are covered and expands protected classes to: race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability and age.

Nearly half of the K-12 students in Umatilla stay after school is over to take more classes. The free after-school program is largely taught by local high school students, who get paid for their work. Elizabeth Loera is a senior at Umatilla High School, and teaches a class on energy.

According to a Wikimedia Foundation report, most of Wikipedia’s contributors are men. Art+Feminism is a worldwide effort to change that through a series of events known as “edit-a-thons.” This Saturday, Pacific Northwest College of Art will host an edit-a-thon with the goal of including more women and non-cisgender individuals on the site.

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley announced this morning that he will not be entering the race for President. OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes breaks down what that means.

A University of Oregon professor has developed a program to help introduce more women and people of color to computer science. Computer Science for Oregon brings more computer science classes to high schools in an effort to make the discipline more accessible for everyone. UO professor Joanna Goode tells us about the program and the impact it’s having in Oregon.