Think Out Loud

From 2021 to 2024, the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board, the state agency that oversees death care, saw a whopping 79% increase in repayment claims from funeral homes for indigent remains. Indigent remains are the bodies that go unclaimed, have no next of kin or lack financial means for the handling of the body that may have been left in the deceased's will. Oregon is one of a few states that have an established program to reimburse funeral homes for handling these cases. The number of funeral homes that received payment has also seen a big increase, with a rise of about 114% since 2021. The program is not meant for everyday Oregonians who cannot afford a funeral or other services, but for those whose wishes after death are unknown or uncertain. Chad Dresselhause is the executive director of the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board. Wally Orderman is the executive director of the Oregon Funeral Directors Association. They both join us to share what this increase has meant for the state and what it means for the individual funeral homes that take on these cases.

An unassuming house in Southeast Portland’s Buckman neighborhood was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. Once known as “Juniper House,” the building served as one of the first end-of-life care homes for AIDS patients in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s. An OPB documentary at the time explored the lives of some of the patients in Juniper House and the neighboring Assisi House, which provided a range of care for patients with HIV/AIDS. Jan Weyeneth is one of the co-founders of Juniper House. Cayla McGrail is a former associate project manager for Portland’s LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project, which sponsored the house’s listing. They both join us to share more about Juniper House and the importance of documenting queer history in Portland.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would give agricultural workers a seat at the table. House Bill 2548 would establish a board made up of voices representing farmworkers, farmers, government agencies and labor law to help establish working standards and conditions. Reyna Lopez, executive director of PCUN, which is supporting the bill and Jenny Dresler, spokesperson for the Oregon Farm Bureau, which is opposed to the bill, join us to share their perspectives. 

It’s been five years since the pandemic shut down cities and towns across the country and changed the daily lives and routines of many people. From virtual workplaces to outdoor dining, COVID-19 also changed how we use and see our cities. Nico Larco is a professor of architect and urban design and is the director of the Urbanism Next Center at the University of Oregon. He joins us to share what has and hasn’t changed in our cities since lockdowns began. 

In its attempt to end birthright citizenship, the Trump administration has cited a 19th century lawsuit that denied U.S. citizenship to Native Americans. The president’s executive order has been blocked by multiple federal judges, and his use of Elk v. Wilkins to justify the order is generally deemed invalid by legal scholars. But the use of the lawsuit has raised concerns over immigration enforcement in some Indigenous communities, even though Native Americans were granted citizenship in 1924. Nazune Menka is an assistant professor of law and director of the Center for Indian Law and Policy at Seattle University. She joins us to share more about Elk v. Wilkins and the lasting impact it’s had on relations between tribal and federal governments.

Award-winning Portland author and illustrator Aron Nels Steinke is perhaps best known for his “Mr. Wolf’s Class” series of graphic novels which revolve around a teacher – who happens to be a wolf – and his 4th grade class of anthropomorphized animal students. Steinke drew from his experience as a teacher at Portland’s Woodstock Elementary School for that series.  Now, with his new book, he’s drawing from his personal experience as an adolescent student who struggled with social anxiety. “Speechless” tells the story of Mira, a 6th grader who has selective mutism, an anxiety disorder which prevents people from speaking in certain social situations, such as in front of a class. The graphic novel explores the messy feelings and turns and twists of relationships during adolescence, on top of the struggle to find your voice. Aron Nels Steinke joins us to talk about “Speechless.”  

Humanities councils across the country, including in Oregon, recently learned that the federal government is slashing their funding. A grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities was meant to fund the councils through 2027, but it was rescinded on April 2 following reports that the Department of Government Efficiency was planning cuts at the NEH. The abrupt lack of funding will affect organizations like Oregon Humanities, which facilitates public conversations and community-building events across the state. Last year, the nonprofit received 44% of its budget from NEH funding, which helped finance grants to libraries, social service agencies and other organizations in Oregon. Adam Davis is the executive director of Oregon Humanities. He joins us to talk about what cutting humanities funding could mean for Oregonians.

This Saturday saw the biggest coordinated nationwide demonstration against the Trump administration to date. In Oregon, Indivisible helped organize protests, among others, as part of the 50501 movement. Many thousands of people turned out in Portland alone, with thousands more out all over the state including in Tigard, Medford, Enterprise other small towns in southern, central and Eastern Oregon.   They protested the dismantling of federal government agencies, mass layoffs and deportations, planned cuts to Medicaid, social security and more. We talk with four Oregonians from three different communities about how the protests they attended went and what motivated them to spend their Saturday demonstrating. Susannah Graven is a massage therapist in Medford and an unaffiliated voter.  Mike Eng is a retired National Parks employee who lives near Lostine in Wallowa County and is a Republican. And Mary Minor is a retired hospice nurse who helped organize the Tigard protest, along with her husband James, a retired technical writer, both unaffiliated voters.

Last year, the group Disability Rights Oregon brought suit against Washington County, alleging that when 911 is called for people in mental health crises, it’s often law enforcement officers who respond. The lawsuit claims these officers are more likely to exacerbate a crisis than resolve it. Last week, a federal judge ruled that the case can move forward. Dave Boyer, managing attorney for the Mental Health Rights Project at DRO, joins us to lay out their claims.

Since the start of his second term, President Trump has taken sweeping actions targeting immigrants of all kinds in the U.S. From challenging birthright citizenship to lifting bans on immigration arrests in schools and churches, the administration’s plan to deport millions is creating fear among many families and could have significant effects on communities. While schools can not track a student’s documentation status thanks to a previous U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe, some states are trying to challenge that. And as first reported in Education Week, deportation efforts could affect school budgets. Ilana Umanksy is an associate professor at the University of Oregon’s College of Education. She joins us to share more on the effects mass deportation could have in Oregon schools.