Think Out Loud

The Roadless Rule is a U.S. Forest Service regulation that protects inventoried roadless areas from certain timber activities and construction within the national forest system, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The rule has been in effect since 2001, but U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced recently the Trump administration plans to rescind the rule. We learn more about how the regulation affects Oregon and its forests from Travis Joseph, the president and CEO of the American Forest Resource Council, and Steve Pedery, the conservation director of Oregon Wild

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates there are more than 10 million wood-burning stoves in homes across the U.S., or roughly one for every 35 people. The smoke from those stoves can emit harmful particle pollution, which has been linked to respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular disease and a host of other health issues. Researchers at Oregon State University recently tested residential wood stove emissions in rural Oregon in an effort to understand how the stoves perform in homes.Nordica MacCarty is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at OSU. She joins us to talk about her work to make wood stoves burn more cleanly and efficiently.

Last week, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency due to “the imminent and ongoing threat of wildfire.” The emergency declaration will last until the end of the year. It directs the Office of Emergency Management to coordinate personnel, equipment and resources in collaboration with the State Fire Marshal and Oregon Department of Forestry to respond to the wildfires that have burned more than 100,000 acres in the state so far. The Oregon National Guard will also be mobilized as needed to assist with fighting wildland fires for the remainder of the fire season.The National Interagency Fire Center lists six large, active wildfires burning in Oregon. That includes the Cram Fire, which broke out on July 13 and has burned more than 95,000 acres northeast of Madras and triggered evacuation orders in Jefferson and Wasco counties. It is now the largest wildfire burning in the contiguous U.S., with more than 900 personnel responding to it.Joining us for an update on the wildfire season are Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz Temple and Kyle Williams, deputy director of fire operations at Oregon Department of Forestry.

The union that represents reporters at Central Oregon’s 122-year-old newspaper is negotiating its first contract with the corporation that bought the outlet last fall. Carpenter Media Group has already laid off nonunion workers at the Bulletin, like the paper’s copy editor, but the Central Oregon NewsGuild says that a contract - and the worker protections it would include - must be in place before any union layoffs could be made. The company has acquired more than 30 newspapers in Oregon alone, including the Pamplin Media Group - and approximately 250 others in the U.S. and Canada. The NewsGuild unit has taken the unusual step of urging subscribers to cancel their subscriptions if the corporate management does not agree to their demands. The Carpenter Media Group declined our request to be interviewed and sent a statement that said it is “dedicated to preserving and strengthening community journalism in the communities we serve.” The company has made deep cuts in other local media outlets it has acquired. Central Oregon NewsGuild leader Morgan Owen is a crime and public safety reporter for the Bend Bulletin. She joins us to share the latest in the story that’s unfolding at her paper.

Washington County is revising how it implements diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in order to comply with new federal grant requirements tied to executive orders from President Trump. Local officials say the move is necessary to protect access to $135 million in federal funding that supports housing, infrastructure, and critical services for thousands of low-income residents in the county.   While the move has drawn criticism from community members who worry it signals a retreat from equity commitments, those involved say the change is necessary to avoid potential civil and criminal liability under the federal False Claims Act. The county commission is scheduled to take a final vote to affirm the policy changes Tuesday, July 22. Washington County Board Chair Kathryn Harrington joins us to talk more about the changes that come amid broader questions about how local governments navigate new federal policies.

Last week, Avelo Airlines announced it would end service out of the Salem-Willamette Valley Airport on Aug. 10. Avelo has been operating out of Salem as the only airline carrier servicing the airport since October 2023 with weekly flights to Burbank and Las Vegas. The budget airline also said it plans to pull out of other West Coast markets, including Eugene in December, when it aims to close its base in Burbank.   Avelo’s looming departure from Salem and other markets comes amid controversy over the airline’s decision earlier this year to provide deportation flights out of Phoenix for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency. That agreement has prompted a backlash against the carrier, including in Salem, where some residents have protested and urged the city council to sever ties with Avelo.   Joining us for a discussion about what Avelo’s exit means for Salem, its local economy and the future of its airport is Salem Statesman Journal city reporter Whitney Woodworth.  

Portland artist Arvie Smith is known for colorful, larger-than-life oil paintings that explore oppression and injustice against Black Americans through symbolism and visual tropes. He’s also a professor emeritus at Pacific Northwest College of Art after a 35-year tenure. His murals can be seen on buildings in North Portland and at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Center, where he spent time teaching art to incarcerated youth.Despite being in his mid-80s, Smith is far from retired — just last year, he received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. The work he created during that fellowship is currently on display in Chicago. Titled “Crossing Clear Creek,” the exhibit explores Smith’s childhood memories and experience of race in rural Texas and Los Angeles. We spoke with Smith in March 2025 about his life and work.

Seattle poet Kathleen Flenniken grew up in Richland and worked as a civil engineer at Hanford in the 1980s. She served as Washington State Poet Laureate from 2012-2014. In her first year as poet laureate, she published a collection called Plume, which deals directly with how her Hanford area upbringing influenced her.  The book explores the history of the site, the death of her best friend's father from a radiation illness, and her childhood in "Atomic City.” Flenniken sits down with us from the campus of Washington State University Tri-Cities.  

Krista Catwood, also known by the stage name Vera Mysteria, can be found at the Lloyd Center mall every Sunday leading Portlanders in a group workout. But the exercises aren’t done on machines and do not take place in a retail space — instead, they’re done throughout the entire mall. As first reported in the Oregonian, Catwood, armed with a neon track suit and a Bluetooth speaker, leads a group ranging from ages 8 to 80 on a power walk throughout the mall with '80s music blasting behind them. The group is known as the Food Court 5000, started off with a group of eight that has now grown to upwards of 70 people at its highest. Catwood joins us to share why she started the Food Court 5000 and more.

This weekend marks the first MXPDX: Mexico/Oregon Collaboration Festival of Culture and Cerveza. The festival brings together 13 brewers from Oregon and 13 brewers from Mexico to collaborate on ciders and beers of their own creation using Mexican ingredients to showcase both regions working together. It is the newest creation from Beer Friends, the nonprofit behind Fuji to Hood. Ezra Johnson-Greenough is one of the organizers for the festival. Ricardo Antunez is the owner of Xicha Brewing, the first Latino-owned brewery in Oregon, and Diego Lara is the co-owner of Falling Piano Brewery in Mexico City. They all join us to share more on what to expect this weekend and the importance of the collaboration.