Disney’s long-awaited sequel to its smash hit, “Moana,” is already one of the top-grossing movies of the year after its premiere at the box office just two weeks ago. Moana, however, is not your typical Disney princess. In fact, she forcefully pushes back on that characterization during an exchange with Maui, the Polynesian demigod, with whom she teams up on journeys of adventure and self-discovery. For “Moana 2,” Disney once again sought guidance from the Oceanic Cultural Trust, a team of scholars, artists and other experts who hail from Hawai’i, Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific Islander communities. They helped ensure the films’ faithful representations of Pacific Islander cultural details and traditions such as wayfinding, an ancient form of ocean navigation still practiced today. Patricia Fifita, an assistant professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at Oregon State University and Indigenous Pacific Islander of Tongan heritage, joins us to share her experience as a cultural consultant on  “Moana 2,” and her efforts to develop a K-12 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander studies curriculum for use in Oregon schools.  

From office settings to plastic recycling, workers were exposed to at least 14 chemicals in their daily lives, according to a new study from the International Pollutants Elimination Network. To measure exposures, participants in the study wore silicone bracelets which are able to mimic skin. This technology was invented at Oregon State University and has been used not only to measure human exposures to pollutants, but for animals such as cats and dogs as well. Kim Anderson is the director of OSU’s Food Safety and Environmental Stewardship Program and is a professor in environmental and molecular toxicology. She also invented this method with her graduate students. She joins us to share more on what we’ve been able to learn through this technology and how often someone faces an exposure.

Oregon lawmakers will have a one-day special session this week before the legislature begins officially in January. The governor has called them there to allocate over $200 million dollars in emergency spending  for this year’s unprecedented wildfire season. We’ll get a preview of the session with OPB’s Dirk VanderHart and April Ehrlich.

You may know them best for the songs they released in the '90s, but Portland rockers The Dandy Warhols have been going strong for 30 years, and have just released their 12th studio album. The new album includes collaborations with The Pixies’ Frank Black, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Guns N’ Roses’ Slash. We talk to keyboardist Zia McCabe about the band’s legacy.

As a drag queen, environmentalist and community organizer, Pattie Gonia uses her platform to advocate for inclusive outdoor spaces. From mountain biking to skiing, she shares her love of the outdoors and has built a sizable following on social media.Pattie Gonia is based in Bend and she joins us with more on connecting with nature … in heels. 

Whether it’s smartphones or sneakers, toys or tents, about 80% of commercial goods are transported to markets around the world using giant container ships. As global shipping routes grow to meet increasing demand, so too does the likelihood of fatal collisions with whale species whose ranges overlap with them.  Researchers at the University of Washington led a team of international scientists who measured, for the first time, the risk of ship strikes worldwide among humpback, blue, fin and sperm whales. They found that 92% of global shipping traffic overlaps with the habitats of these whales. Meanwhile, only 7% of the hotspots in the world’s oceans where the risk of collisions between whales and ships is greatest have any measures in place to protect the marine mammals.  Anna Nisi is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington’s Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, and the lead author of the recently published paper. She joins us to share her findings and what might be done to protect whales threatened by the multi-billion dollar shipping industry.    

The Ashland Daily Tidings was established as a newspaper in 1876 and ceased operations in 2023. But local readers may not have known that. The Daily Tidings website re-emerged after the closure with a claimed staff of eight contributors, none of whom are reporters working in Southern Oregon. The website features a regular slate of "stories" that appear to be written by artificial intelligence. OPB editor Ryan Haas joins us to talk about his investigation into the AI takeover of the Southern Oregon paper.

Though the title of sheriff comes historically from England, the role is inextricably linked to the myth of the American West. It is also inextricably linked to the racist foundations of democracy in this country, according to Jessica Pishko in her new book, “The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy.” Pishko writes about the so-called ‘constitutional sheriffs’ movement, which holds that sheriffs, because they are elected directly by the people, are beholden to no authority, and can uphold the Constitution as they see fit. We talk to Pishko about the history of sheriffs, and what the role could mean under a second Trump administration.

Peter Boag, a professor and Columbia Chair in the History of the American West at Washington State University Vancouver, co-curated the exhibit 'Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West'. He discusses the complex histories of transgender lives in the American West, highlighting the pioneers Alan Hart and Joe Monaghan. The conversation navigates the challenges of documenting these narratives and emphasizes the significance of visibility and acceptance in both past and present contexts. Boag's insights shed light on historical discrimination and the evolving dialogue on trans rights.

In 2019, the Oregon Legislature created the Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District to manage levees and pump stations in Multnomah County. Last month, voters elected new board members to help guide infrastructure updates to the century-old flood system. As extreme weather events become more common, catastrophic flooding is a growing concern. We check in on the work of the district and learn more about disaster preparedness from Jim Middaugh, the executive director of the district and Kayla Drozd Calkins, a newly elected district board member.