Think Out Loud

Church at the Park, the nonprofit that operates Village of Hope homeless micro shelter site in Salem, plans to add 40 additional beds, according to the Salem Reporter.  The expansion aims to serve people who are experiencing homelessness and are 55 and older. People 50 or older are the fastest growing group of those experiencing homelessness in the US, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. We learn more about the Salem expansion from DJ Vincent, the founding pastor and CEO of Church at the Park.

Gabrielle Zevin is a lifelong devotee of video games, which is obvious to readers of her newest book, the bestseller “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.” The book tells the story of two video game designers who find professional creative and intellectual synergy that doesn’t always match in their personal lives. The book starts from the premise that designing video games is the highest of artistic pursuits. "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" is the Multnomah County Everybody Reads 2024 selection, and Zevin joins us to discuss it in front of an audience of students at Grant High School.

A few years ago, three Oregon musicians and artists started getting together to play and share music, informally calling themselves Diaspora Songs. They are all lovers of country and folk music, as well as writers and scholars. Dao Strom is a poet, musician, and multimedia artist  — she’s the author of the book “Instrument.” Julian Saporiti is a musician and creator of No No Boy, a songwriting and multimedia project about Asian American history. And Alicia Jo Rabins is a poet, musician and Jewish educator — she’s the author of the poetry collection “Fruit Geode.”  All three joined host Jenn Chávez on stage at the Pickathon Experiential Music Festival to sing and play and talk about their work.

“Women of the Dirt” is designed for all ability levels and creates space for riders who are women. Guides work with riders on closed trails to build skills and camaraderie.  Events have been held throughout the summer, and a weekend camp takes place in September.  We learn more about the series from Jaclyn Walles, a Mt Bachelor summer athlete and ambassador 

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is helping shut down streets in residential neighborhoods. The reason isn’t for road repairs or filling in potholes, but to allow kids to safely play and create community. The Play Streets program is a current pilot that allows nonprofits in Portland to create community centered pop-up events. PBOT provides a trailer at no cost that is filled with furniture, canopies, games and other supplies to be used at events, as well a grant to help groups purchase materials they might need such as barricade rentals. Sahar Wilson is the marketing and communications coordinator for the Pacific Refugee Support Group. Kate Sechrist is the building coordinator at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church. They both have been holding events through the pilot and join us to share more. 

A study released by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory explored groundwater extraction and how growing demand will affect remaining resources. Scientists focused on when and where groundwater levels could peak, meaning the water becomes so inaccessible that deeper wells or costly equipment are needed to meet demand.   As it becomes more difficult to access groundwater, international agriculture could be affected and the cost of food could rise.  The study illustrates that groundwater has finite characteristics, and water basins around the world – including some in the western United States –  are reaching their limits. We learn more about the study from Hassan Niazi, an earth scientist with the national lab.

Portland musician Rose Gerber combines country, folk and alt-rock into her sound. Gerber released a new EP, "Untraveled Highway," earlier this year.  She will be headlining a country music fest at the Kenton Club on Saturday and joins us with an in-studio performance.

Measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, but as vaccination rates have fallen, the disease has popped back up. Oregon is experiencing the worst outbreak in the state since the early 1990s. With kids returning to school and measles being one of the most infectious of diseases, public health concerns are running high. Joining us to talk about all of this and update us on the latest COVID-19 news, is Paul Cieslak, medical director for the Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section and the Oregon Immunization Program at the Oregon Health Authority.

Wildfires have burned more than a million and a half acres in Oregon so far, with the season still not over. Eastern Oregon has been especially hard hit by massive fires this summer, including the Durkee Fire which ignited last month and has burned nearly 300,000 acres. Ranchers in Eastern and Central Oregon face growing uncertainty and mounting economic losses to their livelihoods. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association started a fund to raise money to help ranchers who’ve lost cattle or pasturelands for grazing.  Matt McElligott is the president of the OCA and the owner of LM Ranch in Baker and Grant Counties. He shares with us the impact of the wildfires on ranchers and the long road to recovery some of them face. 

Earlier this year, the Portland band Blitzen Trapper released its 10th studio album, “100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions.” The band found success in 2008 with the release of their album “Furr.” Founding members Eric Earley and Brian Adrian Koch join us in the studio, along with fellow band member Nathan Vanderpool, to play some songs and talk about the new album, which is based on songs that Earley recorded on 4-track tapes in the early '90s.