Think Out Loud

As summer draws to a close, teachers across Oregon are readying lesson plans for the start of a new school year. But for school districts in rural parts of the state, budgetary constraints may mean that arts literacy and the benefits it offers students aren’t included in the curriculum.  Since 2020, the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on the central Oregon coast has been helping fill that need through a monthly youth arts program. It originally served 500 students at two schools in Tillamook County. Oregon ArtsWatch recently reported on the expansion of the program which is launching this fall with a new name, K-8 Create, to serve more than 5,000 students across 17 schools on the coast, from Astoria to Waldport. Ninety-five percent of the students qualify for free or reduced meals and for many, Sitka’s monthly lessons offer the only art instruction they get at school. Alison Dennis is the executive director of the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Leeauna Perry is Sitka’s youth program director. They join us to talk about the impact the K-8 Create program is having in rural coastal communities. 

Students at Umpqua Community College in Southern Oregon may soon have some new options for housing. The college is converting three historic buildings in downtown Roseburg into student dorms and apartments. College leaders hope that providing housing will help attract students from around the region and that bringing students downtown will add vibrancy to the city’s core. UCC President Rachel Pokrandt joins to talk about the role the college hopes to play in revitalizing downtown Roseburg and alleviating the city’s housing crunch.

Bill Sumio Naito, who died at age 70 in 1996, was a Portland-born son of Japanese immigrants who became one of the city's most significant business and civic leaders. Erica Naito-Campbell, his granddaughter, grew up next door to him and has written a new biography of the man who lends his name to the road thousands of people drive and bike on every day. The book, “Portland's Audacious Champion,” details Naito’s life from growing up in East Portland, through military service in World War II, to his role in much of Portland’s iconic geography: from the Portland sign near the Burnside Bridge to Waterfront Park. Natio-Campbell joins us to share more.

On Monday, a judge at the U.S. District Court of Oregon in Portland will hear arguments to temporarily block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons grocery chains. The nearly $25 billion deal, which was announced nearly two years ago, would create the largest supermarket chain in U.S. history, with roughly 5,000 stores and 700,000 employees across 48 states. Kroger owns Fred Meyer and QFC grocery stores in the Northwest, and Albertsons owns Safeway.  In February, the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the merger, claiming it would hurt workers, stifle competition and raise prices for consumers. Executives at Kroger and Albertsons dispute those claims, saying the merger will result in lower prices and more choices for consumers, and result in no layoffs of “frontline workers.”  On Capitol Hill, opposition to the merger is being led by Oregon’s senior Democratic Senator, Ron Wyden, and Washington’s U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-07). Sen. Wyden joins us to share his perspective on the proposed merger, the presidential election and other issues. 

Al Ward is a 65-year-old musician who is hiding out from the wreck of his life in an abandoned mine in the high Nevada desert. Ward spends his days drinking and writing songs until he encounters a half-blind horse, and is forced to reckon with his life. Portland author Willy Vlautin joined host Geoff Norcross at the Pickathon Experiential Music Festival to talk about the compulsion to create art, the power of music, and the possibility of redemption. 

Two-sport athlete Bryce Boettcher may have joined the University of Oregon as a baseball player, but football was also important to him.  In June, the outfielder was named a Rawlings Gold Glove recipient by the company and the American Baseball Coaches Association. Now, he’ll finish out his time as a Duck playing football as UO officially joins the Big Ten conference. And in the spring, Boettcher will report to the Astros after football under an agreement with the MLB team and the university. He was selected by the Houston team with the No. 403 overall pick in July.  We catch up with Boettcher, who grew up in Eugene, about the upcoming football season and his time as a dual-sport athlete at the university.

Trans, non-binary and gender diverse (TNGD) youth often experience harm in child welfare programs, the justice system and homeless services. That’s according to a new national report by Lambda Legal that the Portland-based Unicorn Solutions helped inform. The report focuses on how these youth fare in government-involved systems, and the policies that are needed to help them thrive. We talk with Elliott Hinkle, a former foster youth who founded Unicorn Solutions and who coordinated the contributions of TNGD youth from across the country. 

The birth of a baby is often celebrated as a joyful and natural process, but it can also be physically and emotionally traumatic. The Perinatal Trauma Clinic at Oregon Health & Science University is one of only a handful nationwide that aims to support parents who have experienced trauma around birth or pregnancy. Patients work with both mental and physical health care providers at the Center for Women’s Health to develop a plan that fits their personal circumstances.   Katie Au and Katherine Jorda are both associate professors of obstetrics and gynecology at OHSU. They co-direct the clinic and join us with more details about the care they provide.

Starting in September, HB 4002 will go into effect and will recriminalize possession of small amounts of controlled substances. Portland’s public transportation agency TriMet is hopeful this could bring changes to the system that has faced a number of challenges in recent years, including a historic driver shortage, increased assaults on operators and more. Since 2021, TriMet has been stepping up its enforcement efforts, and in July of this year, it began increasing enforcement of fares and other rules. Andrew Wilson is the agency’s chief safety officer and its executive director of safety and security. He joins us to share more.

Classes at Portland Public Schools begin next week and the district also welcomes a new superintendent. Kimberlee Armstrong began her career as a teacher in the Puyallup School District in Washington and most recently served as deputy superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver. Armstrong joins to share what she’s looking forward to in her first year overseeing the district and goals in her first year.