Podcast
Think Out Loud
Hosted by Oregon Public Broadcasting · EN
OPB's daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts. Hosted By Dave Miller.
49episodes
Episodes
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Why some Oregon communities have high rates of alcohol-related deaths among older adults
2d ago00:15:00Tap to summarizeOregon communities have some of the nation’s highest rates of alcohol-related deaths among adults age 65 and older. That’s according to a new study conducted by the Woodlands Grove Recovery Campus in Ohio. It used CDC data from 2020 through 2024 to rank metro areas by both alcohol-induced death rates and total number of deaths. Of the top 15 cities with the highest rates, six were in Oregon. Roseburg ranked second, Eugene-Springfield fourth and Medford fifth. Salem, Bend and the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area also appeared in the top 15. Tom Jeanne is the deputy state health officer and an epidemiologist at the Oregon Health Authority. He joins us to talk about the dangers drinking can pose to older adults and what the state is doing to reduce alcohol-related deaths.
Transcribe →Mixed-income cohousing development in North Portland gets boost with state funding
2d ago00:19:22Tap to summarizeCathedral Park Cohousing is a mixed-income cohousing development in North Portland that was recently awarded $1.4 million in Oregon State Lottery Bond funds. Along with $2 million in funding previously awarded by Oregon Housing and Community Services and other funding sources, the project is expected to break ground early next year. In cohousing developments, residents typically own their own units but share common areas and participate in decisions affecting their community. The nonprofit Our Home Inclusive Community Collaborative has spent several years working to secure the funding and partnerships to develop Cathedral Park Cohousing as an inclusive, mixed-income community. Fourteen units are being set aside for affordable home ownership, which people earning 80% or less of the Area Median Income would typically qualify for. The other nine units are being sold at market rate. Priority is also being given to people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, a group that often struggles to find housing options that meet their needs. Alicia DeLashmutt is the president and founder of Our Home Inclusive Community Collaborative. Shane Boland is the development consultant on Cathedral Park Cohousing and the development director of Owen Gabbert, LLC. They join us for a discussion, along with Abby Braithwaite, a future owner of a market rate unit at Cathedral Park Cohousing.
Transcribe →Recently naturalized citizen from Iran living in Oregon reflects on the 250th anniversary of the US
2d ago00:18:18Tap to summarizeIn just a few weeks, our nation will commemorate the 250th anniversary of its independence. As we approach this historic milestone, “Think Out Loud” hears from guests whose life experiences and personal histories illuminate different aspects of what it means to be an American. Noushin Hoshyar came to the U.S. in 2010 and just last month, became a naturalized citizen. She's originally from Iran and had a dream of working in healthcare. After attending school and receiving her license in the U.S., she became a nurse, something she could not have done in Iran. Hoshyar joins us to share her story, what it means to be an American and how she is thinking about the country's 250th anniversary this year.
Transcribe →Daughters of the American Revolution leader reflects on the 250th anniversary of this country
3d ago00:18:51Tap to summarizeIn just a few weeks, our nation will commemorate the 250th anniversary of its independence. As we approach this historic milestone, “Think Out Loud” hears from guests whose life experiences and personal histories illuminate different aspects of what it means to be an American. Jill Gentry is the recently installed State Regent of the Oregon State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Gentry is an army veteran and worked for the National Security Agency for over 30 years before retiring to Bend and becoming involved in the DAR. Her mother and grandmother were also active DAR members. We talk to Gentry about her life of service and how she thinks about this country on its 250th anniversary.
Transcribe →Portland punk rock nonprofit Volume Bomb launches UnMuted program to highlight queer and female-led bands
3d ago00:17:17Tap to summarizeThe punk organization Volume Bomb has been around in one form or another for the last 10 years. It’s been organizing and promoting local punk bands ever since it began — with one neighborhood block party. Volume Bomb’s mission has gradually evolved since then, says co-founder Jason Rocksmore. Last year, they incorporated as a 501(c)(3) to better fulfill their goals of supporting local punk bands. The nonprofit aims to not only organize shows, but also to pay the musicians. This weekend, Volume Bomb is launching its newest program called UnMuted, highlighting queer and female-led punk bands. Some of those Unmuted bands will be performing this weekend at the first annual Pride at Full Volume show in downtown Portland. Rocksmore joins us, along with UnMuted program director Jamie Lynne Powell-Herbold, to share more about how the organization has grown and what they hope the next 10 years bring.
Transcribe →Woodburn gets national recognition with All-American Cities Award
3d ago00:16:53Tap to summarizeThe National Civic League has announced the 10 recipients of its prestigious All-American City award. Woodburn was the smallest of the 10 cities from around the country to receive this honor, and the only one on the west coast. The winning cities were chosen by a panel of judges based on how they demonstrated “innovation, civic engagement, and inclusive collaboration.” Woodburn Mayor Frank Lonergan joins us to share details of the award and what it means to the community.
Transcribe →New co-working space for artists opens in Sunriver
4d ago00:13:21Tap to summarize Centrally Oregon is a co-working space for artists, writers and other professionals which opened earlier this month in Sunriver. The Bulletin previously reported on its opening and owner Stephanie Gregory’s vision for it. Located inside a 1,400-square-foot warehouse, members have access to dedicated desks, an art studio space and workshops Gregory currently teaches on writing, printmaking, watercolor and more. Gregory says she created the business because of her own experiences with working remotely and as a writer and artist in southern Deschutes County who often struggled to find local venues to teach her writing workshops. She joins us to share why she thinks her new space is needed in the region and her future plans for it. Kristine Thomas, the executive director of the Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce and an aspiring mystery writer who has taken writing workshops taught by Gregory, also joins us for this discussion.
Transcribe →Chinook Indian Nation Chairman Tony Johnson reflects on 250th anniversary of American independence
4d ago00:14:50Tap to summarizeAs we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, “Think Out Loud” has been hearing from guests whose life experiences and personal histories illuminate different aspects of what it means to be an American. We’ll continue that conversation with Tony Johnson, the chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation. The nation represents five tribes whose ancestral homelands surround the mouth of the Columbia River in present-day Oregon and Southwest Washington. The nation received federal recognition in 2001, only to have it rescinded 18 months later. Johnson joins us to talk about the ongoing fight for recognition and the nuances of being Indigenous in the U.S.
Transcribe →UW School of Medicine program aims to increase primary care physicians in rural and indigenous communities
4d ago00:24:29Tap to summarizeSince 1971, the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) program at the University of Washington School of Medicine has been working to bolster the rural physician workforce, both by recruiting medical students from these communities and providing them financial support to return to their communities as family physicians. The program also provides specialized education that prepares graduates to practice medicine in non-metropolitan areas of the northwestern U.S. A recent donation to the UW School of Medicine will help to bolster this program, and fund students who want to practice family medicine in rural and indigenous communities. Dr. Tim Dellit is the CEO of UW medicine, and Kenya Morales is a second year medical student who is currently taking part in the WWAMI program at the UW School of Medicine. We’ll hear from them about this education model, the shortage of primary care physicians in rural areas, and about what this funding could mean for students who aspire to pursue family care in these areas.
Transcribe →Washington State University study shows food insecurity varies among low-income racial and ethnic groups
5d ago00:15:09Tap to summarizeA Washington State University study found that rates of food insecurity in the U.S. vary among members of different racial and ethnic groups. It found, for example, that only 10% of Asian American adults who live in severe poverty are food insecure, compared to 40% of American Indian and Alaska Native adults living in severe poverty. It also found that low-income white adults had similar levels of food insecurity as low-income Hispanic adults while low-income Black adults faced more food insecurity than both those other groups. A household whose income is below 50% of the federal poverty level is considered to be living in severe poverty, whereas a household whose income is 100% to 200% above the federal poverty level is considered to be living in near poverty. Justin Denney, a professor of sociology at Washington State University, joins us to share more details about the study and how its findings could inform outreach efforts to communities with the greatest food assistance needs.
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