Think Out Loud

Things are changing rapidly as Oregonians scramble to contain the new coronavirus. Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury and the county’s deputy health officer, Jennifer Vines, join us to talk about what’s happening with parks, homeless shelters, libraries and jails in the state’s most populous county.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced late Thursday night the closure of all Oregon K-12 schools starting Monday and lasting through the end of March. OPB education reporter Elizabeth Miller tells us about schools and childcare facilities in the rest of the state. How is the school closure impacting you?

We get opinions and analysis on some of the biggest news stories of the week from Christopher McKnight Nichols, Barbara Dudley and Kerry Tymchuk

Oregon Health Authority’s Patrick Allen tells us about the latest recommendations on social distancing to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

A new exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum focuses on public art created in the Pacific Northwest during the 1930s and 1940s as a part of the New Deal. Margaret Bullock, the curator, has been working on this exhibit for more than a decade.

It's been about a month since flood waters receded in eastern Oregon, but the recovery is ongoing. On Monday, the legislative emergency board approved $11.5 million for flood relief. We hear what things look like on the ground from two residents whose homes were flooded -- Brent Hall and Harley Hauck. We also hear from Kat Brigham, chair of the board of trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Umatilla County’s emergency manager, Tom Roberts.

Ellen Peters says her job is to help make complex science useful to people, providing important data for evidence-based policies. She directs the University of Oregon’s Center for Science Communication Research, and is currently studying how people are giving and receiving messages about the new coronavirus. Peters joins us to talk about some science communication best practices, and why it’s not a good idea for people to obsess over the daily COVID-19 case numbers.

Crows thrive in urban landscapes, recognize human faces, and even have funerals for their dead. Kaeli Swift is a Washington-based researcher who has just co-authored a new study on crow brain activity. She joins us to talk about the inner lives of crows.

As the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths from COVID-19 climb in the U.S., prevention recommendations remain largely unchanged. However, an increasing number of events are being canceled out of an abundance of caution and the nationwide economic impacts are adding up. Eugene-based, independent global public health expert Ethan Guillen says the U.S. does not seem to be learning from China's experience with the virus. He joins us to discuss what the U.S. can learn from similar viral outbreaks and what he thinks governments and public health officials should be doing differently.

Circles in the Sand artists create massive drawings on the beaches of Bandon. These temporary creations are used by visitors from all over the world as walking meditation paths. The team draws on traditions that stretch back thousands of years to create these modern works. We talk with the organization's founder Denny Dyke and sand artist Bethe Patrick.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee said he may issue “mandatory measures” to shut down large events and protect vulnerable populations. Oregon’s Governor Brown declared a state of emergency Sunday, a week after Inslee did the same. Olympia reporter Austin Jenkins fills us in on Washington state, and OPB’s Donald Orr gives us an update on the latest from Oregon.

In 2007, the Swinomish Tribe on Puget Sound became one of the first governments in the world to formally make climate adaptation a priority. Now they're reviving a tradition that involves modifying the beach to create an optimal habitat for clams, a key source of food that's in decline. We talk with Courtney Greiner, marine ecologist and Senator Joe Williams of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community about the first modern clam garden in the United States.

The 2020 Oregon legislative session officially ended on Sunday. Republican lawmakers walked out Feb. 24, denying their Democratic colleagues the quorum they needed to pass a cap-and-trade bill. The lack of quorum continued through the constitutionally mandated deadline for the end of the session March 8, making it impossible for lawmakers to pass any bills. Only three bills passed both chambers before the walkout. We talk with Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) and House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) about the unusual 2020 legislative session.

Molly Woodstock, Julia Silverman and Doug Badger join us for the news roundtable to give us opinions and analysis of some of the big stories of the week

Willamette University law professor Warren Binford is helping lead the effort to evaluate conditions for immigrant children, both in the U.S. and south of the border. She’s a nationally known and widely respected children’s rights advocate and directs the university’s Clinical Law Program. Binford has personally seen how children and families were being treated last year by the U.S. government and how the conditions have changed under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, also known as MPP, which stands for Migrant Protection Protocols. The Ninth Circuit Court has just ruled that the Trump administration policy is unconstitutional, but the decision is limited. Warren Binford joins us to explain the ruling and tell us what children in the U.S. -- and those who are waiting south of the border -- are facing.

Willamette University law professor Warren Binford is helping lead the effort to evaluate conditions for immigrant children, both in the U.S. and south of the border. She’s a nationally known and widely respected children’s rights advocate and directs the university’s Clinical Law Program. Binford has personally seen how children and families were being treated last year by the U.S. government and how the conditions have changed under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, also known as MPP, which stands for Migrant Protection Protocols. The Ninth Circuit Court has just ruled that the Trump administration policy is unconstitutional, but the decision is limited. Warren Binford joins us to explain the ruling and tell us what children in the U.S. -- and those who are waiting south of the border -- are facing.

A recent federal report indicates that hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River are likely here to stay. This comes after Oregon Governor Kate Brown endorsed removing the dams, a move conservationists say would help restore salmon and orca populations in the Northwest. Now that dam removal seems unlikely, utility companies, agricultural interests, and environmentalists are coming together to ask what else could be done to save the salmon, and the orca who feed on them. We talk with Lewis and Clark Law School professor Dan Rohlf, who has followed these issues for decades, about what’s next.

Willamette University law professor Warren Binford is helping lead the effort to evaluate conditions for immigrant children, both in the U.S. and south of the border. She’s a nationally known and widely respected children’s rights advocate and directs the university’s Clinical Law Program. Binford has personally seen how children and families were being treated last year by the U.S. government and how the conditions have changed under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, also known as MPP, which stands for Migrant Protection Protocols. The Ninth Circuit Court has just ruled that the Trump administration policy is unconstitutional, but the decision is limited. Warren Binford joins us to explain the ruling and tell us what children in the U.S. -- and those who are waiting south of the border -- are facing.

The Oregon Lottery’s Scoreboard program for sports betting has not been profitable. But the Lottery says it’s in it for the long game and expects that revenues will exceed expenses in the next couple of years. Matt Shelby with the Oregon Lottery joins us to explain.

Washington state had denied a key project permit for a coal terminal along the Columbia River. It would enable other states to export their coal through Washington. Wyoming and Montana are seeking to challenge Washington’s decision in the U.S. Supreme Court. We talk with Sam Kalen, environmental law professor at University of Wyoming about the implications of the case for other states that want to keep coal out.