Speaking Freely

A triple threat of RSV, COVID and flu are putting a huge stress on our health care workers and hospitals.  Here’s an example. PeaceHealth Southwest Washington Medical Center normally averages between 280 and 310 patients. It’s virtually full, caring for about 380, and its emergency department with 42 beds is holding 120 to 130 patients.  This week, we heard from Clark County Health director, Dr. Alan Melnick, sounding an alarm to the community.

And we're continuing to dissect the impact of the midterm elections. Before finding out what Oregon voters actually said through their choices, it helps to look at what was going on nationally according to Dr. Dan Xi, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Reed College.  

Portland was a huge focus of just about every political ad, and voters largely expressed that they weren’t happy with the direction of the community and the state, which might have meant more of an opportunity for the party out of power. However DHM Research Vice President John Horvick has been looking at what the numbers and the final vote tallies really show.

This episode is about giving: both giving thanks, and giving help. It focuses on one group that helps wildlife survive, and another, that’s helping families get through inflation’s bite on families’ food budgets.

First, it’s a Portland tradition coming up on December 10th and 11th. The Portland Audubon is holding its 42nd annual Wild Arts Festival, at Viking Pavilion on the Portland State University Campus. I talked to the Portland Audubon’s Executive Director, Stuart Wells, and its Assistant Director of Development Matthew Hassbeck.

Next: a record number of families asked for help this year from the Sunshine Division’s food pantries, a sign of how the pandemic plus inflation are making it tougher, especially for those with children.
I talked with Kyle Camberg, the Executive Director of Sunshine Division, which has been providing emergency food relief to families for almost a century.

And families are also trying to find ways to counter inflation’s impact on their holiday season. I checked in with consumer advocate Trey Bodge for ideas on how to stretch your dollars and save some money.

Here we go. Already Thanksgiving Week!
So how about having a healthier holiday season, with less illness, fewer injuries. O, is Legacy go Health Urgent Care’s Medical Director.  In this interview he explains, how to care for cooking burns, prevent food poisoning, and avoid COVID, flu, RSV and colds in the coming weeks of gatherings.

And this week more election results rolled in. Oregon’s about to have quite a few firsts as a result: its first out female lesbian governor, as well as  its first two Latina members of Congress. I asked several experts for their reactions to the midterm results: Professor Susan Shaw, who studies gender and sexuality for Oregon State University, Political Sociologist Catherine “Katie” Bolzendahl, the director of Oregon State University’s School of Public Policy, and Dr. Christopher McKnight Nichols, a History Professor with The Ohio State University.  He is the author and editor of several books about American politics and history.

Tina Kotek wins Oregon's hotly contested governor's race.  I talked to her about her plans and what she hopes to achieve her first several months in office, on homelessness and mental health.

She announces her victory and holds her first press conference as Governor-elect.

Then we have commentary from several O.S.U. experts about this election, and why it was one for the history books.

 Midterm Election Tuesday: is almost here.

With hundreds of thousands of Oregonians already mailing in their ballots, how they vote in this election is NOT just about Oregon, according to David Bernell.  He’s an expert on election issues, and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Oregon State University.  He also studies energy policy, and talks about another issue that’s top of mind for voters in surveys: energy prices.

In some parts of the country, early and mail in voting are breaking records.  but not in Oregon, at least so far, the ballot return rate has been slower than the last midterm election in 2018, so I asked OSU Political Science Professor Chris Stout why that might be happening.  He also answered questions about the impact of advertising and how much messaging, is too much.

Oregon also stands out in the significant role of women, with three women running for Governor and several strong contenders for congressional seats.  Susan Shaw is a Professor in OSU’s Women, Gender and Sexuality studies program, taking a close look right now on gender related election issues.

Next, taking a look at this election's trends and why there are so many differences in how elections are conducted from state to state, I talked to Dr. Chris Nichols, who served as a History Professor at OSU for ten years, before recently joining The Ohio State University.  He is also a scholar and author/editor of several books about American politics and history.

With ballots in households and in hands: Oregon’s voters are making decisions about who they’ll choose to lead their state and community, and who will represent them in Congress, in the next several years.

What are the major voter motivators?  That’s what we’re looking at in this episode. Starting: with the hotly contested Governor’s race.  This week I did a special report on the three candidates running for Oregon Governor.  Each one, has her Oregon origin story, and lengthy public service record.  I asked Democrat Tina Kotek, Republican Christine Drazan and Independent Betsy Johnson, for their thoughts on how to solve a major voter motivator: homelessness and the housing crisis.

We also saw hundreds of people testify this past week on Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's new strategy to tackle homelessness.  We hear from Wheeler, City Commissioner Joann Hardesty, as well as city staff and members of the community as they speak about this plan, which includes ideas like a ban on street camping and designated areas where people experiencing houselessness can stay, along with support services like drug treatment and job placement, as well as a big push for more affordable housing.  it’s a plan that would require a lot of cooperation from county and state governments as well.  Some expressed support, others objected. Kaia Sand, did both.  She’s the executive director of Street Roots, a newspaper in Portland focusing on houselessness and poverty.

Portland city council scheduled more testimony and votes on the new homelessness plan, for the coming week.  Meantime, candidates are stressing it in their messaging, and voters are voting.

For more insight about that, I talked to Dr. Chris Nichols, a historian, and scholar at The Ohio State University, who has written and edited several books about American history, policy and politics.

Another issue voters are citing as a motivator in this election is abortion and reproductive health care, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe V. Wade.  This week Kotek held a press conference with abortion rights supporters about that.  Independent candidate Betsy Johnson says she is firmly pro choice on the issue: and I talked to republican candidate Christine Drazan, who explains her pro life position.   Dr. Chris Nichols with The Ohio State University also comments about the role of abortion as an incentive to vote in this election. 

Finally: we close this episode with some encouraging news for small businesses and non profits, still working to recover what they lost due to the pandemic.  Bookkeeper and accountant Laura Ricksecker tells members of the East Portland Chamber of Commerce that their businesses are eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of pandemic tax credits, intended to help the economy recover.

I’m calling this episode the final election push.  Ballots are mailed out and in voters' hands, as candidates make their final pitches leading up to November’s 8th’s election day. The candidates for Oregon Governor, Democrat Tina Kotek, Republican Christine Drazan and Independent Betsy Johnson, held their final debate. 

Oregon’s shortage of public defenders emerged as a major issue. That shortage  means people charged with crimes, are being set free.  Drazan places the blame for that on democrats, specifically Kotek.  Johnson says the current public defender system needs reform but she wouldn’t tear it all up and start from scratch. Kotek accused her opponents of not recalling the state’s research on what would solve the problems.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden joined President Biden as he campaigned for Kotek in Oregon.   I talked to the senator about this campaign and election season.

For more background on the importance of elections, like the one we have coming on November 8th, I also talked to a historian who’s authored a new book, "Civil War by Other Means." History and Public Affairs Professor Jeremi Suri, with the University of Texas at Austin.

My discussion with the independent, unaffiliated candidate for Oregon Governor about her public service career including serving as a representative and senator in the Oregon state legislature, her ideas for tackling homelessness, crime, domestic violence, and what she thinks about campaign finance reform.  She also responds to critics who say she's a spoiler in the race for Oregon Governor.

My talk with Kotek about the state's major issues and her plans on homelessness, climate change, wildfires, education, crime, drugs, and much more.

My talk with Drazan about the state's major issues and her plans on homelessness, climate, education, crime, drug addiction, and more.

 Ideas.  Ideology.  Theories.  Conspiracy theories.  What we believe.  That’s the focus for this episode. We’ll talk about a new book, with its roots in Oregon, about how ideology has shaped America’s history, as well as the world’s, even up to today.  And, a new documentary series, called "Shadowland."  It’s about conspiracy theories.  They have grown and become more mainstream during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a filmmaker who’s gone across the country to investigate them.  I talked to Joe Berlinger about why more people are embracing extreme, and false beliefs, even to the point that they’re tearing their own families apart.  Berlinger specializes in documentaries about true crime and social justice.  His latest documentary traces how conspiracy theories have moved from the margins to the mainstream, and the danger they pose. 

Then, continuing the theme of what people believe, this week also brought the launch of a new book, after years of work starting in Oregon.  The book is "Ideology in U.S. Foreign Relations - New Histories."  At the launch, co-editor David Milne talked about starting the project in Oregon along with Dr. Christopher Nichols.   This book traces the ideological struggle, over competing visions of democracy, and of American democracy’s place in the world and in history.  Co-editor Dr. Christopher McKnight Nichols tells us how he began the project at Oregon State University.  He also comments on the rival ideologies clashing, as Russia plans to start what it calls referendums in Ukraine, while Ukraine and its western allies call that  illegal annexation.  Dr. Nichols is a former Oregon State University Professor, now at The Ohio State University.

Quite a week we’ve had.  Derailing a railroad strike.  Fighting the furious march of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest.  And: a first hand look at what it was like, to testify before the January sixth committee.  We’ve got all of that on this show.  Starting with  Longtime Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio.  As the chairman of the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee, he was involved in the talks to come to a tentative settlement, possibly avoiding a railroad strike, if the workers approve it.  DeFazio makes the case that Congress has had the most productive session since the Eisenhower era.  He also reflected on his decades representing Oregon in Congress for 36 years,  what he’s accomplished, and what he hopes will happen next now that he’s retiring.

Meantime, wildfire season is  ramping up, and so are smoke dangers, I talked about what we can do to protect ourselves, our families and our homes, with Eric Litzenberg, with the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

Then: you’ve probably heard the name Nick Quested.  He’s a documentary filmmaker known for testifying before the January 6th committee.  He was filming at the U.S. Capitol on January sixth.  And he’s also releasing a new documentary about the pandemic’s impact on the cruise ship industry.  

Governor Kate Brown provided an update on how the state and partners are preparing and responding to the wildfire situation in Oregon. In this episode we hear from Governor Brown, Oregon Department of Forestry Fire Chief Mike Shaw, Oregon State Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Travis Medema, and Oregon Office of Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps.  They explain forecasts for high winds, hot dry weather and lightning increase the fire danger. There is also the possibility of public safety power shutoffs to mitigate potential fire risks.

I also talked to Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Boston University Professor and National Book Award winning author, and one of Time Magazine's top 100 Most Influential People in the World, about his new book series for children as young as 4, to teach them even the most difficult parts of American history, including slavery and the Trail of Tears.  For further insight we have comments from Jeremi Suri, The Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, Emily Conroy-Krutz, Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University, and Dr. Christopher McKnight Nichols, the Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies and Professor of History, at The Ohio State University.

I also talk to Dr. Nichols about his upcoming fundraiser for the Oregon Historical Society this week, with Brown University historian and author Keisha Blain, for a talk about Black women, politics, violence, and history.

It was December 12th, 2019. A cluster of people in the city of Wuhan, China, started to get symptoms of an unusual pneumonia-like illness, that did not respond well to standard treatments. It’s now, September, 2022. And that illness, COVID-19, continues to affect us, in just about every way possible. It’s top of mind for school system leaders as classes for the fall semester get underway. It’s behind a doubling of people seeking out help from food banks. And it’s also linked to other serious illnesses, especially when people delay getting tests and checkups. So in this episode, we’re talking about some of the lingering impacts of the pandemic, still with us.
Delays in doctor visits and tests during the pandemic, have linked to study after study showing by the time there is a diagnosis: diseases have progressed. The CDC found 41% of Americans delayed or avoided medical care because of concerns about COVID, increasing morbidity and mortality. A study published in the Journal of The American Medical Association earlier this year found a sharp increase in later stage breast cancer diagnosis. The American Academy of Dermatology published a study showing more melanomas in more advanced and aggressive stages during the pandemic, also attributed to delays. I talk to a breast cancer survivor, Kym Douglas,  Susannah  Morgan, CEO of the Oregon Food Bank, and Beaverton School District's Shellie Bailey Shah.

Kids:under stress:  It can lead to serious health problems as they get older.  That’s the finding of researchers with the National Institute for Health Care Management.  The non profit, non partisan group says millions of children are living with the far reaching effects of the  COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 200,000 American children are now orphans, having lost a parent or primary caregiver to the pandemic.  It’s had an impact on what’s called "adverse childhood experiences," or ACES that most children experience at least once in their lifetimes, including neglect, abuse and exposure to violence and shootings.  In this episode we hear from noted experts Dr. Phyllis Niolon with the C.D.C., Dr David Osher with the American Centers for Research, and Catherine Santoro, National Institute for Healthcare Management Foundation.

Also, the U.S. Department of Education is forgiving billions of dollars worth of loans, including some $40 million dollars in debt for more than 2,000 Oregonians, who enrolled at the school between 2005 and 2016. But veterans who spend GI benefits on fraudulent schools are not eligible for the help, according to William Hubbard  He’s with the group Veterans Education Success, which is offering free legal help for veterans trying to get a solution to the problem.

 Oregon Health and Science University scientists have gotten significant new support in their efforts to turn skin cells, into egg cells, possibly leading to a new way for people to have children. For this episode, I talked to Dr. Paula Amato, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, involved in the research.

Anxiety and depression hurt Oregon’s children especially hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from the Annie E Casey Foundation estimate that 40 percent of Oregon children between the ages of 3 to 17 struggled with mental health challenges: that’s about 342,000 children in Oregon.  I talked to Jennifer Wagley, the Executive Director of Our Children Oregon.

Its authors call it the "Inflation Reduction Act,"  but how much will it really do to slow prices that have been climbing at their fastest pace in about 40 years?  Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden is credited with having played a major part of this 755 page, 700 billion dollar package, he says it’ll lower energy and health care costs for families.

 Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici recently hosted the house select committee on the climate crisis in Oregon, which included a bipartisan field hearing and visits to local environmental projects.  One was called Building Climate Resilient Coastal Communities.  We also hear from Congressman Buddy Carter from Georgia, who was in Oregon for the hearings.

Finally, an update on monkeypox from Dr. Dean Sidelinger with the Oregon Health Authority, which is declaring a disease outbreak in the state.

We start, with wildfires this week.  Fires, that are already scorching tens of thousands of acres across Oregon, Washington and California.  One of the biggest burning right now, is the McKinney Fire, in California, chewing through dry timber near the Oregon State line, causing orders for thousands to evacuate from their homes.   Chief Kim Zagaris with the Western Fire Chiefs Association: explained to me, why this one’s such a tough fight, and how Oregon firefighters have rushed in to help our neighbors to the south.

Sandy Roberts with the Miller Road Fire talked to KXL News Director Jim Ferretti.  That fire's so powerful that it burned through ten thousand five hundred acres, in just 21 hours. It sparked an emergency declaration from Governor Kate Brown earlier this week, as well as evacuation orders and a shelter.  We hear about that from John Hendricks, with the Oregon State Fire Marshall's office.

When we look back at the last decade in Oregon, the wildfires will be among the most significant events that shaped our history.  That’s according to historian Dr. Chris Nichols, who was a professor with Oregon State University for the past ten years, and is currently with Ohio State University.  He describes the impact he's seen first hand from climate change and the wildfires.

Finally, after all the wildfires and the heat:  do you think you need a vacation?  I checked in with an expert about how to overcome some of the many challenges travelers are facing right now.  Sarah Greaves Gabbadon, frequently appears as a travel expert in the Washington Post and National Geographic.  New York magazine named her @JetSetSarah feed, as one of the best travel Instagram accounts to follow.

We hear it, again and again.  A shooting erupts.  Horrified neighbors make anxious calls for help.  Someone, ends up dead.  We’ve had several instances like that, just in the past week in Portland alone. In one case, a 19-year-old with a gun, shot and killed during a domestic violence call.  In another, a 5-year-old’s with her dad, as he's firing round after round from a gun on his property in Southeast Portland. He died too. After recent mass shootings across the country, we hear, again and again, about the need for more mental health services and support.  The new national 988 suicide and crisis lifeline opened on July 16th.  It’s taking calls, at more than 160 call centers throughout the country, connecting people in trouble to therapists, services, and hopefully, compassion.  So how can we work together and save lives, break down the stigma that too often surrounds mental health?  This week, I’m continuing the conversation that we started in my last episode, with Allison Stark.  She is the new Chief Executive Officer of Albertina Kerr.  It’s a 115 year old, Portland non profit that provides children’s mental health services, as well as programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  She offers some powerful insight, into the state of mental health services in our country, how to really see it when someone you know or love or care about, is in trouble.  And, what you can do about it.

As I’ve been reporting for months now, Illegally manufactured fentanyl is a major factor in a huge spike in overdose deaths in Oregon.  Now, there’s a new Centers for Disease Control report confirming, this is a national trend. And it’s impacting teenage boys and young men, worse than any other group, with deadly consequences, devastating families.

In this episode, I talk to CDC researchers about what they’ve found that’s causing this disturbing and tragic trend.  Dr. Mbabazi Karissa is a health scientist with the CDC’s division of overdose prevention.   Dr. Debra Houry is the Centers for Disease Control’s Acting Principal Deputy Director. She describes some of the potential solutions to reduce high rates of drug overdose deaths. 

I also brought this subject up with Allison Stark, the new Chief Executive Officer of Albertina Kerr, which provides short term crisis psychiatric care and mental health services for children and teenagers struggling with life’s challenges.