Nora the polar bear has lived a tough life, and the fact that she’s alive — and back in Portland at the Oregon Zoo — is a miracle of sorts. Nora’s story represents so much more than the life and struggles of one bear. It’s about climate change, the effect it’s had on indigenous people and their livelihoods, and how we — humans — can respond to it. It also shows how zoos have evolved over the last century or more, from the 1890s to today.

On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, we’ll hear from my colleague Kale Williams, a staff writer at The Oregonian and OregonLive who has been reporting and writing about Nora since 2016. His new book, “The Loneliest Polar Bear,” expands on his award-winning 2017 series in The Oregonian.

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