Energy developers want to plant commercial solar arrays in farm fields across the Pacific Northwest. Farmers like the steady income they generate, but others say prime farmland is no place for solar. Tom Banse reports. Also, EarthFix reporter Cassandra Profita gets an energy score on her home, and it doesn't go well. She tells us how expensive it will be to boost her score.

Commercial Solar Arrays On NW Farmland Stir Opposition; Portland Reporter's Home Could Help Meet Climate Goals, But It'll Cost Her

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OPB Political Chat

OPB Political Chat - January 18, 2019

Thursday morning, federal agents began dismantling a makeshift encampment in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland. Protesters were able to shut the facility down for more than a week. OPB's Dirk VanderHart reports from the scene. We also visit with alfalfa farmers in Washington state, who get assistance from millions of tiny native helpers. Aaron Scott from Oregon Field Guide reports on the alkali bee's role in the cultivation of this important crop.

Authorities Move In On ICE Protest Encampment; Native Bees Help NW Alfalfa Farmers

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that state and local government workers who are represented by organized labor no longer have to pay dues if they don't want to belong to a union. OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes joins us to talk about how this will affect public employees in Oregon and Washington.

Supreme Court Rules Against Mandatory Union Dues

The largest psychiatric hospital in Washington state has been under scrutiny for two years, and the federal government said this week its reform efforts didn't go far enough. Austin Jenkins of the Northwest News Network joins us to explain the decision and what it means for patients at the hospital.

Commercial Solar Arrays On NW Farmland Stir Opposition; Portland Reporter's Home Could Help Meet Climate Goals, But It'll Cost Her

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