Portland Public School students are finally back in the classroom, but they’re having a very rough time. The Portland Association of Teachers  says teachers are at a breaking point: there are staffing shortages across the district, and teachers are struggling to keep up. That’s why the union wants PPS to suspend in-person high school classes one day a week for the rest of the school year and to cut some instructional time for younger students as well. But not everyone is excited about the proposal.

For Indigenous artist, writer and activist Ka’ila Farrell-Smith "the painting process is a personal healing process" from a long history of trauma. She is one of four contemporary Indigenous artists featured in the new show MESH at the Portland Art Museum. Her works in the exhibition are a part of a series of 27 paintings called "Land Back, named after the contemporary movement advocating for Indigenous sovereignty. MESH will be on display until May. It is the first show Kathleen Ash-Milby has curated at the museum as Curator of Native American Art.

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Over three thousand Kaiser Permanente nurses and other healthcare professionals in Oregon and SW Washington are primed to go on strike Monday. Earlier this month, the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals gave Kaiser 10 days’ notice that a strike will start at 6:00 am on Nov. 15 unless a contract agreement is reached. 

Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 science fiction novel Dune tells the story of a future civilization fighting to control precious resources on a harsh desert planet. But while the story of the clash of civilizations on the planet Arrakis is set in a time and a place far away, Herbert’s inspiration for the story came from a battle between man and nature in the rolling sand dunes of the Oregon coast.

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Tomorrow is a big day for hundreds of thousands of workers in the Pacific Northwest: it’s the deadline for most teachers, health care workers and public employees in Oregon and Washington to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or lose their jobs.

Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, is barred by term limits from seeking another four years when her current stint ends next year.  That means voters are going to see a crowded ballot when they choose a new governor in 2022 -- and the shape of the race became much clearer this week. 

One of the biggest hopes of removing the Condit Dam and draining the reservoir was that the White Salmon would return to its original river channel and that trees and other plants would regrow along its banks. But no one knew how long this would take to recover. Or if it even would.

In Portland, a new pilot program will aim to help renters work out disputes with their landlords before they head to eviction court. The city is working with the nonprofit Resolutions Northwest to establish their new free landlord-tenant mediation program.

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The pandemic brought big challenges in one couple’s working lives. In the face of uncertainty, they found the strength to leave their jobs and demand something better.

After her husband’s death, Sophia Stone-Holmbeck wrestled with whether to move ahead with the new home the two had been planning

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