KGW’s Straight Talk

Rep. Andrea Salinas and Republican Mike Erickson rematch for Oregon's 6th Congressional District includes parts of southwest Portland, Salem, Woodburn, Yamhill County, and Lake Oswego in Clackamas County.

The general election is an historic one in Portland as it is the first time voters will pick elected leaders under the new city government — and voting system.

September is Recovery Month, celebrating the recovery community and highlighting the importance of evidence-based treatment and recovery practices. Coincidentally, Sept. 1 is also the day that drug recriminalization takes effect in Oregon, following the passage of House Bill 4002, which rolls back a key provision of Measure 110, Oregon's 2020 drug decriminalization measure.

Under the new law, possession will be a misdemeanor, but it does allow offenders to "deflect" from the justice system into treatment programs on a county-by-county basis. Tony Vezina is co-founder and executive director of Fourth Dimension Recovery Center, or 4D Recovery, which is participating in the Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington county drug deflection programs. It's a youth-led, peer-focused recovery community, and Vezina was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss the organization's work and mission.

The start of the new school year is just a week or two away, which means students across Oregon are likely dreading having to start setting early alarm clocks once again. School start times vary across the state, but a local group of students has begun pushing for a conversation about pushing those start times later into the morning — no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Studies have shown that teens would benefit from more sleep and graduation rates would likely improve. But in some districts, parents, teachers and district officials push back on the idea, citing family scheduling and transportation challenges, as well as concerns about cost.

The renewed discussion also comes as Oregon, like many other states across the country, is grappling with a sharp rise in student absenteeism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students Alvin Chan and Aditi Subramanium joined OSU pediatrician Dr. Ben Hoffman and Oregon State Rep. Hoa Nguyen as panelists on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss possible solutions to the problem, including the idea of later start times.

From concerns over A.I. surveillance, Israeli athlete participation, climate and Olympic opposition, controversy mounts amid start to 2024 Paris Olympics Games.

From the Portland Rose Festival and music festivals to the women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, how events are helping Portland rebound.

Oregon Dept. of Corrections Director Mike Reese said his main focuses are employee wellness, reducing recidivism, and addressing aging infrastructure and technology.

With ranked-choice voting, voters will have the option to rank candidates in order of preference. It's a new system that largely came about as a more expansive way for voters to choose candidates and has largely been driven by dissatisfaction with the status quo both locally and nationally.

With a larger bridge footprint proposed, the Interstate Bridge replacement could need to fully or partially acquire 176 parcels, including homes and businesses.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof discusses the war in Gaza and possible implications on the U.S. presidential election.