KGW’s Straight Talk

Four out of five Black Portlanders once lived in Albina, a portion of inner Northeast Portland that includes the Elliot, Boise, King, Humboldt, Overlook, Irvington and Piedmont neighborhoods, but many of those residents were displaced by the construction of Interstate 5, during which Black-owned homes and business were destroyed through eminent domain and urban renewal policies.

Albina Vision Trust is a nonprofit that advocates for large-scale restorative development in the area, aiming to revitalize and reconnect the historically Black Albina community.

The nonprofit's executive director Winta Yohannes, board chair Michael Alexander and strategic communications lead JT Flowers were guests on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss the history of Albina, what Albina Vision Trust has accomplished so far, and the organization's vision and plans for the future.

"Our dream is to successfully execute that vision and create a brand-new neighborhood where wealth is shared and opportunity is available to all who live there," Yohannes said, adding that if successful, the scale of the project would result in the area adding a whole new ZIP code.

This week, Laural Porter sat down with two key figures organizing the project to replace the Interstate Bridge that links Oregon and Washington. Unlike the last time this happened, the project is making slow but steady progress and appears to have much of the necessary funding lined up. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025.

U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas is nearing the end of her first year in Congress representing Oregon's 6th Congressional District, and she called in to this week's episode of Straight Talk from Washington DC to talk about the ups and downs of her first term so far. 

Salinas won the first election for the newly-created district in November 2022 after previously serving three terms in the Oregon House of Representatives. 

She weighed in on two topics that have been dominating headlines in recent weeks: The ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and congressional Republicans' struggle to elect a successor, as well as Hamas's attacks on Israel and subsequent conflict in the Gaza Strip. But she also discussed a range of federal legislation that she's worked on this year that could have and the potential environmental, economic and health care impacts for Oregonians.

When Oregon legalized recreational cannabis use eight years ago, people flocked from all over the country to either use it for themselves or get in on the ground floor of the burgeoning business. Today cannabis is a billion-dollar industry, producing hundreds of millions of tax dollars each year for state coffers.

Oversaturation remains a big problem for Oregon's cannabis industry, and product prices have dropped significantly. Regardless, things are looking up on the national level, with huge breakthroughs on the horizon.

On this week's Straight Talk, KGW's Ashley Korslien speaks to three experts about how to identify domestic violence and access resources for victims.

When students of Portland State University head back to class on Tuesday, there will be a new leader at the helm of Portland's public research university, located right in the heart of the city.

PSU's board of trustees voted unanimously to name Dr. Ann Cudd the university's 11th president. She takes over from former president Stephen Percy, who retired in July. Dr. Cudd is only the second woman to serve as PSU president in the school's 76-year history.

Portland is about to switch to an entirely new form of government, following a charter reform plan that voters approved last November. The transformation won't happen in earnest until January 2025, when the winners of the November 2024 election will take office as the first mayor and city councilors under the new system. But there's an enormous amount of preparation that must take place first, and it falls to the city's current mayor and commissioners to oversee that work.

Commissioner Dan Ryan was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss that process, as well as his thoughts on the decision to end the city's sole-source contract with the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the city's ongoing efforts to resolve its homelessness crisis through projects like Safe Rest Villages and mass sanctioned campsites.

Portland's 2024 election is likely to be the busiest in recent memory. The city council is expanding from four commissioners to 12 councilors, and every one of those seats will be up for grabs at the same time. The mayor's office will be on the ballot as well, and whoever wins will become the first mayor under Portland's new system of government starting in January 2025.

The first person to throw their hat into the ring for the mayor's race is current city commissioner Mingus Mapps, who was elected in 2020. Mapps was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk, and he stuck around for a bonus episode to talk about the city's efforts to combat climate change.

Portland's 2024 election is likely to be the busiest in recent memory. The city council is expanding from four commissioners to 12 councilors, and every one of those seats will be up for grabs at the same time. The mayor's office will be on the ballot as well, and whoever wins will become the first mayor under Portland's new system of government starting in January 2025.

The first person to throw their hat into the ring for the mayor's race is current city commissioner Mingus Mapps, who was elected in 2020. Mapps was an early advocate for charter reform, but became a vocal critic of the final package of changes that was ultimately sent to voters last year. Nonetheless, he says the new mayor's role is going to be critical to addressing Portland's challenges, and he wants to be part of that change.

Mapps was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss his reasons for running, his hopes and concerns for the new system of government and his plans to help Portland meet its many challenges.

​U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden was a guest on this week's episode on Straight Talk to discuss the challenges facing Oregon, including his work on federal legislation to respond to wildfires and combat the spread of fentanyl, as well as his efforts to expand rural broadband internet access and boost opportunities for farmers in Eastern Oregon.

Wyden also discussed how he expects the federal C.H.I.P.S. Act to boost Oregon's semiconductor industry, his efforts to bring a WNBA team to Portland and the future of the Trail Blazers without franchise superstar Damian Lillard.

He also talked about the ongoing saga of the franchise's ownership and Nike co-founder Phil Knight's repeated — and so far, unsuccessful — offers to buy the team. Wyden said his top priority has been to avoid a scenario where the team gets purchased and then moved out of Oregon, like what happened to the former Seattle SuperSonics. 

"I've been very vigilant in terms of watching the process for dealing with Paul Allen's estate, staying in touch with the league," he said. "I just want Oregonians to know that as long as I'm the state's senior senator, we are not going to see a fiasco like what happened in Seattle."