Locus Focus

For over a century a massive array of tanks filled with noxious, explosive

liquid fuels and chemicals has been an existential threat to the Pacific

Northwest. It still is, but as a result of the passage of the Risk Bond Bill

at the end of this past legislative session, w...

This program originally aired on 01/26/2026

From the crest of the Tualatin Mountains, Balch Creek flows down a canyon

through Forest Park. The stream runs wild and free until a mile from its

confluence with the Willamette River, where it is imprisoned in a sewer pipe....

We often think of the Willamette River as a scenic backdrop for recreation,

but for many, it is a site of "slow violence".

On this episode of Locus Focus, Dr. Vivek Shandas of Portland State

University explores how the harbor’s industrial legacy—a "toxic

graveyard" of W...

Lloyd Center is slated to be demolished if business leaders and developers in

Portland have their way, Their plan is to demolish the entire mall to make

way for a mixture of housing, commercial developments, “green space” and

new throughways.

On this episode of Locus Fo...

As data centers continue to pop up like noxious weeds, a growing movement is

coming together to stop their spread. Like oil and gas pipelines before them,

data centers are uniting people of diverse backgrounds and political views in

a burgeoning movement of opposition to...

The largest waterfall in North America is Niagara Falls, a world renowned

tourist attraction with spectacular views from many angles. The second

largest falls is Willamette Falls, 16 miles south of Portland, Oregon, which

was one of the most significant cultural and food...

This legislative session, Senator Sollman is trying for the fifth time to

bring 1700 acres of some of the best farmland in the world into the city's

urban growth boundary. Each time it's for a different reason, but this time

much of the land would likely go to data cente...

The city of Portland is in the midst of determining what to do about the

Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub that houses 90% of Oregon's liquid fuels,

in rickety old tanks on liquefaction soil, on top of two earthquake faults.

At the same time the Portland City Council is...

From the crest of the Tualatin Mountains, Balch Creek flows down a canyon

through Forest Park. The stream runs wild and free until a mile from its

confluence with the Willamette River, where it is imprisoned in a sewer pipe.

Balch Creek once flowed into Guild's Lake, a ...

Last year four of the dams on Klamath River were removed.  The largest dam

removal project in United States history, this is a remarkable test case to

show how nature and people can thrive on free-flowing rivers. But there are

still many dams around the United States and...