It was a plague that swept the nations of the world over and over, since the time of the mummy’s tomb. It was even what we would call today a “weaponized” microbe. But we made that germ extinct, a great victory for scientists and public health agencies worldwide. Idaho State professor Bob Reinhardt, the former director of the Willamette Heritage Center, returns to host an episode of “Zooming Back to History” recorded for this edition of The Forum, and explains how he spent years researching a new book on the end of smallpox.

Willamette Heritage Center's Zooming Back to History Series

This week on the Forum, voters passed Measure 110 in the November election, but all that some people know about it is a claim that it legalizes all kinds of street drugs. A panel of experts in addiction and health dig into the plan for treating drug users instead of just throwing them in jail and expanding services throughout the state. The Oregon Health Forum brings medical teachers, counselors, and a district attorney to discuss why treatment will be a new and better option for people losing the battle against drugs and produce a better outcome.

This week on the Forum, Oregon’s senior senator Ron Wyden talks about healthcare in the United States in the wake of the November elections -- and the switch in power in Washington from Republican rule to a thin majority for Democrats, which could mean significant policy changes. Contact Ron Wyden.

U.S. Senator, Ron Wyden, and Kelley Kaiser, VP/CAO Samaritan Health Services

When communities organize to help their people with planning, policies, speed limits, and other local rules, they sometimes run up against OTHER governmental bodies, national and state, that make rules which conflict. That clash of policy and authority is called “Pre-emption,” like when the feds set a minimum wage but a city or state sets its own wage, which is higher or lower. That can lead to a power struggle to override, deny, and even crush local democracy. We’ll hear from citizen advocates about the ongoing battle over pre-emption this week on The Forum, KMUZ’s weekly public affairs program.

A selection of clips from the Forum programs you enjoyed -- or perhaps missed this past year!

This week on the Forum, many talented local writers from several creative groups in the Mid-Valley were asked to write poetry about…the year 2020. Salem City Club shared the Zoom conference recording where they read their work, talked about the creative process and the arts in Salem, and described what it feels like to finish a literary project like…writing a poem. Despite the subject material, there was laughter and pleasant conversation, a good atmosphere for a poetry panel, and a holiday edition of The Forum.

(Speakers were Mark Janssen, Mike Straylow, Gene Kendrick, Marilyn Johnston, Mike Schuler, Ada Mohlenoff, and Clem Stark. They represent many talented local writers and groups they gather in, including the Salem Poetry Project, Mid-Valley Poetry Society, and an annual event titled “Paint the Town Write the Town.”)

This week on the Forum, we are proud to bring you the Oregon Health Forum, a production of the Lund Report.   In Oregon, the Lund Report is well known as a source of exclusive in-depth, insider information to make the health-care system more accountable and transparent, with top-notch exclusive reporting on all aspects of the healthcare system, government agency relationships, health coverage, and scientific research. The Oregon Health Forum is a public event that’s being streamed this year. They have granted KMUZ access to these programs to bring wider distribution to the work of scientists, providers, educators, and consumer advocates.

This week on the Oregon Health Forum, nurses and nurse educators stepped up to point out holes in the healthcare system, differences in the quality of care for some communities, and ways to provide and teach healthcare to improve efficiency and outcomes.

Peace lecture speaker Emma Jordan Simpson along with the speaker who told about the individual Peacemaker Award.

Once again, Western Oregon University professor Ed Dover appeared for the Salem City Club, this time in a Zoom meeting, to analyze the national and local election of November 2020. He talked to the City Club members about local and statewide elections, their fallout, the likely outcomes of those voter decisions, and gave his overview of the presidential election. We won't give it away, but he was pretty definite about...who the next president is.

The pros and cons of campaign finance reform are the topics this week for a Salem City Club panel. Oregon has virtually no limits or controls on that issue right now, lacking rules for fundraising, disclosure, or limits on the amount of money that can be poured into a political issue or campaign. Lawmakers passed a measure that would permit something to be done about it, though there are no details in the measure -- even if it passes, there are many steps still ahead. Dan Meek, a co-founder of Oregon's Independence Party, and Kyle Markley with the Libertarian Party squared off in a Zoom presentation that we recorded, and that will be the topic on this Friday's edition of The Forum.