Discussions of the opioid drug crisis often get well beyond the original reason for using the drugs: pain. People take Oxycontin and the other opioids, or did at first, because they were suffering with pain. But the drugs turned out to be much more addictive than first thought. The Oregon Health Authority put out guidelines on prescribing opioids for chronic pain two years ago. Now a task force is wrapping up work on guidelines for using opioids for acute pain.

That old brick warehouse at the corner of California and Shasta Streets in Redding may look nondescript. But it's got a bright future, at least if the McConnell Foundation and Shasta Living Streets have anything to say about it. And they do... the foundation just gave a grant to Shasta Living Streets to develop uses for the warehouse, now dubbed California Street Labs .

Ocean fishing with large nets always catches creatures besides the intended fish; "bycatch," it's called in the business. But some large nets are known for scooping up and killing marine mammals as well as fish. Driftnets were banned in Washington and Oregon years ago. Now California legislators have passed a law to ban driftnet fishing a few years down the road. Turtle Island Restoration Network and allied groups are thrilled with the passage.

It's become everyday in our age of anxiety. Many of us just don't sleep well, don't sleep enough, or both. 20 percent of Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder. Science writer Henry Nicholls comes to this topic from a different personal experience: he sleeps too much. He first noticed symptoms of narcolepsy when he was 21, and his disorder has progressed. In his latest book, Sleepyhead: The Neuroscience of a Good Night's Rest , Nicholls digs into the latest neurological research on

The Cascade Theater in Redding was inaugurated in 1935. By the mid-1990s, it was on the verge of collapse. That is until the JPR Foundation (the parent organization of Jefferson Public Radio) spearheaded a campaign to raise millions of dollars and restore it to its original grandeur. The theater is now in full use and readies to premiere a documentary detailing how the Redding community made this project happen. We hear from screenwriter Jessica Weichman about "Curtain Up: The Life and Rebirth

Beer drinkers are living in a very good time. They have a plethora of choices in colors, flavors, makers, and more. The United States has more breweries now than at any time since Prohibition. But any business that grows this fast is bound to have some growing pains, and John Holl says it certainly does. Holl is the author of Drink Beer, Think Beer: Getting to the Bottom of Every Pint . And that subtitle is a double-entendre; Holl gets to the bottom of the story about beer in our time,

Who knew board games could still be a big deal in the age of video and virtual reality? Jeff DeBoer, for one. He turned his love for board, card, and table games into a business model years ago: Funagain Games . The company runs physical stores in Ashland and Eugene, but sells games both new and old online to customers all over the world. Our business segment, The Ground Floor, pays a visit to Jeff DeBoer to learn more about how he got his game business from square one to success.

College is necessary, college is expensive. Both of those things are true for many young people today. And making college more accessible is the driving force behind "promise" programs, which offer incentives--like free or reduced tuition--to students who meet certain benchmarks. Ben Cannon administers the Oregon Promise program at the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

The stigma may be lifting from mental illness, but it's a slow lift. People get help and compassion with a physical infirmity, but often suspicion and fear with a mental health problem. Southern Oregon Compass House in Medford brings people who have dealt with mental health issues together in a common clubhouse, for support and resources. Once a month we visit with a club member about living with mental illness, and keeping up the recovery.

Have you met durian? You'd probably remember if you did. Durian is not a person, but a fruit. In fact, the King of Fruits, says Lindsay Gasik . She's a Rogue Valley native now living and working in Thailand and Malaysia, giving tours of the places where durian grow. And she blogs about this spiky-looking but tasty fruit, too.