Blooms of harmful algae in waterways have been more of an inconvenience in our region so far. Generally, the blooms only stop people from swimming and fishing in their favorite spots. But across the country, the problem is growing. Salem had to renew its water advisory on Wednesday after toxic algae showed up in the city's water supply. Its previous advisory ended just four days earlier. The Environmental Working Group calls the spread of harmful algal blooms an epidemic. Oregon has had a

Rates of some sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) dropped sharply during the years when concerns about HIV and AIDS peaked. People used condoms and other prevention methods. Then science discovered how to better treat HIV — it is no longer a death sentence — and concerns abated. So it should surprise no one that rates of some STDs hit an all-time high in California last year. That's a major concern for the state Department of Public Health .

Jackie Robinson is celebrated every year for a major first: the first African-American player in major league baseball. But other black players were breaking into pro baseball around the same time, just not in the majors. Artie Wilson, one of the best shortstops in pro baseball, played minor league ball in Oakland (California) starting in 1948. He is the subject of Singles and Smiles: How Artie Wilson Broke Baseball’s Color Barrier . Gaylon Wilson is the author and our guest.

It's easy to take the wide-open views of our region for granted. So it's a rude awakening when they disappear under new subdivisions or other construction. Rural places with outstanding values have lots of friends, including in the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts . COLT members welcome the public to come out and see some of the places protected on Get Outdoors Oregon Day, Saturday, June 9.

Marveling at the nearby homes with solar panels will soon become a thing of the past in California. Because the state will begin requiring solar panels on all new homes constructed in 2020 and beyond. That puts California out in front of states in requiring clean energy distribution across the landscape. The California Solar & Storage Association is understandably happy about the change.

Heroin overdose deaths in Jackson County jumped early this year. Ten deaths by the end of April equals the total of the previous two years combined. The spike raises the possibility that fentanyl, a strong synthetic opioid, has gotten into the local drug trade. Jackson County Health and Human Services tracks the numbers and looks for reasons; Asante Health System runs substance abuse prevention and treatment programs; Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction works to reduce problems with

With a population just under 40 million, California has more people than Canada. And Iraq and Poland, too. So it should surprise no one to find that feelings rise from time to time in favor of splitting California up. Or off. The Yes California campaign seeks to turn California into an independent country; the resurgent State of Jefferson movement just wants to break off the Northern part--preferably with parts of Southern Oregon--into a new state. Do they have enough common ground to work

There's a hard line between the United States and Mexico, and plenty of people who want to make it harder. But while the efforts to build a wall on the border continue, ties between the countries keep getting stronger. That's the general argument of the book Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together , by Andrew Selee. He saw first-hand how Mexico, despite well-publicized problems, has grown more prosperous and more like the United States. He sees the border as

The "vroom vroom" comes from the engine, but a car or truck goes nowhere without a functioning transmission. Whether you shift the gears yourself or a vacuum does the work for you in an automatic, the transmission is a critical part of the car. Just look at the name: it "transmits" power from the engine to the wheels. So what goes on in there, and what can (and does) go wrong? Ashland Automotive owner Zach Edwards joins us for another edition of The Squeaky Wheel.

One of the more notable ballot measures in California's November election could be a real chicken fight. Because it is all about the treatment of farm animals, chickens included. Signatures are in, but a proposition number has yet to be assigned to the "Cage-Free California" referendum. It would go beyond the guidelines of 2008's Proposition Two, by specifying that egg-laying hens, breeding pigs, and veal calves must be raised outside of cages. Prevent Cruelty California, which backs the measure