Do we need art critics? If you ask Bob Hicks, executive editor of Oregon ArtsWatch, he says “critic” is a dumb word. As he argues in his recently published piece, the role of art criticism isn’t to be the final say in whether a piece of work is good or bad, but rather to be the start of a conversation. At the same time, arts journalism as a whole has faced a number of setbacks in the industry this year, including the Associated Press ending its book reviews, Vanity Fair eliminating its reviews and the Chicago Tribune losing full-time movie reviewer Michael Phillips. But as Portland-based arts and culture writer Justin Duyao writes in his piece in response to Hicks, arts and cultural criticism isn’t dead, but has evolved to online spaces, including social media. Hicks and Duyao both join us to share their thoughts on modern day criticism.

Last month, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. Cannabis is currently Schedule I, alongside drugs the DEA defines as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Trump’s order fast-tracks the reclassification, and it could significantly change the industry, opening new doors for cannabis research and easing a punishing tax burden faced by businesses that grow and sell the product. The order may also act as a counterbalance to the quickly closing “hemp loophole,” a provision in Congress’ shutdown-ending resolution that will ultimately put tighter restrictions on what products cannabis businesses can sell.

Beau Whitney is the chief economist at Whitney Economics, an Oregon-based cannabis and hemp consulting organization. Mason Walker is the CEO of East Fork Cultivars, an Oregon cannabis and hemp business. They join us to talk about how these ongoing changes could shape the future of the cannabis and hemp industries.

 On Jan. 2, 2016, a dozen armed anti-government militants led by Ammon Bundy and his brother, Ryan, took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters outside of Burns in Harney County. The 41-day siege at the bird sanctuary in rural Eastern Oregon attracted national and international media attention. On Jan. 26, one of the militants, Arizona rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, died during an armed confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police. Law enforcement also arrested the Bundys and several of their supporters that day, although prosecutors failed to secure convictions of the Bundys and five other defendants during a trial in the fall. 

OPB legal affairs reporter Conrad Wilson and OPB visual journalist Eli Imadali recently traveled to Harney County to see how the Malheur occupation reverberates within the community 10 years later. Wilson joins us to share what he learned and the perspectives of former officials and community members he spoke with about the occupation and the challenges the county grapples with today.

 In September, Olivia Miller returned to Eugene to start her new position as the executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon. She earned a master’s degree in art history from UO in 2009 and most recently served as the director of the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art in Tucson.  

Miller curated two exhibits at UA’s art museum that featured works selected from Schnitzer’s vast art collection, including “The Art of Food,” which traveled to Portland State University in 2022 and other locations around the nation.  

Miller joins us to share her experience so far leading the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at UO, as well as her priorities and future plans for it, which may include offering a class on art theft. It’s a subject Miller has some experience with after successfully leading the return and restoration of a painting by abstract artist Willem de Kooning that was stolen from University of Arizona’s art museum four decades ago.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates 14.5 million wild vertebrate animals are killed on Oregon’s roadways each year. Data shows it’s difficult to control driver behavior with things like road signs and traffic regulations. A more effective way to mitigate animal fatalities is by redirecting the animals themselves.

Wildlife crossings — human-made structures that allow animals to safely pass through habitats near roadways — have been a successful tool in preventing animal-motor fatalities. States like Montana, Colorado and California have over 100 wildlife crossings, while Oregon has only six.

Rachel Wheat is a spatial ecologist who serves as the wildlife connectivity coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. She joins us to discuss her work and tactics for improving transportation infrastructure for wildlife in Oregon.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, nearly 35,000 Oregonians visited emergency rooms in 2023 for issues related to a brain injury. These injuries can result in a range of symptoms, from confusion and short-term memory loss to depression, anger issues and lack of impulse control. Depending on the severity of the injury, survivors may need access to resources such as employment and housing assistance in addition to medical and mental health services.

Oregon launched a program last year to help brain injury survivors access those services. A team of trained navigators is available at 833-685-0848 to help people understand and connect with resources in their community.

Nakeshia Knight-Coyle is the director of ODHS’s Office of Aging and People with Disabilities. Claire Madhavan is a navigator for the Oregon Brain Injury program. They both join us to talk about how the program is going.

It’s estimated that more than 80,000 Oregonians are living with disabilities related to a brain injury. That includes Portlander Cheryl Green, who sustained a brain injury in 2010. Since then, Green has showcased the experiences of brain injury survivors through a number of projects, including a podcast, documentary film, short videos and her work as a self-described “access artist.” She’s also advocated for their needs as a member of the Oregon Brain Injury Council.

We’ll talk with Green about her disability justice work and how art can play a role in that movement.

The Astoria library reopened in the fall of 2025 after a major renovation. When discussions about remodeling the library surfaced, it begged the question: What exactly does a community need from a public space? The same kinds of questions were posed when the original library was designed.

Trailblazing Astorian architect Ebba Wicks Brown, the first woman in Oregon to receive an architectural license, designed the original Brutalist-style building in 1967. Rachel Jensen, the executive director of the Lower Columbia Preservation Society, joins us to discuss Brown’s legacy and the ways the library’s remodel honors the original vision while serving the new needs of its coastal community.

 It’s been one year since Portland welcomed its new 12-member city council, which was a part of a major voter-approved overhaul of the city’s government. Since January 2, 2025, the city has seen 48 council meetings, more than 190 pieces of legislation passed and nearly 40 resolutions. The new council has seen some wins, such as broader representation on the council and bureaucracy for bureaus moving more quickly. But has also brought challenges, such as ethical questions around state public meeting laws and lengthy meetings. Alex Zielinski covers Portland city government for OPB. She joins us to share more about the first year of the new council.

 Wildfires, extreme heat, ice storms and other weather events have Oregonians thinking about climate change in a much more personal way. We talk with clinical psychologist Thomas Doherty, who helps people cope with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues brought on by the climate crisis. His new book, “Surviving Climate Anxiety,” teaches how to cope and heal from the psychological impacts of our environmental crisis.