Think Out Loud

From jams and ice cream to syrups and lotions, huckleberries are a fruit that can be found in all sorts of Pacific Northwest commodities. But these berries are incredibly difficult to grow, preferring high elevations and acidic soil, making them hard to cultivate.

The U.S. Forest Service issues permits to commercially pick these berries, selling more than 900 permits last season. For tribes in the Pacific Northwest, these berries are a culturally important food that they say has become scarce over the years with growing competition from pickers, which they argue infringe on treaty rights.
Josephine Woolington is a freelance journalist and author based in Portland who reported on this issue for High Country News. Elaine Harvey is a Ḱamíłpa band member, one of the 14 tribes and bands that comprise the Yakama Nation, and was featured in the story. They both join us to share more on the commercialization of huckleberries.

Before John Kitzhaber became Oregon governor for the first time, he practiced emergency medicine as an ER doctor. He brought that knowledge of the health care system to bear in the late 80s and early 90s, with the enacting of the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program. In 2012, he oversaw the expansion of the program and the creation of Coordinated Care Organizations. Today, about 1.4 million Oregonians get their health care from OHP. 

Kitzhaber says Oregon’s unique model delivers high quality but efficient care to more Oregonians - and that could be a national model as Congressional Republicans look to make federal spending cuts widely expected to affect Medicaid. The former governor is among those advising Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz, who told “Think Out Loud” Feb. 26 he wants to “make the system still deliver the type of benefits that people need, while at the same time doing it better and in a way that saves money.” Kitzhaber joins us to tell us more about his ideas for bipartisan solutions to prevent people from losing Medicaid coverage.

The rainy gloom of winter will soon give way to the sunshine and flowers of spring. That means hiking trails are sure to get busier in the Columbia Gorge, Willamette Falls and other popular destinations near Portland. But even experienced hikers can lose their way or get stranded as a mild, sunny day turns to a cold, damp night outdoors. 

That’s where the Green Hornets can help keep a bad situation from getting much worse. They’re a search and rescue team within the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office who are experienced backcountry athletes and sheriff’s deputies who can mobilize within minutes to find lost or injured hikers. According to Sergeant Aaron Sieczkowski, the Green Hornets perform about a dozen search and rescue missions a year, primarily in the western Columbia Gorge. He joins us to talk about their work, including a recent rescue on Larch Mountain, and how to stay safe on hikes. 

About 120,000 immigrants lacking permanent legal status live in Oregon, according to a 2022 estimate from the Pew Research Center. The state has sanctuary laws in place, meaning that state and local resources are not used for federal immigration enforcement. Law enforcement officials in places including Marion, Polk and Jackson counties have told local media outlets they will continue to follow state laws on immigration enforcement. 

Still, immigrant communities face uncertainty as policies change at the federal level. Kathy Keesee is a program coordinator for Unete, a nonprofit in Jackson County that advocates for agricultural workers and immigrants. She joins us with details. 

The Beaverton Sobriety Opportunity for Beginning Recovery treatment court is open to Beaverton or Washington County residents who have at least one prior Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants conviction and who agree to the program’s strict requirements. About 200 people have graduated from B-SOBR since its launch in 2011. 

Participants must agree to wear an ankle monitor and submit to biweekly testing to ensure their sobriety during the first few months. They must also attend regular meetings with their case manager and the presiding judge to monitor their progress for the 20 months or so it typically takes to complete the program. Beaverton police officers also make monthly visits to participants’ homes, which can help reframe negative interactions they may have had previously with law enforcement, and engage family members or others in the home to support the participant’s recovery. 

In January, the All Rise Treatment Court Institute selected the B-SOBR program as one of 10 treatment courts to serve as a national model for new treatment courts for the next two years. Joining us for more details are B-SOBR case manager David Finke, police liaison Officer Michel Wilson and Mauricio Molina, a recent graduate of the program. 

Oregon has invested millions in workforce development across the state. But a program aimed at helping workers and businesses along the coast will be ending soon. Northwest Oregon Works serves Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln and Tillamook counties.   

The nonprofit has supported the state’s maritime industry and has funded projects for organizations including Newport Fishermen’s Wives, Oregon State University and the Oregon Coast Visitors Association. OoNee Sea Urchin Ranch also received funding to train divers and aquaculture interns.

The ranch aims to sustainably harvest sea urchin in the state. It collects urchins and feeds them on land. It processes uni, the organ found in sea urchins that’s considered a culinary delicacy, in Newport.

We learn more about the future of the maritime industry in Oregon from OoNee Sea Urchin Ranch CEO Aaron Huang and Len Tumbarello, the Maritime Program Coordinator for Northwest Oregon Works.  

Soccer season has started in Oregon, but Timbers and Thorns fans might have to dig a little deeper to cheer their teams this year. Both teams face a lot of player injuries and offseason departures of some star players. Anne Peterson, sports writer for the Associated Press, joins us to preview what’s ahead for Portland soccer fans.

The lack of public restrooms remains an issue across the country. In Portland, there are about 17 public restrooms per 100,000 citizens, according to some estimates. 

When the city placed more than 100 red portable toilets around town in 2020, some residents vehemently opposed their arrival. In 2023, only about 16 of the toilets remained, according to KGW. 

Public restrooms offer a low barrier place for people to use the bathroom and wash their hands. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends carefully washing your hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom and changing diapers to prevent shigella infections. The bacteria causes inflammatory diarrhea.     

In Multnomah County, shigella infections have been on the rise, according to The Oregonian. In 2023, a similar cluster of cases occurred as well. 

Merilee Karr is the president of Phlush, an organization that advocates for better public sanitation. She joins us with more on why Portland and other cities would benefit from more public toilets. 

Measure 114, which was narrowly approved by Oregon voters in 2022, bans the purchase of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition and requires a permit for anybody purchasing a firearm. The measure never went into effect after it faced a number of legal challenges, but on Wednesday the Oregon Court of Appeals declared the measure constitutional. This overturns a 2023 decision from an Eastern Oregon judge who ruled it violated Oregon law. OPB reporter Conrad Wilson joins us to explain what it all means.

As a 9-year-old boy, Javier Zamora traveled over 3,000 miles to be with his parents, who had fled El Salvador to live and work in the United States. Zamora traveled with a group of people who were initially strangers and the various people they paid to help them survive the two month journey. Zamora’s memoir about the experience, “Solito,” is the choice for Multnomah County’s ‘Everybody Reads’ program in 2025. We talk to Zamora in front of students at Portland’s McDaniel High School.