Think Out Loud

Reporters with the Portland State University Vanguard have been on the ground as protesters have taken over the Branford Price Millar Library. The university closed campus on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday morning, Portland Police began to clear protesters from the building. [Does the campus remain closed?] Student journalists have provided updates on Instagram throughout the occupation. Kat Leon, editor-in-chief of the Vanguard, joins us with updates on the story, and to reflect on the role of student journalists in situations like this.

In 1990, Barbara Roberts became the first woman elected governor of Oregon. She began her political career as a member of the Parkrose school board and then the board of Mount Hood Community College. She was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1980 and was chosen by her colleagues to be the House majority leader two years later. Two years after that, she became Oregon's Secretary of State, before going on to the top office. We spoke to Roberts in front of an audience at the Civics Learning Project’s Legal Citizen of the Year award ceremony.

Joel David Beal was a U.S. Marine veteran who served from 2006 until 2010 including deployment to Iraq in 2008. As reported by the military media outlet, Task and Purpose, Beal received multiple military awards for his service and left the service with the rank of Lance Corporal.   After he left the marines, he worked as a mechanic and a technician, repairing wind turbines.

A year ago Beal went to Ukraine to fight alongside the country's military forces against the Russian invasion. He helped form what became known as Chosen Company, made up of foreign fighters attached to Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Brigade. He was killed in combat in October, six months after he began his service. We hear about Beal and his experience in Ukraine from his partner Alex, whose real name we are not using for security reasons.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is thinking of adding some federal protections for a turtle found in Oregon. The western pond turtle is found in fresh water and wetlands west of the Cascades. It is also found in Nevada, Washington and California. If the agency’s proposal is approved, the turtle would be labeled as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Public comments are being taken until May 5, 2024.  

The turtle faces a number of challenges including habitat loss, drought and invasive species, such as bullfrogs, eating turtles when they’re young. But some work has been done to try to help this reptile. The Oregon Zoo has been working on recovery efforts in Washington since the late 1990s. Shervin Hess is the conservation manager there. He joins us to share more on what role this turtle plays in ecosystems and the current efforts to aid the species.

On Monday, students at the University of Oregon began setting up tents on the Eugene campus to protest the conflict in Gaza. They joined students at scores of other universities across the nation, including at Portland State University, where students set up camps, barricades and broke into Branford Price Millar Library. Student organizers of the protest on the UO campus are calling on the administration to divest from companies that have financial ties to the Israeli military. In a statement, the University of Oregon said it is “actively monitoring this situation to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff on campus.” KLCC reporter Nathan Wilk joins us to talk about the situation unfolding at the university.

District Attorney Mike Schmidt is facing a challenge from one of his own senior deputy attorneys, Nathan Vazquez. Schmidt came into office as a reformer, with the goal of ending mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Vasquez says Schmidt has made Portland “unsafe and unrecognizable.” We talk to Vasquez about why he thinks he deserves the job. 

The Salem Police Department recently released an annual report revealing trends and changes in the number of homicides, aggravated assaults, burglaries and other crimes over the past 15 years. Last year, there were 10 homicides in Salem, a 15-year high for the city of nearly 180,000 residents. Violent crime overall has increased by 35% since 2009 in Salem, while property crime has declined by 3% over the same time.  

Meanwhile, Salem police and city officials recently kicked off a series of meetings with community members under a new initiative aimed at addressing the city’s surge in gun violence, especially among at-risk youth. Joining us to talk about crime in Salem is Ardeshir Tabrizian, criminal justice reporter for the Salem Reporter. 

Oregon’s 5th Congressional District has received national attention as a highly competitive race, with the winner of the May primary challenging Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer in November. Jamie McLeod-Skinner is an attorney and engineer. Janelle Bynum is a small business owner and the Democratic state representative of District 39 which includes Happy Valley and North Clackamas. They join us for a debate.  

As the head of Willamette Riverkeeper, Travis Williams has worked to protect the river for much of his professional life. The environmental nonprofit’s efforts have been both wide and deep, from helping enforce the Clean Water Act, clearing up trash, restoring habitat, contributing to the Portland Harbor Cleanup, working to protect fish populations and preventing concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, along waterways in Linn County.  

Williams says the nonprofit is strong and does not expect any interruption in the work when he steps away in the coming months to focus on the Willamette River Preservation Trust. It’s a land trust focused on conserving creeks, rivers, floodplains, oak savanna, upland forests and more for the mid to northern Willamette Valley. We sit down with Williams about the health of the Willamette over the last two dozen years, and how his past work relates to his future plans.

Attorney Mike Schmidt is facing a challenge from one of his own senior deputy attorney’s, Nathan Vazquez. Schmidt came into office as a reformer, with the goal of ending mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. We talk to Schmidt about his tenure, and his case for why he deserves to be reelected. We talk to Vasquez on Monday, April 29th.