The new People for Portland nonprofit advocacy group was co-founded by two consultants usually on opposite sides of political causes. Dan Levy and Kevin Looper are calling for “bold action” from city government to house people living outside, clean up city streets and fund public safety, including non-police response to some emergencies. They say these objectives are not political but practical. Levy and Looper join us to give us more details about these goals and how they want to accomplish them.

At least two school superintendents in Oregon have been fired by their school boards recently for work they thought was essential to their jobs. Running a school district has become even more complicated with COVID safety protocols, remote school and the political divisions in this country. Craig Hawkins, Executive Director of the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, tells us what he’s been hearing from superintendents around the state.

The Almeda Fire roared through Phoenix and Talent last September. Now, students are beginning a new school year. We hear from Brent Barry, the superintendent of Phoenix-Talent Schools, about what he expects as classes begin.

It’s been one year since wildfires burned through Detroit, Oregon, leaving many residents without homes. State lawmakers have aided the town and those affected by passing bills focused on easing requirements for building permits and funding relief packages for residents and programs to prevent future fires. We speak with State Representative Brian Clem on what these policies do and how they’re helping Oregonians affected.

Oregon has a $220 million plan to prevent the kind of destructive wildfires that burned thousands of homes and killed nine people last year. The plan covers everything from removing fuel from forests and de-energizing power lines to changing how we build and maintain our homes and communities. OPB’s Cassandra Profita has been reporting on the aftermath of last year’s big fires.

The founder of the first Black law firm in Oregon will now be working for the prosecution. Defense lawyer Ernie Warren will be running the Justice Integrity Unit for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office. He’ll be in charge of reviewing old cases with an eye towards wrongful convictions or opportunities to reduce prison time. Warren joins us to talk about his new job.

Two Republican state lawmakers from Eastern Oregon are pushing Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to allow broad exemptions for health care workers, teachers and other state employees who will soon have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a documented exemption to keep their jobs. The lawmakers say requiring vaccines will not lead to more shots in arms and will only fuel distrust from rural Oregonians who are already skeptical of government mandates. Meanwhile, a doctor in Harney County is hesitant to recommend the vaccine to patients, instead encouraging them to “read both sides and make a decision.” OPB’s Central Oregon Bureau Chief Emily Cureton spoke to the lawmakers and the Harney County doctor. We get details from her.

We listen back to a conversation recorded before the 2016 election with a room full of teenagers at the CENTER in N Portland about the American Dream.

We listen back to a conversation with students and teachers in the Portland area about how race and racial identity is playing out in high schools and in class discussions.

With the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan complete, officials are urging veterans to seek help if they’re being retraumatized by the news and images coming out of the country. We hear from Kelly Fitzpatrick, the director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Jerry Glesmann, an Army National Guard veteran who served in Afghanistan.