Think Out Loud

OPB has been following a group of students from the class of 2025 since they entered kindergarten. Now we join them for their freshman year of high school. OPB’s education report Elizabeth Miller joins us with an update on the project, and how close the class of 2025 is to the goal of a 100% graduation rate.

In her new novel, Portland writer Karen Thompson Walker explores the terrifying possibility of a world altered by a highly contagious disease. The disease causes people to fall into a seemingly endless sleep. We'll talk to Thompson Walker about her book, "The Dreamers."

The Oregon Humane Society will be opening a new community veterinary hospital in Portland. It will offer accessible and affordable pet care, according to the organization. Nationwide, veterinary practices continue to face staffing shortages and burnout. And some pet owners are having a hard time keeping up with the cost of services. We hear more about the hospital from Sharon Harmon, the president and CEO of the Oregon Humane Society and Stephen Kochis, the chief medical officer of the organization.

Next month, Portlanders will be casting their ballots and decide who will should be one of the city’s next commissioners. Jo Ann Hardesty is the Portland City Council Commissioner Position 3 incumbent. Rene Gonzalez is a lawyer and owner of Eastbank Artifex, a technology consulting company. They both join us to make their case and share why Portlanders should vote for them.

Artists Cannupa Hanska Luger and Marie Watt collaborated on an exhibition on display in Portland. “Gather” includes solo work from each of the artists and a collaborated piece, “Each/Other.” The work was created using bandanas that feature political and personal messages. Luger, who is based in Glorieta, New Mexico and Watt, who is based in Portland, were able to collaborate in Colton, Oregon, where they worked together and spent time with each others’ families. They join us with more on their work and the collaboration.

Some states have placed limits on topics that can be taught in schools. Some have tried to ban the practice of tenure, which gives professors job security. Some universities have bowed to pressure from students or outside influences to censure or fire teachers. These attacks on academic freedom may not be new, but they feel particularly acute right now. This week, the University of Oregon is hosting a conference on the present and future of academic freedom. Michael Dreiling, professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, and Lori Latrice Martin, professor in the Department of African and African American Studies at Louisiana State University, are both speaking at the conference. They join us to explain what’s at stake.

There were half as many hate and bias crimes and incidents in Eugene in 2021 as there were in 2020. That’s according to the city’s annual Hate and Bias Report, released last week. Overall, the city recorded 43 hate and bias cases in 2021 — a 54 percent decrease from 2020 and the lowest total in a decade. Joining us to put those numbers in context is Fabio Andrade, equity and community engagement manager for the city of Eugene.

Last week, a prominent chef was killed after being hit by a truck near Cleveland High School in Portland. Sarah Pliner was riding her bike on Powell Boulevard, a state-owned road with no bike lanes. In response to the fatality, Oregon Department of Transportation Director Kris Strickler issued a statement yesterday.

“Powell Boulevard (U.S. 26) was originally established and designed as a highway to move freight and people through Portland quickly and efficiently,” he said. “Recent incidents on Powell, including a tragic death on Oct. 4, are evidence that this road cannot, and should not, function as a traditional highway anymore.”

While some roads in the city remain under state control, others, like 82nd Avenue, are now under city ownership. Advocates have called for a similar transfer to take place on Powell Boulevard. We learn more about road safety from Chris Warner, the director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

A community forum will be held on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at Cleveland High School. Representatives from PBOT, ODOT Portland Public Schools and TriMet will be there, according to ODOT.

Over the weekend, temperatures climbed to the mid-80s in Portland, shattering decades-old records, according to the National Weather Service. The agency also said that high temperatures for this time of year are typically in the 60s for the region. A cold, dry front will bring a short-lived reprieve from the heat on Tuesday before temperatures rise once more later in the week. Smoke from nearby wildfires has also prompted the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to issue an air advisory alert in effect until Friday evening. Joining us to discuss the record warm start to autumn is Colby Neuman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Portland.

The Liberty Theater in La Grande, Oregon will be receiving a grant for almost $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. In July 1999, the theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Almost a decade later, restoration efforts began. Ashley O’Toole is the Board Chair of the Liberty Theater Foundation, the organization that is spearheading restoration efforts. He joins us to share what this federal grant will mean for the theater and his hopes for the future.