Think Out Loud

A new study from Portland State University completes a three-year project looking at the impacts of several drug policy shifts - including Measure 110 - which decriminalized drug possession in Oregon. Among other things, this final study concluded that decriminalization had little to do with rising crime and overdose deaths. Instead, the study found that the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread emergence of fentanyl were the primary drivers behind a surge in drug-related deaths. Brian Renauer, a professor in the Criminology & Criminal Justice Department at PSU, joins us to explain.

The Pacific Northwest is known for its towering trees. Douglas-firs rank as the second highest tree species in the world and can reach heights of over 300 feet, about as tall as the Statue of Liberty. Whether chasing a bird or escaping predators like coyotes, some terrified cats get stuck high up in trees. In Oregon and Washington, arborists aid cats crying for help. The nonprofit Canopy Cat Rescue helps cats throughout Washington. The Oregon Humane Society offers a list of arborists who can safely remove cats from trees. Rick Bunch frequently helps felines in Portland and beyond. Bunch, and Tom Otto, the co-founder of Canopy Cat Rescue, join us with details.

Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher joined the University of Oregon as a baseball player. Liz Brenner, four-sport athlete, excelled at volleyball, basketball, softball and track at the University of Oregon. And Kendre Harrison recently played at Peach Jam, a prestigious high school basketball tournament. He plans to play basketball and football at the University of Oregon. We learn more about elite athletes and the power they hold at the college level from Lindsay Schnell, a senior writer covering colleges for The Athletic. 

xcess noise has been linked to a number of health concerns, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and sleep disorders. But noise pollution hasn’t been well studied in the U.S., due in part to a lack of federal oversight. The Environmental Protection Agency established its Office of Noise Control and Abatement in the 1970s, but the office has remained unfunded since the early 1980s. 

A new study from Oregon State University aims to better understand noise pollution in Portland. Researchers found that many of the city’s neighborhoods have noise levels that are likely unhealthy.

Matt Bozigar is an environmental epidemiologist and an assistant professor in OSU’s college of health. He joins us with more details. 

Oregon stands to lose more than $15 billion in federal funding for health care, food assistance and other purposes in coming years, under the sweeping spending bill congressional Republicans passed earlier this year. That’s the preliminary conclusion by Gov. Tina Kotek’s office, which in recent weeks asked state agencies to crunch the numbers for what the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act might mean for their ability to provide services. OPB political reporter Dirk VanderHart joins us to explain.

The Oregon Youth Authority is under heightened scrutiny following a wave of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and a culture of neglect in the state’s youth correctional facilities. The agency, which has faced criticism for mishandling abuse complaints, now has a new appointed leader — Michael Tessean — who takes over from interim director Jana McLellan. That's after Gov. Tina Kotek fired longtime director Joe O’Leary earlier this year over a backlog of unaddressed abuse reports.

OPB politics reporter Lauren Dake joins us to discuss the recent lawsuits, the agency’s troubled history and what new leadership could mean for the future of juvenile justice in Oregon.

 The third annual PNW Survival Games kick off this Friday at a campground in Molalla. Fifty people, organized into teams of two, will compete in a series of weekend-long challenges designed to test their outdoor survival skills, from building a fire and shelter to purifying water and building a raft from saplings and other foraged materials. 

Participants who register for the $495 event are first taught the basics of those skills by survival instructors, some of whom have competed in reality TV shows such as “Naked and Afraid” and “Alone.” Each team then launches into a timed challenge to test their application of that skill, but with a twist – like trying to build a fire while shivering and cold after a plunge into the river. First, second and third-place teams win cash prizes and outdoor gear from sponsors. 

PNW Survival Games’ co-founders Tony Peniche and Phil Robinson have aspirations to take their concept beyond its Oregon roots onto a much bigger stage by transforming it into a reality TV show picked up by Netflix or Amazon. They join us to share their vision and a preview of this weekend’s competition, along with Tom Ratts, a Vancouver resident who was part of a team that won first place in 2023 and who now volunteers at the games.

A recent paper published in JAMA shows that Idaho has lost approximately 35 percent of doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, leaving many counties without any maternal or reproductive health care providers at all.  That comes after the state passed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Amber Nelson, executive director of the Idaho Coalition for Safe Healthcare, says 85% of these practicing specialists work in just seven of the state’s urban counties.

Dr. Amelia Huntsberger was a practicing OBGYN in Idaho for many years before the ban. But after the ban, the emotional strain of navigating patient care amid the possibility of prosecution, led to the painful decision to uproot her family and move out of state. Huntsberger now practices in Eugene, but she says her family still deals with the grief that transition brought. We talk with her and Nelson about the larger trends and what they mean in the lives of women seeking reproductive and material care.

The Portland-based nonprofit Smashing Barriers works with organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Friendly House to offer free tennis clinics and organizes charity tournaments. Jiya Mehta and Rohan Shah, the co-founders, started the nonprofit while in high school. They aim to bring the organization to each state in the U.S. In addition to Oregon, the nonprofit already has chapters in Arizona, California and Texas. Shah and Mehta join us with more on how tennis has shaped their lives and their plans for growing Smashing Barriers.

The Sunset Empire Transportation District has provided public transportation in Clatsop County for more than 30 years. In 2023, the district had to temporarily stop service and lay off workers after it ran out of money due to financial mismanagement. The district has since gone through several leadership changes — the most recent executive director, Craig Johnston, stepped down late last year for personal reasons.David Carr recently took over as executive director of the district. He joins us to share his vision for public transit in Clatsop County amid state and federal funding challenges.