Willamette Wake Up

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month.  Monmouth Monthly shines the light on Melody Barrett & Sharon Oberst, volunteers for the Monmouth Arts and Culture Commission; and Dena Jones, volunteer for the Monmouth Public Library. Find out how these volunteers support their community, and other ways the city engages volunteers.

Policy for the People talks with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden about the Trump administration’s “budget blueprint” and how it would impact Oregonians. Then, they talk with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, about "Federal Tax Policy: What Should It Accomplish?”

Sable House in Dallas Oregon serves victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Rochelle Juarez, executive director, talks about this type of violence and how Sable House has been assisting survivors with shelter, advocacy, and connections to social & legal services since 1993.

State Rep. Tom Andersen (House District 19) discussed legislative process, a typical day at the Capitol, and specific legislation affecting people in the mid-Willamette Valley and Oregon.

Qingming is a Chinese festival that honors the ancestors.  It's celebrated in Salem & Keizer due to the Chinese influence in the area during the late 1800s / early 1900s.  Salem current-day resident Myron Lee and Russ Low, grandson of Hop Lee (a beloved early Salem citizen) share stories about Chinese influence in Salem and the meaning of Qingming.

Vanessa Nordyke, Executive Director of Marion CASA, talks about how the agency helps kids in foster care and how cuts in the federal budget affect their ability to advocate for kids in foster care.

Keeping Oregon Oregon talks with Mike McCarthy, Farmer Emeritus in the Hood River Valley, regarding the loss of Oregon farmland and the impacts on farmers and their ability to continue to farm.

Elephant in the Room talks with State Senator Jeff Golden about SB 1187, a bill to set up a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program, financed by the fossil fuel industry, to help communities get protective upgrades for homes, businesses, and electrical transmission lines. 

Holla for Labor talks with Mamie Pratt, Chair of the Women's Committee, International Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, about women in labor.

The Center for Hope & Safety, providing assistance to survivors and victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, has a new executive director. Meet Ashley Carson Cottingham: hear her story and her vision as she takes the helm of this organization that has served the community for over 50 years.