Willamette Wake Up

Elephant in the Room talks with Pattie Sloan, Salem Environmental Faith Network, about the Ecumenical Earth Summit coming in March, which will explore disaster preparedness and climate resilience.

Holla for Labor celebrates Black History Month with a panel discussion on how the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists increased women and people of color in leadership positions in the labor movement.  And they discuss ways to increase power of unions through inclusion of young workers and collaboration with existing labor unions.

Dr. Sara Kennedy, Planned Parenthood of Columbia Willamette (PPCW), explores the ramifications for loss of health care in Oregon, if there are large cuts to the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid). She describes the many services provided by PPCW, and number of Oregonians who are served by this largest nonprofit provider of health care in the state.

Salem residents will be voting in May 2025 to fund the city library, Senior Center Plus, and parks and recreation services. In this episode, Salem City Librarian, Bridget Esqueda, discusses the importance of libraries to communities and the services and programs provided by Salem's library.

Braver Angels is a national organization with state & local alliances. Its mission is to get people with different political points of view to listen to one another, with the goal of finding common ground.  In this episode we talk with Oregon members, Laura Kramer and Darren McCormick, about the effort to find common ground on the issue of immigration and how Braver Angels hopes to use what they find.

Salem Health Hospital & Clinics are using "virtual" nurses to enhance patient care and support their "on-the-ground" health teams. Sarah Horn and Theresa Johnson share how virtual nurses are currently being used and what they've learned about the impacts.

Conservation Spotlight talks with Kait Crowley, Farmer Training Program Manager for Rogue Farm Corps (RFC). Kait will share how RFC trains and equips the next generation of farmers and ranchers through hands-on educational programs and the preservation of farmland. Listen in to find out how you can engage with Rogue Farm Corps!

Monmouth Monthly welcomes Western Oregon University President (WOU), Jesse Peters and Executive Director of the WOU Foundation, Katie Wojke. They discuss what makes WOU special, and how you can impact the lives of WOU students.

RJ Hampton, Salem-Keizer NAACP President, responds to efforts by the federal government to dismantle Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs and how the local NAACP chapter is celebrating Black History Month.

States with "sanctuary laws" have gotten in the cross hairs of the federal government, because the laws make it more difficult for federal immigration officers to find, detain and deport people they deem "illegal". Oregon is one such state. Fay Stetz-Waters, with the Oregon Department of Justice, explains how Oregon's Sanctuary Law works, and how the department collaborates with other organizations in protecting people's rights.