Willamette Wake Up

Policy for the People explores two programs to make tax filing free and easy for low and moderate income families: Direct File and Oregon's Tax Infrastructure Grant program.

Meet the new Independence Police Chief, Tino Baneulos. He became the Chief on Jan 1, 2025. Learn about his journey into law enforcement and his vision and priorities for leading the department. 

Learn about Partnership for Safety & Justice and the Family Sentencing Alternative Program - a program to keep incarcerated parents connected to their kids. Plus, other programs that support justice involved people P4SJ hopes to maintain with legislative support.

Keeping Oregon Oregon talks with Jim Johnson, Working Lands Policy Director for 1000 Friends of Oregon, about land use legislation to be debated during the 2025 Legislative Session. 

Hear excerpts from the Feb. 2nd Town Hall with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Congresswoman Andrea Salinas in Salem.  Several hundred residents and a dozen local elected officials gathered to hear responses to questions about President Trump's executive orders.  Plus, Salem Fire Chief David Gerboth gets recognized for the department's role in fighting the Palisades fires in So. California.

Elephant in the Room examines "forever chemicals" with Crystal Weston, Oregon Environmental Council. She'll address the dangers to public health and the environment posed by polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and legislative proposals before the 2025 Oregon Legislature to regulate PFAS. 

State Rep.Tom Andersen talks about how the Oregon legislative session is going, two weeks into the session, bills that he's introduced and highlights from yesterday's Town Hall with Sen Jeff Merkley & Congresswoman Andrea Salinas.

Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack, four years on the job, shares his vision for Salem's law enforcement agency and the strategic plan to implement the vision. He'll talk about general goals of creating trust and safety, and strategies to get there.

Tom Ellis, Salem community member, shares his proposal to spearhead nonviolent resistance to tyranny and to hold elected officials accountable to democratic principles, called The Campaign for the Public Interest.

Salem Reads 2025 is back! Executive Director of Salem Public Library Foundation, Taylor Sarman and Sonja Sommerville, with the library, talk about this year's book and events to explore the book's themes. Why Didn't You Tell Me? By Carmen Rita Wong.