Think Out Loud

When autumn arrives, reminders typically start going out for people to get their annual flu shot. The vaccine changes each year, based on what strain of influenza is likely to be circulating then. Sometimes it’s a good match and other times, not so good. But what if you could get one vaccine that would confer lifetime protection against the flu and its ever-changing strains?  Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University are working on advancing that goal by developing a new way to deliver vaccines against flu viruses. The vaccines are delivered through a harmless virus that most people are exposed to at some point in their lives. The technology stimulates the body to release cells that attack the internal machinery of the harmful virus instead of its outer surface which can evolve to slip past immune defenses. Joining us to talk about this research is Jonah Sacha, a professor at OHSU and the chief of pathobiology at the Oregon National Primate Research Center.  

Neal Cummings has owned and run Video Horizons in Astoria for the last 40 years. It’s now the city's only video rental store, and one of only a handful of businesses in Oregon where you can rent movies on VHS or DVD. We talk with Cummings about how he got into this business, what keeps him going and why he thinks people still want an alternative to streaming movies in the digital age.

A sleepaway camp designed for and by Indigenous theater aficionados is being held at Portland State University July 29 through August 2. The 26 students in attendance will live in the dorms and attend daily theater trainings as well as college prep sessions. The students also get to meet and work with Native staff on campus. By the end of the week-long camp, students showcase their work in a variety of ways: some will act in student-written plays, some will create writing or art projects and others will perform in a short media project which is pitched by students then edited by camp staff. This is the fourth year of the camp, which has been held at different college campuses across the west coast. Last year, some of the students had the opportunity to participate in the Broadway production of “The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa FastHorse. The camp has previously been held at University of Nevada at Reno, UC Berkeley and Southern Oregon University. Jeanette Harrison, co-founder of the theater camp for Native youth and creative director of Bag and Baggage’s Native theater project, joins us to share more. Returning campers Gia Fisher and Niyla Willow also join us. Fisher will be performing in “Diné Nishłį (i am a sacred being) Or, A Boarding School Play” by Blossom Johnson and directed by Harrison. The play will tour throughout the greater Portland area this September.

For inmates who are starting to plan for life after incarceration, delayed or unexpected release dates can scramble job opportunities and housing arrangements. A number of factors can affect release dates, including paperwork issues, miscommunication among corrections staff and changes to the way state corrections departments calculate time served. Ben Botkin covers criminal justice and health for the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Paul Kiefer is an intern at InvestigateWest. They join us to share more about their recent reporting on how delayed or unexpected release dates can impact inmates’ lives in Oregon and Washington, respectively.

There’s a new Portland-based, independent comedy on the scene. “Cora Bora” follows Cora, a snarky, somewhat aimless musician struggling her way through solo shows in bars and coffee shops across Los Angeles after the mysterious dissolution of her band. When she suspects her girlfriend is seeing someone new, Cora returns to Portland to try and salvage the relationship. While there, she loses her dog, almost joins an orgy, suffers through awkward encounters with old friends and ultimately confronts the trauma that’s been holding her back. Rhianon Jones wrote “Cora Bora” and served as its executive producer. She joins us to talk about what the movie means to her and how she was influenced by her time in the Portland music scene.

 Last year, city officials decided to end Portland’s contract with the independent Regional Arts and Culture Council. The organization was previously responsible for doling out grants and providing art advocacy for the city. Now, Portland’s Office of Arts and Culture has taken shape and has found organizations, including RACC and MusicOregon, to help administer grants to artists and creators. The city itself will be working on arts advocacy and education. We hear more about how Portland plans to partner with creators from Chariti Montez, the director of the new office.  

In the last few years, the state has come under intense criticism from civil rights advocates for its failure to provide constitutionally mandated defense attorneys to people charged with crimes if they cannot afford them. A 2022 report by the American Bar Association found the state had barely a third of the lawyers it needed to represent defendants who qualified for a public defender.  Since then, lawakers and state officials have significantly increased capacity and made structural changes aimed at remedying the crisis, including providing additional funding — but challenges remain. In May the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier ruling in the Betschart case that mandates that defendants may not be held in custody for more than seven days without a lawyer.   The Oregon Public Defense Commission, formerly known as the Oregon Office of Public Defense Services, has hired about a dozen trial-level public defenders in three offices around the state, the first such attorneys who work directly for the state as employees, not contractors. On Wednesday, Executive Director Jessica Kampfe presented a plan to the Commission that would increase that number to 40 in the next year and also extend a temporary program that raised the hourly rates of the defense attorneys the state contracts with to represent defendants. Kampe joins us to explain the changes that have already been made in the public defense system and the changes she expects over the next 10 years. 

What does parking have to do with climate change? Everything, according to Parking Reform Network founder and president Tony Jordan. Getting rid of parking mandates in Oregon means that housing developers can also build more units rather than having to set aside space for car infrastructure. Four years ago there were fewer than a dozen cities nationwide that had lifted their parking mandates. Since then, the number has grown to 70, with 18 of them in Oregon. Jordan joins us to talk about how his Portland-based, national nonprofit group helps cities around the country remove parking requirements to support the larger goals of reducing emissions and creating sustainable infrastructure. 

Starting next week, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office will no longer allow prospective jurors to be dropped without reason for misdemeanor trials. The change was made to reduce racial bias during jury selection, according to outgoing DA Mike Schmidt. The new policy will not apply to trials involving domestic violence charges, and will allow for some exceptions for prosecutors to request a prospective juror be removed. But the move appears to have blindsided Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez who defeated Schmidt in the May primary election and will take over as district attorney in January. Joining us to share more about this development is OPB criminal justice and legal affairs reporter Conrad Wilson. 

Wildfires spreading throughout the state have caused multiple road closures and prompted evacuations. The Durkee Fire, which is burning in Malheur and Baker counties, is so hot it created its own weather. Record dry conditions combined with lightning strikes and human activity have set off over 60 fires across Oregon and Washington already this season. The U.S. Forest Service is bringing in resources from across the country to aid in fighting these blazes. Mariana Ruiz Temple, Oregon’s State Fire Marshal, joins us to share more. We’ll also hear from Jacque Buchanan, U.S. Forest Service regional forester for the Pacific Northwest.