Think Out Loud

Portland journalist Leah Sottile’s book “When The Moon Turns To Blood” centers on the case of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell. The couple was on trial in 2023, accused of killing two of Vallow’s children whose bodies were found in Daybell’s backyard. But the book is about much more than just true crime. Sottile digs into the couple’s apocalyptic beliefs and the history of the extremism that exists on the fringes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church. We talked with Sottile in 2022 about what this case reveals about religious extremism in the American west. Lori Vallow was found guilty in May of 2023. Chad Daybell is set to stand trial in April 2024.

With fewer sweeps during the pandemic, encampments have become a seemingly permanent fixture in many parts of Portland. And in response, city officials have started taking a more hardline approach. In February, Mayor Ted Wheeler issued an emergency order to ban camping near busy roadways. He has also said he plans to create large outdoor sites for sanctioned camping. On “Think Out Loud” we’ve heard from service providers, policy makers, and elected officials, including the mayor. We also wanted to hear from people who are living on the streets.  So, on a chilly and rainy March day, host Dave Miller, producer Julie Sabatier and OPB’s emerging journalism fellow, Chris Gonzalez, went to Old Town and an area near Delta Park in North Portland to interview folks living in tents or shelters or cars. This wasn’t comprehensive, or scientific. It’s a snapshot of homelessness on one Spring day in Portland. 

The Ankeny Alley Festival is a series of summer events held in the Ankeny Alley area between SW 2nd and 3rd avenues in downtown Portland. The events have been organized to rally support for businesses in the neighborhood that have faced declines in revenue as visits from Portlanders and tourists alike have diminished in recent years. The next summer festival will be the July 4th Celebration from June 30 to July 3. The series of events also includes a Pride party and a Labor Day celebration featuring music, live entertainment, art and food. Joshua Ryan is the event manager for the Ankeny Alley Association. Michelle Wachsmuth is a co-owner of Dan & Louis Oyster Bar. They join us with details of the events and what they hope to see for the future of the area.  

 Portland Parks & Recreation opened its seven outdoor pools last Wednesday, and announced that it was now offering more swim lessons than in the past two years at its outdoor and indoor pools. Heading into summer, the outlook for staffing at the district’s pools is brighter than last year. Boosting starting pay for lifeguards by nearly $3 an hour, and expanding recruitment efforts has helped, although demand for swim lessons continues to outpace availability. Springfield’s Willamalane community pool and indoor water park are similarly not back to pre-pandemic staffing levels, although a hiring bonus and paying for the 40-hour lifeguard certification course - and the time to complete it - has helped boost enrollment. The Molalla Aquatic Center has hired 25% more lifeguards this summer than last year but has had to reduce the number of swim classes it can offer because of difficulty hiring certified instructors.  Joining us to share regional perspectives on lifeguard staffing and meeting the demand for aquatic recreation this summer are Andy Amato, aquatic program supervisor at Portland Parks & Recreation; Brandon Lemcke, aquatic program manager at Willamalane Park and Recreation District in Springfield; and Melissa Georgesen, executive director of the Molalla Aquatic District and aquatics section president of the Oregon Recreation and Park Association. Elandea Estrada-Duff also shares her perspective as a lifeguard working at Willamalane Swim Center in Springfield and Camp Harlow in Eugene.  

Families living at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington have dealt with issues like mold and rodents in their homes. Still, monthslong waitlists exist for housing on base as some families struggle to find somewhere to live nearby. Kaylee Tornay is an investigative reporter with InvestigateWest, a nonprofit news outlet covering the Pacific Northwest. She's covered these issues for the outlet and joins us with details of her reporting. 

Luke Hogan Laurenson graduated with a straight As from Ashland High School and gave a valedictorian speech at his graduation earlier this month. His high achievements are especially remarkable given the challenges he overcomes every day. Laurenson was born with a form of cerebral palsy that makes speech and movement difficult. Doctors told his mother that he would never be able to walk and would likely spend most of his life in an institution. But as he said in his graduation speech, he just “never believed that.” He walked by himself at age 12 and shortly thereafter, danced by himself. A video of him dancing to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” went viral. Laurenson has also acted in roles with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and at his high school. We talk with Laurenson and his mother, Jane Hogan, about his life and his post-high school plans, which include traveling the country to share his experience and what inspires him.

Repeating experiments and replicating results are key parts of successful scientific research. But in the field of robotics, working with different software platforms on different machines means that replication can be difficult. A $5 million National Science Foundation project led by Oregon State University aims to help with this challenge by building and distributing 50 standardized robots throughout the research community. The robot’s expressive face and gesturing arms are meant to help researchers study how humans and robots should interact in the workplace and other social environments. Bill Smart is a professor in OSU’s robotics program and one of the leaders of the project. He joins us to explain how a standardized robot could help accelerate research.

A 2022 National Science Foundation assessment of the U.S. Antarctic Programs found that “sexual harassment, stalking and sexual assault are ongoing, continuing problems.” These issues can be particularly problematic when researchers are isolated on ships or polar research stations. Three female scientists from Oregon State University join us to discuss the barriers they have faced, and how the field is changing.

The Latinx Theatre Commons will host a designer and director Colaboratorio in Portland. The event kicks off on June 28 and ends on July 2. Costume and set designers, directors and other creatives will meet to reimagine the typical director-driven theater model. Artists from across the country were chosen to participate in the gathering. Also participating is Francisco Garcia, a director, actor, educator and playwright based in Portland. Jacqueline Flores is a Latinx Theatre Commons producer. They join us with details of the Colaboratorio and share more on the importance of a collaborative approach to making theater. 

Earlier this month, a 15-year-old boy riding an electric bike died following a collision with a vehicle at an intersection on Highway 20 in Bend. The teen was not wearing a helmet and wasn’t legally allowed to operate the e-bike since he was under 16 years of age. It was the first fatality involving an e-bike in Bend, according to a recent article in the Bend Bulletin, which also described concerns that some adolescents on e-bikes are not following the rules of the road and engaging in risky or illegal behaviors such as not wearing a helmet and texting while riding. At a city council meeting last Wednesday, Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said the council would explore updating laws on bike safety, “including accounting for newer, faster e-bike models that have become more popular,” while taking additional actions to make cycling in the city safer. Michael Kohn, an environment and public lands reporter at the Bend Bulletin, and Jonathan Maus, editor and publisher of Bike Portland, join us to talk about this issue.