Think Out Loud

Last year, Portland Street Response expanded from a pilot program to a citywide service and answered more than 7,000 calls that would traditionally be handled by police. That’s according to a new report from Portland State University that also found that PSR aided in reducing the workload for police and hospitals. Despite the success of the program so far, researchers note that systemic issues could hinder overall effectiveness. Alex Zielinski is the Portland City Government Reporter for OPB. She joins us to share more details on the report and the future of the program.

Oregon was the first state in the country to ban single-family zoning in all but the smallest cities, meaning duplexes and triplexes can be built next door to single-family homes. The idea is to increase density within cities while preserving land for farms and wilderness in more rural areas. Denser housing could also help to combat climate change, and create more affordable housing to help reduce the number of people living on the streets. That’s the vision of the Yimbytown movement. In the spring of 2022, Think Out Loud hosted a panel at the Yimbytown conference in Portland to discuss what “Yes In My Backyard” could mean for the future of cities. The guests were Sam Diaz, Executive Director of 1,000 Friends of Oregon; Rukaiyah Adams, Board Chair of Albina Vision Trust; Marisa Zapata, Director of the Portland State University Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative; and Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer at the Atlantic magazine.

Live music was hit hard by the pandemic. After managing years of cancellations, quick thinking and reimagining the live music experience, some are feeling hopeful as the summer festival season kicks off. But some fans haven’t returned, and inflation is taking a toll for concert goers and venue owners as well. Christina Fuller is the owner of Fuller Events and a festival director for the Waterfront Blues Festival which kicks off on July 1. Jim Brunberg is a musician, and the founder and co-owner of Mississippi Studios and Revolution Hall in Portland. They join us with a pulse check on the live event industry.

After a nationwide search, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) has hired longtime nonprofit leader Paul Lumley as its new CEO. Currently the CEO for the Portland-based Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), and the former Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Lumley will be CAP’s first Native American CEO. Lumley joins us to talk about the future of Cascade AIDS Project, and his legacy with NAYA and CRITFC.

Cities in Oregon are finalizing their budgets. They’re juggling shrinking funding streams and increasing costs – especially from inflation. Twylla Miller is the chief financial officer for the city of Eugene. Robby Hammond is the city manager for Hillsboro. They join us with more on how cities are managing priorities and navigating tough financial decisions.

Today nurses at Providence Portland, Seaside and Home Health and Hospice will end a strike that began on Monday. Both sides expect talks about higher wages to resume, although no date is set. Kara Hayden, a speech and language pathologist with Providence Home Health and Hospice joins us to talk about what’s next.

Portland author Joshua James Amberson has a rare genetic condition that may eventually lead to blindness. His new book Staring Contest: Essays About Eyes, is a deep meditation on eyes, vision, and what we see.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has suffered the same pandemic setbacks as many other big theatres in the country. Seasons have shrunk, as has the staff. Earlier this year, former Artistic Director and Interim Executive Director Nataki Garrett stepped away after a staff shakeup and an emergency $2.5 million funding campaign. Shortly thereafter, the company announced it would need in excess of $7 million in order to finish the current season. OSF is unique in the nation, says American Theatre Editor-in-Chief Rob Weinert-Kendt. There are plenty of other big theatres in urban centers, but Ashland is not in an urban center. It’s the main cultural draw in Southern Oregon, and the scope and depth of its offerings appeal to a national audience. Despite its name, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival has been known for decades for its commitment to creating new plays and supporting groundbreaking work. Weinert-Kendt joins us to discuss some of the slings and arrows American theatre and OSF are facing.

Since 2020, two schools in the Eugene 4J School District have shared one building. The Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion School began sharing space with Eugene’s Kelly Middle School when the district decided to demolish the Silver Lea building. Over the years, the collocation has created tension between the two schools’ teachers, parents and students as they both now deal with limited classroom space.  The school district is currently reviewing options for the future of the shared building. Miranda Cyr is the education reporter for the Register Guard. She joins us to share more on what’s happening inside the two schools and their potential futures.

Pride Month is here and across the country LGBTQ+ communities are celebrating. At the same time, The Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest gay rights organizations in the U.S., has issued a state of emergency because of anti-LGBTQ legislation passing in states across America. We talk to three LGBTQ organizers from around the state about why celebrating pride is important and what it means to celebrate these events in some of Oregon’s rural parts of the state. Nik Portela is the program manager for the Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance. Laura Erceg is the director of Southern Oregon Coast Pride. Juliet Rutter is the board secretary with Umpqua Valley Rainbow Collective.