Think Out Loud

According to a new report from the Portland Metro Chamber, foot traffic in the central city is still down -21% compared to 2019. On top of that, the region lost nearly 10,000 jobs and has continued to lose population. Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Metro Chamber, joins us to talk through the report, and what he thinks is needed to help downtown Portland thrive.

Exactly three years ago, Russia mounted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering a war that has killed more than 12,000 civilians, displaced 4 million people internally and created nearly 7 million refugees, according to the United Nations. Today, Russian forces occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine.   Last week, President Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war, called its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a “dictator” and initiated talks with Russia – but not Ukraine – to end the conflict.  Two members of the Ukrainian American community in the Portland area join us to share their perspectives: Tatiana Terdal, president of the Portland-Lviv Friendship City Association and a board member of the Ukrainian Foundation; and Yulia Brockdorf, a Ukrainian American psychotherapist in Hillsboro who is the co-founder and president of DAWN, a nonprofit which delivers medical supplies and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Brockdorf and Terdal will speak at a war commemoration event on Monday, which will be held at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland from 5-8 p.m.    

Earlier this month, J.D. Tovey was appointed the executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation following a vote by its board. Tovey is an enrolled member of the CTUIR, and he had been serving as the interim executive director since last May.         An urban planner by training, Tovey was appointed by Gov. Kotek as co-chair of the Housing Production Advisory Council in March 2023. The council finished its work with a report released last year containing recommendations on how to meet the state’s target of building 36,000 new homes a year over the next decade.   Tovey joins us to talk about his work on the council and his priorities for the CTUIR, including the development of the Nixyáawii neighborhood within the Umatilla Indian Reservation to ease the housing shortage for tribal members. He also shares how the Trump administration’s policies and directives could affect tribal relations with the federal government.    

Medical Teams International is based in Tigard but its workers and volunteers bring life-saving, humanitarian aid around the world. The nonprofit’s president and CEO Eric Ha says the refugees they serve in East Africa fled violence, war or natural disasters. Many of them came years ago from Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania and other countries. The camps over time have become settlements, and in some cases the MTI programs are people’s only access to any kind of medical care - from treating common diseases like cholera and malaria to providing vaccinations to child health to maternity care. Ha joins us to tell us how MTI is handling the Trump-Musk freeze of federal funds from the state department and USAID.

On Monday, the Salem city council will vote to place a property tax levy on the May ballot which would cost the average Salem homeowner nearly $230 a year. If approved, it would help the city address a $14 million budget deficit and restore library hours which were cut last year. The levy would also fund parks maintenance, recreation programs such as youth camps, and classes and activities for seniors at Center 50+.       The vote will take place just two weeks after the abrupt resignation of city manager Keith Stahley. The Salem Reporter broke the news of Stahley’s resignation and the circumstances surrounding it after a performance audit released last month raised concerns about Stahley’s leadership and decision-making. Joe Siess covers local government for the Salem Reporter. He joins us to discuss the property tax levy and the controversy surrounding the city manager’s departure.  

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians recently purchased roughly 2,000 acres of land near the Table Rocks preserve north of Medford. The property is part of the ancestral homeland of several tribes that were forced out of the Rogue Valley in the mid-1850s. The tribes were relocated to the newly-created Siletz reservation on the coast, forcing them to adapt to an unfamiliar climate and way of life. The tribe plans to use the Table Rocks property for conservation and the cultivation of first foods going forward. Robert Kentta serves on the Siletz Tribal Council. He joins us to share more about the cultural, spiritual and historical significance of the site.

Earlier this month, the city of Bend announced it is seeking applicants to fill three vacancies on its Human Rights and Equity Commission. Its goals include advocating for historically marginalized or underrepresented groups, evaluating city policies or regulations for potential barriers they may create and recommending how to remove them.  The commission is one of two community advisory groups convened by Bend’s Accessibility and Equity Department, which also provides linguistic services to non-native English speakers, and an array of other programs and training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Meanwhile, Deschutes County commissioners recently voted to end the county’s DEIA committee. Andrés Portela, Bend’s equity and inclusion director, joins us to talk about his efforts amid the Trump administration’s backlash against DEI initiatives in government agencies, institutions and workplaces

In 2017, Oregon lawmakers passed a transportation package that was expected to generate $5.3 billion. Eight years later, revenue forecasts show funding has fallen short of projections, leaving the Oregon Department of Transportation with an ongoing budget crisis. Audits have revealed that ODOT is failing to meet accountability measures set up in the legislation, and many of its projects are behind schedule and over budget. Anastasia Mason recently investigated the 2017 package for the Statesman Journal. She joins us to talk about what the findings could mean for ODOT as it prepares to make another big funding ask this legislative session.

Portland’s Albina district was once a center for Black musicians in this country - producing some classic jazz, soul and gospel albums and bands. The newest record in Albina Music Trust’s catalog features Portland-based producers remixing some of the city’s historic music. Music producer Tony Ozier and DJ Jumbo join us to share some of the music and talk about the collaboration.

Portland will soon have what may be the first-of-its-kind training facility purpose-built for female athletes. RAJ Sports, the owners of the Portland Thorns, are building several soccer pitches, basketball courts, and more to serve the Thorns and the new WNBA franchise team. Karina LeBlanc, executive vice president of strategic growth for RAJ Sports, joins us to discuss the new facility and the future of women’s sports in Portland.