OPB's Think Out Loud

OPB's daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts.

OPB's daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts.

OPB's daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts.

OPB's daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts.

Now that the 2017 legislative session is over, Oregon’s business community and labor coalitions are looking ahead to possible 2018 ballot initiatives. Oregon Education Association president John Larson and Oregon Business Council vice president Jeremy Rogers discuss corporate taxes, the public employee pension crisis, and education funding.

We talk with Oregon Governor Kate Brown about the highs and lows of the 2017 legislative session, and look ahead to the political challenges on the horizon.

House Bill 2355, recently passed by the Oregon legislature, reduces the penalty for possession of small amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and ecstasy from felony to misdemeanor in some cases. Bobbin Singh, executive director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, discusses what the change says about Oregon’s approach to drug use and addiction.

Renters at a vacation home in Sunriver were surprised to learn that while they were in the hottub, they were being videotaped by the doorbell camera installed by the owner. The District Attorney decided not to press charges, but he put the homeowner, and other rental property owners, on notice.

A new series in the Idaho Statesman explores the relationship between salmon in the Pacific Northwest, dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers, and climate change. Reporter Rocky Barker tells us what he’s learned.

We get the latest regional business news from Suzanne Stevens, editor of the Portland Business Journal.

Traditional prosthetic limbs can cost up to $100,000 - but OHSU has provided 6-year-old Astoria boy Jude Rochon with new set of prosthetic hands for free, thanks to 3D printing technology. Dr. Albert Chi, an OHSU trauma surgeon and a leading expert on prosthetics, joins us to talk about working with Jude and developments in low-cost, low-tech prosthetics.

A recent fire at the Clackamas Service Center, a Southeast Portland homeless service provider and day center, has forced its temporary closure. Executive director Debra Mason joins us to talk about the center’s work and the fire’s impact.

Portland Mercury reporter Doug Brown brings us the bizarre story of a lengthy undercover investigation that lead to the arrest of a Portland man who trafficked in rare carnivorous plants.

The Montavilla Neighborhood Association Board of Directors issued a resolution asking the city to stop sweeping homeless camps in the neighborhood. We talk to Jonnie Shaver, the chair of the Board, about how the neighborhood is approaching homelessness.

Portland will open a grant process for community groups to jumpstart initiatives combating hate crimes. A total of $350,000 in grants will go out to successful applicants over the 2017-18 fiscal cycle.