OPB's Think Out Loud

Multnomah County has announced that it is sueing multiple pharmaceutical companies, accusing them of pushing doctors to overprescribe opioids. The lawsuit is modeled after the lawsuits against the tobacco industry for deceiving the public about the dangers of smoking. We talk to Richard Daynard who was instrumental in many of those tobacco lawsuits, and to Christine Gregoire, who was Attorney General in Washington state when they sued tobacco companies.

Recent reporting by the Oregonian’s Mike Rogoway points to a slump in Oregon’s tech sector this year, despite an economy that is otherwise on the move. What does the tech landscape look like in Oregon today? State economist Josh Lehner, Portland State Business Accelerator Director Angela Jackson, and Portland Angel Fund founder Eric Rosenfeld join us to discuss.

Gaps in cell phone and internet coverage have long caused problems for some rural communities in Oregon. Expected tourist traffic for next week’s solar eclipse is drawing new attention to the issue. We speak to Oregon State Representative Greg Smith about how the issue’s playing out in his district, which includes some of the most sparsely populated counties in the state.

This week, OPB’s State of Wonder will be driving across Oregon ahead of the eclipse, checking out the preparations towns in the path of the totality are making. Today they’re in Corvallis checking out an art exhibit focused on totality.

Scientists now have the ability to grow diamonds, one of the hardest substances in the world, in a lab. We talk to Anna-Mieke Anderson, the founder of a Portland diamond company that sells jewelry made from lab-grown diamonds and uses the proceeds to help people and environments exploited by diamond mining.

Former journalist Leah Kohlenberg learned to draw and paint, and noticed her writing became more focused and more interesting. She now makes a living creating and selling her own art and teaching journalists and other non-artists how to draw. We talk to her and a journalist who says learning to draw helped her do her job better

This week, OPB’s State of Wonder will be driving across Oregon ahead of the eclipse, checking out the preparations towns in the path of the totality are making.

The federal government has cut a five-year program aimed at reducing teen pregnancy. Jenny Withycombe was in charge of implementing the program for Portland Public Schools.

A new study out of the University of Washington found something interesting: that heavy Asian Americans are more likely to be perceived as “American” than their thinner counterparts. We learn more from the study’s co-author, UW Associate Professor of Psychology Sapna Cheryan.

Jason Conger, Anna Griffin, and Dirk Vanderhart join us to talk about some of the biggest stories of the week. And OPB education reporter Rob Manning joins us briefly to fill us in on the new pick for superintendent of Portland Public Schools.

Shaun Clements with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife tells us about the very real extinction threat that the federally protected sea lion population poses to the Willamette populations of steelhead.

US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended changes to the way Oregon and other Western states approach protecting the greater sage grouse. This comes after a 60-day review of a comprehensive Obama-era conservation plan. We go to rancher Tom Sharp, conservationist Dan Morse, and researcher Christian Hagen for their takes on the shift.

Rural Oregon was hit harder by the recession than urban areas, and it is still recovering. Central Oregon regional economist Damon Rundberg shares a report showing that even after 7 years of uneven economic recovery, Oregon’s rural counties remain below peak employment. And we hear from OPB’s Amanda Peacher about one ranch that’s trying a new economic model.

Eugene Chief of Police Pete Kerns announced earlier this year that he will be retiring after nine years on the job. Kerns has been a police officer in Eugene since 1981. We’ll talk to about how policing in Eugene has changed in the last 30 years, and what the city should be looking for in its next chief.

Hundreds of homeless people living on agricultural land east of Redmond may be displaced as the local government prepares to close roads and clean up the land, which has been the site of illegal dumping and illegal dirt roads. We talk to Barry Hebert, social services director for St. Vincent de Paul of Redmond, and Jean, a homeless man who lives on the land.