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Time Running Out For Wheeler To Deliver On Portland Homeless Crisis Promises

OPB Political Chat

OPB Political Chat - January 18, 2019

The Oregon State University baseball team won the national title for the third time this week. Ken Goe of The Oregonian/OregonLive joins us from Omaha to talk about how they did it. We also talk with OPB producer John Rosman about his story on the mouth of the Columbia River. Making it safe for shipping traffic requires a lot heavy engineering. And OPB political reporters Jeff Mapes and Dirk VanderHart review the week in politics, including the insurmountable hurdles for backers of a gun control measure, and how recent news from the U.S. Supreme Court might play out in Oregon.

OSU Beavers Win College World Series; Taming The Graveyard Of The Pacific; The Week In Politics

Thursday morning, federal agents began dismantling a makeshift encampment in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland. Protesters were able to shut the facility down for more than a week. OPB's Dirk VanderHart reports from the scene. We also visit with alfalfa farmers in Washington state, who get assistance from millions of tiny native helpers. Aaron Scott from Oregon Field Guide reports on the alkali bee's role in the cultivation of this important crop.

Authorities Move In On ICE Protest Encampment; Native Bees Help NW Alfalfa Farmers

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that state and local government workers who are represented by organized labor no longer have to pay dues if they don't want to belong to a union. OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes joins us to talk about how this will affect public employees in Oregon and Washington.

Supreme Court Rules Against Mandatory Union Dues

The largest psychiatric hospital in Washington state has been under scrutiny for two years, and the federal government said this week its reform efforts didn't go far enough. Austin Jenkins of the Northwest News Network joins us to explain the decision and what it means for patients at the hospital.

Western State Hospital Loses Certification, $53 Million In Federal Funds

The shock waves from the biggest political story of the week were felt in Oregon. Protesters demonstrating against the Trump policy of separating migrant families at the border with Mexico were able to temporarily shut down the ICE facility in Portland. In our weekly conversation about regional politics, we also talk about the fate of two gun ballot measures and a proposal to ban taxes on groceries. OPB political reporters Jeff Mapes and Dirk VanderHart join us.

The Week In Oregon Politics For Friday, June 22, 2018

The federal prison in Sheridan, Ore., holds 123 immigrant detainees. Residents of the small town are feeling left in the dark about who is being held there, and what's happening to them. Ericka Cruz Guevarra reports.

In Sheridan, Questions From Residents Linger About Immigration Detainees

Cattle ranching is hard, even without a drought. But this year, ranchers are having to truck water in to their herds and buy hay they normally would grow themselves. Anna King reports from Harney Country. Also, Eilis O'Neill of EarthFix visits a trail that has become wildly popular with Seattle hikers. Native Americans with treaty rights to hunt and gather there are getting squeezed out.

Oregon Ranchers Take Extra Measures During The Drought; Hikers Crowd Trails Traditionally Used By Native Hunters

In the first part of a series, Anna King visits ranchers in Harney County, who are dealing with drought much earlier than usual.

Eastern Oregon Ranchers Struggle With Deepening Drought

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has sued or joined lawsuits against the Trump administration 16 times. OPB legal affairs reporter Conrad Wilson joins us to discuss why Rosenblum is using the justice system to thwart the Trump agenda.

What's Behind Oregon's Many Lawsuits Against The Trump Administration?

For about eight years, a small monastery has kept an obscure Buddhist tradition alive in the Gorge. Bradley Parks reports on the relationship that's blossomed between one Washington town and the Buddhist monks who call it home. In our weekly conversation about regional politics, OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes and news director Anna Griffin talk about how abortion, daycare oversight and trust in government might play into the governor's race.

Meet The Monks Of The Columbia River Gorge; The Week In Politics

The famed Oregon author strove to create characters that people of color and non-traditional gender roles could identify with. April Baer from OPB's State of Wonder has the story.

How Ursula K. Le Guin Shaped Representation In Science Fiction

OPB's top news stories from around the Pacific Northwest.

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