Portland News Network

Two year's into Ted Wheeler's tenure as Mayor of Portland, Rachel Monahan of the Willamette Week joins us to review his impact to date, including the successes, the prominent challenges, and why at times he's been "marooned," despite a city that's booming around him. We also look forward to see what the second half of his term may hold for the city across homelessness, police relations, City Council, and beyond.

So now what? In our first roundtable, we host OPB's Dirk VanderHart, Willamette Week's Rachel Monahan, and the Portland Mercury's Alex Zielinski to break down the mid-term election results at the city and state levels. The rich discussion covers the key races and measures, but especially seeks to answer: What do these results actually mean for the people of Portland?

This week we dive deep into the Mayor's new ordinance that potentially breaks with the First Amendment in restricting the right to assemble and protest within city limits. We also review the Mayor's highly controversial reveal - employed to help justify the ordinance: that prior to the August 4th Patriot Prayer protest, police discovered members of the far right group on a rooftop with a cache of firearms in close proximity to the start of the rally. The Portland Mercury's Alex Zielinski is here to walk us through it step by step.

This week we dive deep with OPB's Ericka Cruz Guevarra to discuss the upcoming November ballot measure to tax big retailers operating in Portland in order to finance our city's ambitious clean energy goals. Get up to speed here on Portland Clean Energy Measure 26-201, before you cast your vote!

What happened to a $9,000 check from a local non-profit's 2017 expenses? A small question but of real consequence in the election for Portland City Commissioner. OPB's Amelia Templeton first broke the story and we dive deep on her investigation.

This week we're joined by Rachel Monahan of the Willamette Week to dive deep into the latest developments in the runoff election for City Commissioner between Jo-Ann Hardesty and Loretta Smith, including a highly unusual endorsement with potentially significant implications. The election will take place on November 6th and we’ll have coverage carrying you all the way to election day: who are these candidates, what do they believe in, what are their tangible actionable visions and plans for this city?

This week we're joined by Tony Schick of OPB to discuss the current state of wildfire in Oregon. We review how our fundamental strategy to fighting fires has been deeply flawed for decades, not only impeding our ability to control the risk of wildfires, but actually contributing directly to the profound increase in frequency and cost of their most severe manifestations. During the show we go deep on the history of the problem, our current state, and the solution that experts agree will greatly reduce the region’s risk, if leaders will put greater action behind their words.

This week we're joined by Alex Zielinski of the Portland Mercury to go deep on the first candidate forum in the runoff election between Jo Ann Hardesty and Loretta Smith for Portland City Commissioner. We explore the candidates, their key positions, and their most telling points from the forum to kick off our coverage of this important race.

Hear from one of the leading voices informing the nation from on the ground at this past weekend's Patriot Prayer protest and Antifa counter-protest. We're fortunate to be joined by the Willamette Week's Katie Shepherd and in Act One we dive deep into the controversial rally, the key players, and the ramifications of what transpired. In Act Two, we review the related issue of gun laws in OR and her recent investigation into OR's Stand Your Ground law, one of the most broadsweeping in the nation in protecting private citizens applying deadly force in self defense.

This week we're joined by Kelly Kenoyer of the Portland Mercury to discuss Portland city officials' recent participation in an international exchange to learn "best practices" from the highly controversial Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) surveillance strategy known for infiltrating American Muslim communities to identify terrorists.

This week we're joined by Rachel Monahan of the Willamette Week to discuss the proposal to toll significant portions of I-5 and I-205 to curb congestion. Over the course of the show, we dive deep on the players in unlikely alliance, the controversial elements to the plan, and the polarizing ramifications.

This week we are joined once more by Elliot Njus of the Oregonian for part two of our primer on the current housing crisis in Portland. On the show we dive deep on gentrification-driven displacement, exploring the underlying causes, factors, and ongoing efforts to enact change.

This week we are joined by Elliot Njus of the Oregonian to review the current housing crisis in Portland including homelessness, zoning, availability, and displacement driven by gentrification.

This week we are joined by Katie Shepherd of the Willamette Week to discuss her recent investigative reporting on the extent to which local law enforcement agencies may be breaking with Portland's sanctuary status by volunteering certain information on undocumented immigrants to ICE.