The Evergreen

The Evergreen

OPB’s weekly podcast creates an audio portrait of the Pacific Northwest. We tell the stories of the people, places, communities and cultures that make up this region. It’s a podcast about the place YOU live, the places you love, and the geography you feel connected to.

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The Evergreen
Fiesta y Resistencia: a short history of Oregon’s Fiesta Mexicana

At Fiesta Mexicana in Woodburn, joint Mexican and American flags fly in the air. Colorfully dressed Aztec dancers take the stage. And elote is everywhere. 

 

It’s a celebration, but this year it’s become something more: an act of resistance. 

 

“We have to continue to do this despite everything, despite the harm, despite the oppression, despite the discrimination. We must persevere because that’s la lucha (the fight), that’s what it's about,” said Juan Cervantes Morales, a Fiesta Mexicana Vendor, in Spanish. 

 

Despite several cultural events being cancelled around the state and country, Fiesta Mexicana decided to carry on and provide a space for community members to be together and celebrate their culture. 

 

“It is critical that our new generations learn about these cultural practices, because it is through these same practices that they will inherit so many of the cultural values that will strengthen their lives,” said Eduardo Cruz Torres Amictlan of Huehca Omeyocan in Spanish. 

 

On this week’s episode, OPB’S Jenn Chávez and Alicia Avila share the story of Fiesta Mexicana — its history, how it represents cultura, resilencia y resistencia today, and what it means to Mexicans around Oregon. 

 

A thank you to Alicia Avila, who produced a documentary for OPB Oregon Experience called “Fiesta y Resistencia.” 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

 

00:33:23
Oct 6, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
‘The Evergreen’ bonus episode: Jesse Johnson was wrongfully convicted. Now, he’s suing

On September 5th, 2023, Jesse Johnson walked out of jail a free man. He’d spent a quarter century incarcerated, including 17 years on death row, for a crime he always insisted he didn’t commit: the 1998 murder of Harriet Thompson in Salem, Oregon.Two years after his release, Johnson is suing the state of Oregon and the Salem police detectives who locked him up for much of his life. The lawsuit argues that flagrant racism played a key role in the investigation into Johnson that led to his imprisonment.The case against Johnson was the focus of the first season of OPB’s investigative podcast series “Hush,” reported by Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas. Today, Ryan joins us for an update.

00:14:47
Sep 24, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Beyond the Beats: a short history of Portland hip-hop

Portland may not be known as a hub of hip-hop on par with New York or Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a hotbed for sonic experimentation and incredible talent for decades. 

 

We had all the elements: historic Black neighborhoods in Northeast Portland, jazz dripping out of clubs, funk bands, block parties, dances, and plenty of good ol’ fashioned youthful angst. So why isn’t Portland hip-hop bigger?

 

Marlon “Vursatyl” Irving, a long-time Portland rapper and founding member of the Lifesavas hip-hop group, says local nightclubs and venues discriminated against artists, denying artists access to performance spaces

 

“It was hard for us to get into clubs,” he says. “I think had there been more racial diversity in Portland, and just more understanding about hip-hop culture at the time that the foundation was being laid, we would've got to hear some of the greatest, we would've had recordings from the greatest, we would've seen their careers blossom.” 

 

On this week’s episode, we hear from pioneers and new wave artists about Portland hip-hop, why it isn’t bigger and what keeps it going. 

 

A special thank you to J Jackson, who produced the documentary “Beyond the Beats” in collaboration with OPB’s Oregon Experience, KMHD Jazz Radio, and Albina Music Trust

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

 

00:22:16
Sep 22, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
OHSU primate research center under scrutiny from scientists and activists opposed to animal research

In the U.S., there are about 100,000 monkeys, baboons, and other primates living in captivity to support scientific research. About 5,000 of them are at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center. That’s where researchers do experiments on monkeys to try to get clear data about things like cannabis use during pregnancy, and to find cures for diseases like HIV. Animal rights activists have argued for decades that the center should be closed. And they’re gaining momentum with support from Oregon’s governor and some lawmakers. In addition, scientists who oppose using animals in research argue that the practice has become obsolete and is hindering, not helping the effort to find cures. 

 

OPB health reporter Amelia Templeton recently visited the Oregon National Primate Research Center and talked to a lot of smart people on all sides of this complex topic. She joins us to share her reporting. 

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:26:58
Sep 15, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Oregon roadside zoo shut down due to animal welfare concerns and other illegal activity

On the morning of May 15, 2025, officers from multiple local, state and federal agencies raided the West Coast Game Park Safari and seized more than 300 animals. The park had a wide variety of animals, including lions and other big cats, capybaras, camels and a chimpanzee. They also had chickens, sheep, llamas and goats. People had been complaining about dangerous conditions at the park for years and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited them for violating the Animal Welfare Act numerous times. Law enforcement also found over 80 grams of meth, eight grams of cocaine, 44 guns, and $1.6 million. 

 

Justin Higginbottom is a reporter for Jefferson Public Radio based in southern Oregon, and he joins us to share what he’s learned about the raid and what led up to it. His stories come to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, host Jenn Chávez and Oregon Field Guide.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:24:37
Aug 25, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
In Portland, Romance is more than a summer fling

It’s the summer. The days are longer, and the nights are hotter. 

 

It’s the perfect time to talk about romance, specifically romance novels. They’ve become so popular in recent years, with over 39 million copies sold in 2023, according to The New York Times.  

 

That doesn’t exclude the Pacific Northwest. Here, we’ve also seen a rise in romance books being checked out of libraries. In the Portland metro area alone, we have two bookstores dedicated to romance books.

 

On today’s episode, OPB’s Crystal Ligori and Sukhjot Sal warm our hearts by telling us how the genre got so popular and why they love it so much. 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:31:38
Aug 18, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Portland's Tribal Relations was once groundbreaking. What happened?
00:24:14
Aug 4, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
How these two groups help Asian American seniors combat loneliness

Where do you go to find community when you’re older? 

 

That’s a question OPB’s Winston Szeto wanted to answer, specifically for senior communities of color. 

 

The Yat Sing Music Club was founded in 1942 by Chinese immigrants in Portland, Oregon. The club was started to raise funds for China’s defense against Japan during World War II. 

 

Over 80 years later, Yat Sing preserves Cantonese opera through ongoing rehearsals and community outreach. The club is particularly important for the older generation. This is a space where they can be themselves and celebrate their culture. 

 

There’s a similar experience at Ikoi no Kai, a senior meal program in Portland that opened in 1979. It offers a space for local Japanese Americans coming together over food and connection. 

 

In Oregon, the need for social connection is more important than ever. The latest census data says the state ranks among the highest in the country for residents who report feeling lonely. 

 

OPB’s Winston Szeto researched this topic by looking into these two groups — and why it's important to focus on those rarely covered in the media: seniors. 

 

Check out OPB’s Oregon Experience documentary on the Yat Sing Music Club and story on Ikoi no Kai

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:26:36
Jul 21, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
OPB investigates decades-old allegations of abuse by St. Helens teacher

This episode involves sexual abuse. Please keep that in mind in choosing when and where to listen. And if you or someone you know may be a victim of sexual abuse, confidential support, information and advice are available at the National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 800-656-4673.

 

Description:  In November of 2024 protests erupted in the small Oregon city of St. Helens. Students and parents called for more accountability after two teachers were arrested for allegedly abusing students. A police investigation led to the arrests of choir teacher Eric Stearns and recently retired math teacher Mark Collins, who were charged with sexually abusing multiple students between 2015 and 2024. This is not the first time that a teacher at St. Helens High School has been accused of abusing students

 

OPB reporter Joni Auden Land covered the upheaval in St Helens as it unfolded late last year. Around that same time, they got an email from someone who graduated from high school there in 1988. The email was from Jodie Westing, and she said that when she was a 17-year-old senior at St Helens High School, a 31-year-old teacher groomed and manipulated her into a sexual relationship with him. The teacher Westing says abused her was Gene Evans, who later became a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Education and the Department of Human Services. Westing’s email launched a months-long investigation by OPB. Joni joins us to tell the story and give us a window into their reporting process. 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, host Jenn Chávez and Oregon Field Guide.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:26:32
Jul 7, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Oregon Country Fair: from hippies to belonging

At the Oregon Country Fair, there are fairies and gnomes walking around in colorful costumes. A 40-person marching band also bursts out of nowhere and plays down a path. 

“Feels like you stepped into a wonderland or something magical,” one fairgoer told OPB in 2024. 

The fair grew out of a 1960s vision of a better world: a paradise for hippies. But the history of the fair is complex. It takes place on a native ancestral gathering site. 

“I think there's a part of hippie culture that thinks that they can take any culture from any part of the world and make whatever they want of it,” said David Lewis, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Indigenous Studies at Oregon State University and a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

 

In this week’s episode, we sit down with OPB’s Oregon Art Beat producer Eric Slade and freelance producer Kunu Bearchum to talk about the Oregon Country Fair and how it houses hundreds of artists every year – and its history, from hippies to Native belonging. 

 

Check out OPB’s hour-long documentary on the Oregon Country Fair. 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:22:35
Jun 30, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Oregon Country Fair: from hippies to belonging

At the Oregon Country Fair, there are fairies and gnomes walking around in colorful costumes. A 40-person marching band also bursts out of nowhere and plays down a path. 

“Feels like you stepped into a wonderland or something magical,” one fairgoer told OPB in 2024. 

The fair grew out of a 1960s vision of a better world: a paradise for hippies. But the history of the fair is complex. It takes place on a native ancestral gathering site. 

“I think there's a part of hippie culture that thinks that they can take any culture from any part of the world and make whatever they want of it,” said David Lewis, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Indigenous Studies at Oregon State University and a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

 

In this week’s episode, we sit down with OPB’s Oregon Art Beat producer Eric Slade and freelance producer Kunu Bearchum to talk about the Oregon Country Fair and how it houses hundreds of artists every year – and its history, from hippies to Native belonging. 

 

Check out OPB’s hour-long documentary on the Oregon Country Fair. 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:22:35
Jun 30, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
How DNA can unlock - or unravel - an Oregon cold case

In 1988, Deborah Atrops was reported missing to police by her husband Robert. When she was found dead, police quickly honed in on her husband as the prime suspect, but without enough evidence to charge him, the case went cold. Until more than three decades later, when Washington County prosecutors declared they’d finally solved the case, and charged Robert Atrops with Deborah Atrops’ murder — thanks, in part, to DNA.

Since its introduction, DNA has been considered the “gold standard” of evidence. And advances in DNA testing over the years have sometimes provided the opportunity for a second look at decades-old cases like this one. But DNA evidence isn’t always as simple as it seems on television. Sometimes what it tells us isn’t so clear.

OPB legal affairs reporter Conrad Wilson and public safety and health editor Michelle Wiley have been closely following the Atrops case for months, and join us to explain.

For more episodes of The Evergreen, and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:
Hush
Timber Wars Season 2: Salmon Wars
Politics Now
Think Out Loud
And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:43:50
Jun 23, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Class of 2025: Meet the parents

When Rodger Kennedy was 17 years old, he dropped out of high school. He worked to survive on his own.  

Over a decade later, right before Rodger turned 30, he decided to get his GED. He wanted to prove a point to his son Sam. 

“I did it to show them that it's never too late to follow through and finish that goal,” Rodger said.

In this week’s episode, we finish our three-part series on OPB’s “Class of 2025.” It’s a project we created back in 2012 when former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber declared the ambitious goal of one-hundred percent graduation by 2025. 

 

That’s when OPB decided to document the stories of a kindergarten class on their journey all the way through high school: to capture what it’s like to grow up in the Oregon education system, and all the other life experiences that make us who we are along the way. Thirteen years after Kitzhaber’s State of the State address, one-hundred percent high school graduation is no longer the goal. 

 

Today, we tell the stories of the unsung heroes we’ve met along the way: the parents and guardians of the class of 2025 students. 

 

Education reporter Elizabeth Miller tells us the story of Rodger and his son Sam, plus all the other ways parents have impacted their kids in the project. 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:28:41
Jun 16, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
The Class of 2025: Not everyone graduates

“High school didn't really go the way I expected it,” said Leyna, who didn’t graduate with her high school class in early June. 

 

Leyna’s dad died right before her freshman year. Since then, she’s struggled to complete her work, and she switched to online school her senior year. She was dealing with some health issues and helping her mom take care of her little sister. 

 

School wasn’t her main priority.

 

In this week’s episode, we continue to tell the stories of OPB’s “Class of 2025.” It’s a project we created back in 2012 when former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber declared the ambitious goal of one-hundred percent graduation by 2025. 

 

That’s when OPB decided to document the stories of a kindergarten class on their journey all the way through high school: to capture what it’s like to grow up in the Oregon education system, and all the other life experiences that make us who we are along the way. Thirteen years after Kitzhaber’s State of the State address, one-hundred percent high school graduation is no longer the goal. 

 

Today, we tell the stories of two students who aren’t graduating. Education reporter Elizabeth Miller gives us insight into their lives. 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:36:32
Jun 9, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
The Class of 2025: Two cousins, different zip codes

In 2012, former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber declared an ambitious goal in his State of the State Address

 

“Next year’s class of kindergarten students is a benchmark,” he said. “They are the class of 2025. And 2025 is the year we’ve set to have 100 percent high school graduation in the state of Oregon.”

 

OPB decided to document the stories of a kindergarten class on their journey all the way through high school; to capture what it’s like to grow up in the Oregon education system, and all the other life experiences that make us who we are along the way. 

 

Thirteen years after Kitzhaber’s State of the State address, that once tall order of a one-hundred percent high school graduation rate is no longer the goal. 

 

“We’re not gonna meet it,” Kitzhaber said. 

 

Now, it’s both the Class of 2025’s last year of high school and OPB’s last year of this long-term project. 

 

In the next few weeks, we’ll hear three unique stories from the class of 2025 students we’ve been following. 

 

In this episode, we present the story of two cousins: Anna and Austin. As little kids, they lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same elementary school. But now they go to different high schools, in two different zip codes.

 

How did Austin and Anna’s high schools affect their decisions about college? Education reporter Elizabeth Miller finds out. 

 

For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:31:16
Jun 2, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Portland’s ‘frog taxi’ helps amphibians cross the road
00:24:55
May 26, 2025 5:0 AM
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The Evergreen
Portland makes cool audio gear

When you hear the words ‘craft’ or ‘artisan’ mentioned together with Portland, you might tend to think of beer or coffee. But it could also easily be artisan amplifiers and handcrafted cables. From custom-made guitars to individually soldered effects pedals, the city has a vibrant boutique audio manufacturing industry closely intertwined with the local music scene.

 

Portland writer Marc Young tells us about how Oregon became known as a place where people make a lot of very cool audio equipment.



For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage.

Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too.

You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.

 

Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps:

And many more! Check out our full show list here.

00:19:45
May 19, 2025 5:0 AM
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