Think Out Loud

Clyde Best became one of England’s first Black soccer superstars when he played for West Ham United from 1968 to 1976. Best scored 58 goals in his 218 appearances as a striker for West Ham. He later 

went on to play for the Portland Timbers from 1977 to 1981, helping build the foundation for professional soccer in the U.S. 

The documentary “Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story” showcases Best’s life and career, including the racism he had to contend with on and off the pitch. The film will play at the Aladdin Theater on June 4 and 5, followed by a Q&A with Best and other interviewees in the film. 

Clyde Best joins us for a conversation ahead of those screenings.

 For the third year in a row, the Cascade Booksellers Association has thrown a kind of huge book party for book lovers in the Portland metro area. The idea is to highlight the huge variety of book shops and get people out to visit as many of them as they can. More than 80 bookstores are participating in Portland Book Week this year, including the White Rabbit Book Cafe in Oregon City, Maggie Mae’s Bookshop in Gresham and Lost & Bound Books, a mobile bookshop based in Portland. We sit down with owners Danielle Walsh, Sho Roberts and Desirai Vuylsteke to hear more about what led them to start their independent shops, how they see their role in their communities and their fondest hopes for the week.

After the deadly chemical tank rupture that killed 11 people last Tuesday at a paper mill in Longview, questions continue to loom over the community — including what environmental impacts the chemical spill could have on the city and nearby Columbia River, as well as the potential cause of this disaster. It’s Washington’s deadliest workplace incident in nearly a century.

Officials from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board arrived in Longview last Wednesday to investigate the cause of the chemical disaster. The future of the board has been uncertain in recent months after a proposed budget from President Trump would have defunded the federal agency, and a recent house bill restored the board's funding by $8.2 million. But yesterday afternoon, the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment brought by U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to add over $5 million to preserve the full funding for the CSB.

We’ll hear more from Gluesenkamp Perez, whose congressional district includes Longview, for more on the investigation and its impact on the Longview community.

So Mary decided to help by donating $50,000 to start a fund for cancer patients in the North Coast region to pay for expenses like transportation, utility bills, lodging and rent. Nine years later, the Arm-in-Arm Fund has nearly tripled in size and has given grants to dozens of patients at the CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative in Astoria. 

This year, the Columbia Memorial Hospital Foundation increased to $2,000 the grant money a team of social workers can award to an individual to help them, for example, replace a broken refrigerator or repair a home furnace. Money from the fund has also been used to provide Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meals for patients and their families. Joining us to discuss the fund and its impact are Mary Armington and William Armington, who is now retired and has also donated to the fund. Mark Kujala, foundation director of Columbia Memorial Hospital also joins us.

 Last week, Portland City Councilors passed a new policy barring law enforcement of all kinds from wearing masks. The policy itself would also direct the Portland Police Bureau to investigate someone who engages in law-enforcement activity, such as detaining someone, and doesn’t show proper credentials.

The ordinance passed in an 8-4 vote, and was introduced by Councilor Sameer Kanal and co-sponsored by Councilor Elena Pirtle-Guiney and Angelita Morillo. Opponents of the law say the policy raises concerns around labor laws and workload for PPB officers. Joining us to share more on the policy and its impacts are PPB Chief Bob Day and Councilor Morillo.

A decade ago, a building in Portland's Nob Hill neighborhood exploded in a gas leak and was consumed by a fire soon after. That building was home to Portland Bagelworks and the eyewear shop Fetch, as well as Art Work Rebels Tattoo Studio, which was located in the building for seven years. Artist Jeff P, who now co-owns Tattoo Smile, was an artist at the shop when this happened. After the dust settled and rubble was sorted, much of the shop was lost, including memories, personal belongings and much of the hand drawn art and flash that many artists like Jeff created.

But for Jeff, some of his work survived as digital scans and phone camera photos he captured as he documented his own work. Now, Jeff has released a book marking the anniversary of the explosion. "Everything That Burned” is a collection of scans and photos of his art and the shop after the fire. Jeff joins us to share more on his memories of the shop and his new book.

Around 44,000 people died in a gun-related injury in the U.S. in 2024, according to a new report from Pew Research. Suicides make up a majority of those deaths at 62%. But in Oregon, that number is much higher, with 80% of all firearm deaths being a suicide. On top of that, previous reporting has also shown that some of the state’s most rural areas have the highest rates of gun-related suicides, especially for older men. Becca Valek is a research project coordinator at OHSU’s Gun Violence Prevention Center. Katie Lossi is an Associate Professor at OHSU’s department of medicine and a staff physician at VA Portland Health Care System. They both join us now to discuss these figures and what can be done to address them.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the national suicide and crisis lifeline. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Eleven people died after a chemical tank holding hundreds of thousands of corrosive chemicals ruptured last Tuesday at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is leading the investigation as questions mount over workplace safety and the caustic stew of chemicals and equipment maintenance within the paper mill. 

Washington state’s deadliest workplace incident in nearly a century has raised concerns about Oregon’s level of readiness and resources to respond to hazardous materials incidents. 

That experience dates back to 1989, when Oregon became the first state in the nation to establish a state-level hazmat program. Today, there are 12 regional hazardous material emergency response teams, from Astoria to Ontario, who can quickly deploy to support local first responders in emergencies, as well as offer training to local agencies and industries. The  Community Right to Know program allows members of the public to see where hazardous substances are being stored in their communities, unless that information is determined to be sensitive or confidential.  

Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple joins us to share her thoughts on the Longview disaster and Oregon’s efforts to mitigate the risks hazardous materials pose.

The Portland Business Journal reported this week that hotels in downtown Portland are still struggling years later to recover from the pandemic. According to the commercial real estate analytics firm CoStar, the occupancy rate for downtown Portland hotels was roughly 62% last year – nearly 10% less than their pre-pandemic occupancy levels in 2019. In another ominous sign of the market’s recovery, the revenue the hotels generated per room was $13 less last year than what they earned in 2019. Recovery for other downtown businesses, including restaurants and commercial real estate, has also been slow.

A recent report from Travel Oregon, meanwhile, showed that spending on hotels and motels by visitors to the Portland region increased by 2% last year from 2024. That might suggest that business travelers and tourists are returning to the area, but choosing to stay overnight and spend their money outside of downtown. Sara Edwards is a staff reporter at the Portland Business Journal who covers commercial real estate. She joins us to explain the grim outlook facing Portland’s downtown hotels.

The only coalition in Oregon that supports aging members of LGBTQ+ communities is expanding its reach.

Over the past decade, the Oregon LGBTQ+ Aging Coalition has conducted a survey on the needs of older LGBTQ+ adults and helped pass legislation that aims to protect queer seniors living in long-term care facilities. It’s currently a volunteer-run effort, but a new collaboration with the nonprofit AGE+ will allow the group to hire its first paid staff and eventually assume its own nonprofit status.

Brandy Penner is the executive director of the Coalition. She joins us to talk about the new partnership and the needs of this population.

The train-related traffic delays in Portland — especially in the city’s inner east side — have gotten worse and more frequent in recent years. As rail transportation consultant Bill Burgel told Willamette Week, that’s in large part because the average length of a freight train has doubled. Trains used to be 7,500 feet, and now they’re commonly 15,000 feet or more. 

As a former employee of Union Pacific with 50 years of experience in the rail industry, and as a member of the city’s Freight Committee, Burgel pays close attention to these delays. And he has some structural ideas to solve or alleviate the delays that regularly last an hour or more. We sit down with Burgel to understand all the factors behind these mind-blowing delays and more about possible solutions.

Straddling Multnomah and Clackamas counties, the Willamette National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Oregon for military veterans, their spouses and dependent children. Even though it won’t reach capacity for 15 years, The Department of Veterans Affairs is already planning for expansion by possibly acquiring roughly 300 acres of farmland southeast of Salem.

Per reporting by the Salem Reporter, the agency announced last September it was conducting an environmental assessment of the property, a functioning vineyard located in the unincorporated community of Macleay. Residents there have expressed concerns to VA officials about impacts on water usage, traffic and the rural character of their farming community.  

Earlier this month, Marion County Commissioners sent a letter to the VA echoing those concerns and urging the agency to find an alternative site. Gov. Tina Kotek has also now gotten involved by writing directly to VA Secretary Doug Collins to work with the commissioners to find a different location. 

The Salem Reporter’s Hailey Cook has been following these developments and joins us to share more details.

 “Failure to protect” charges are criminal prosecutions where one parent is accused of allowing another parent, or spouse, to abuse a child. For many, such as Deborah Albin, they may also be survivors of abuse, but are unable to raise that within their defense.

Albin’s significant other, Andrew Oaks, is facing second-degree murder charges for their daughter Opal’s death. Andrew had previously threatened to kill Deborah and was accused by Albin of physically assaulting her. Despite this, courts are not allowing Albin to bring these incidents in her defense. This is part of a larger pattern of prosecutions against women using “failure to protect” laws.

Kaylee Tornay is an investigative reporter with Investigate West and has been following Deborah Albin’s case. She joins us to share more.

 Eddie Bynum Jr., who raps professionally as Mikey Vegaz, is a very busy man. He just released a new track called Rose City Goats with Damion Lillard and Cool Nutz. And he’s just opened a new restaurant called “The EAST by Trap Kitchen in the central eastside. He’s also active in nonprofit work and community efforts, including Rose City Jam, a monthly basketball night for youth in partnership with the Blazers Boys and Girls Club. 

The original Trap Kitchen was started in LA by Bynum’s brother, Malachi Jenkins. He and a former gang rival, Roberto Smith went into business together in 2013 and later launched Trap Kitchen food carts in LA and then in Portland. That food cart turned into The EAST by Trap Kitchen. We sit down with Bynum to talk about his restaurant, his music, and his contributions to the larger community, including Rose City Jam.

The Infant/Toddler Mental Health graduate certificate is designed to help educators, social workers, counselors and other early childhood specialists foster strong connections between caregivers and their children during the earliest stages of life. Research shows that consistent, loving feedback from caregivers helps build neural connections that support communication and emotional resilience as a child grows up.

We talk with Melissa Williams, an early intervention specialist with the Multnomah Early Childhood Program, and Sally Guyon, the co-coordinator of the Early Childhood: Inclusive Education master’s program and an assistant professor of early childhood care and education at PSU.

 Early Tuesday morning, a chemical tank ruptured at a paper mill in Southwest Washington, killing at least two people and injuring eight more. 

At least nine more people are still unaccounted for as of Wednesday morning. Hundreds of community members held a vigil Tuesday evening to honor those affected by the tragedy. 

Recovery efforts were suspended yesterday evening due to the ongoing threat of corrosive chemicals at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company.

We’ll hear from state Sen. Jeff Wilson from Washington’s 19th Legislative District, which covers Longview. Wilson grew up in Longview and ran a private sector waste management firm before going into politics. 

He’ll share his experience of working as an environmental cleanup contractor at the Longview paper mill over the years

There is a lot that goes into a cup a coffee. From beans, to roast, to grind, to water and even temperature, it is incredibly difficult to make one cup of coffee the exact same as the next. But researchers at the University of Oregon may have found a way to make a cup of coffee more consistent. Chris Hendon is a chemist and associate professor at UO. His previous research illuminated how spraying water on coffee beans before grinding saves on waste and makes the espresso shots more consistent. Hendon joins us to share more about his work and the world of coffee.

A new map from the advocacy nonprofit Beyond Toxics aims to help people identify what kinds of pesticide have been sprayed in communities over the last decade. The nonprofit partnered with the University of Oregon Infographics Lab to compile notices of intent to apply pesticides on state, county and private forestland from 2014 to 2024. Users can filter by location, year, the type of chemical and whether it was applied aerially or on the ground.

Mason Leavitt is a GIS analyst and programs manager for Beyond Toxics. He joins us with more details on how individuals and community groups can use the map.

Portland’s Lloyd Center is scheduled to close Aug. 8 after more than 65 years in business.

The current owner, Urban Renaissance Group, plans to demolish the mall to make way for housing, businesses and a new music venue. Groups such as Save Lloyd Center Mall and the Save Lloyd Ice Coalition are holding out hope that a city hearing in June could prevent the mall’s closure, but it seems likely that the Lloyd Center is in its final days.

After its last anchor stores shuttered in 2021, the mall’s low rents and large usable space attracted a wide array of community groups and independent retailers. In its last incarnation, the mall became a hub for the kind of quirky community that Portland prides itself on.

We’ll listen back to three conversations that capture that recent era: Jason Leivian is the owner of Floating World Comics. We spoke with him in 2022, shortly after he relocated his store from Old Town to the Lloyd Center.

In 2023, we talked about a production of Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days” that was staged in a former Victoria’s Secret store in the Lloyd Center. It was put on by the Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative, which aims to bring theater to nontraditional spaces. We were joined by director Patrick Walsh, the collaborative’s executive artistic director, and Portland actress Diane Kondrat, who starred as “Winnie” in the play.

Finally, Krista Catwood joined us last summer to talk about the Food Court 5000. That’s a 1980s-themed mall walk that Catwood leads every Sunday morning in the Lloyd Center.

Eliza Wilson is the chair of the Homeless Leadership Coalition in Central Oregon and the executive director of RootedHomes, an affordable housing developer based in Bend. Wilson says this has been the largest year-over-year decline she has seen in over 20 years of helping with the annual snapshot of people experiencing homelessness in the region. She attributes this unprecedented decline to opening new shelters and expanding shelter bed capacity in communities like Madras, Bend, Redmond and Prineville, while also providing rental assistance and case management to help people transition into stable housing. 

Wilson joins us for more details on the progress that’s being made in Central Oregon to tackle homelessness and the work that still needs to be done.

Oregonians overwhelmingly voted against Measure 120, a proposal meant to address funding shortfalls for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Known as the gas tax, the measure would have increased the state’s gas tax by 6 cents per gallon, temporarily hike payroll tax, and double fees for registrations and titles. Without the tax, the agency only has funding to support core services until the end of 2027. Daniel Porter is ODOT's Finance and Budget Division Administrator. He joins us to share how he’s thinking about the future of the agency’s budget.