For this episode of the EconMinute podcast, we again co-host with Jim Pasero, publisher of the Oregon Transformation Newsletter. We are joined by Dominic Biggi, CEO of Beaverton Foods. The maker of dozens of flavored mustards, horseradishes and other condiments employs about 80 workers and is selling its products around the world. The company was f…

For this episode of Econ Minute, we are doing an experiment. In collaboration with the Oregon Transformation Project, we have Jim Pasero - author of the Oregon Transformation Newsletter - co-hosting while we interview Dan Yates, President of The Portland Spirit. Portland Spirit provides river cruises on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and owns a…

“Houston, we have a problem.” It’s the most famous line from Apollo 13 and perhaps how most Republicans are feeling about their plans to repeal and replace Obamacare. As repeal and replace has given way to tinker and punt, Congress should take a lesson from one of the other memorable scenes in Apollo 13. Here’s how you can hear more: Listen on Podb…

With the ink barely dry on Oregon's costly Low Carbon Fuel Standard law, Portland city commissioner Steve Novick bets than a 10-cents-a-gallon gas tax will be his ticket to re-election. Along the way, Ann asks the question: What if we can say how our tax dollars are spent? We wrap with the one "sin" that's not subject to a "sin tax." That's right, …

With legalization of recreational marijuana sales in Oregon just a day away, Portland City Hall is still working out how it plans to regulate the new business. What have they been doing for the past year? This is nothing new, however. The most progressive city in the U.S. often seems stymied by progress. New businesses and technologies seem to take…

It’s "déjà vu all over again" on the Tuesday Memo / Econ Minute podcast. A few days after Los Angeles declares a state of emergency on homeless, Portland's Mayor Charlie Hales enters "me too" mode and declares a state of emergency in Portland ... even though homelessness has been an emergency since he was city commissioner 20 years ago. Yet again, …

"Win-win" is the topic for this week's podcast because it's "game on" for Portland's election season. Oregon state treasurer Ted Wheeler enters the Portland mayor's race, facing off against incumbent Charlie Hales. The candidates are virtual twins: both are former Republicans turned Democrats, each trying the show that he is the most serious progre…

TuesdayMemo and EconMinute team up for a very Portland podcast. We bring together politics, economics, and a dose of common sense into the conversation about what's happening in Oregon's biggest city.This episode, for the first week of August 2015, covers a wide range of topics: Greenpeace vs. Flugtag: The contrast between how officials treat prote…

Big issues in this week's Econ Minute Podcast: Hillary Clinton gets it wrong on the economy jobs connection. Don't blame Baby Boomers for the shrinking labor force. Does Big Bird make kids smarter? Does Spongebob make them stupid? Some lessons in pop culture and pop science. Are all Internet trolls bad? Can they be a force for good? All these topic…

This week's Econ Minute Podcast spans the globe and crosses generations. First we have what may be the one of the worst solutions to urban homelessness. Cities across the globe go to great lengths to get their homeless population out from under bridges and away from railroad tracks. Progressive Portland turns that goal on it's head. The city's mayo…

This week's podcast looks at intersection of the ridesharing service Uber, criminal background checks, streetcars, and transportation safety. And, yes, they are all related.Then we turn to education and economic development and whether education passes a controversial "smell test."By Eric Fruits, Ph.D.

What are Millennials and what do they want? Econ Minute answers that with a presentation from the PSU Center for Real Estate Annual Conference. Get inside the minds of the mysterious Millennials and learn how they and their parents will change the world. Next, we spend a few minutes on affordable housing and look at how it's a problem worsened by p…

Podcast: Gridlock, Painkiller Abuse, Jobs, and Free Speech. For more, visit EconMinute.com.By Eric Fruits, Ph.D.

Minimum Wage, Short People, Tall People, and Dinosaur Science. For more, visit EconMinute.com.By Eric Fruits, Ph.D.

First Podcast: Subsidies, Smokes, and a Solar Scandal. For more, visit EconMinute.com.By Eric Fruits, Ph.D.