How Oregonians can support Season of Sharing, our holiday campaign

Beat Check with The Oregonian

#News #Politics #News Talk #Andrew Theen #Oregon #Portland #Oregonlive #Pacific Northwest #Journalism #The OregonianOregonLives #Oregonian #Trends

39:33

"The basic premise of the event is that hunters hunt rattlesnakes from the surrounding environment all across West Texas, and bring them into the roundup for the weekend. And during the roundup, these snakes are kept in a pit and then, one by one, beheaded and skinned in front of in front of audiences." - Elizabeth MeLampy Elizabeth MeLampy is a lawyer dedicated to animal rights and protection, and her passion for this work shines through in her latest book, Forget the Camel, the Madcap World of Animal Festivals and What They Say About Being Human . To research the book, Elizabeth traveled across the country, immersing herself in a wide range of animal festivals — from the Iditarod dog sled race to the rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater, Texas. Elizabeth examines these festivals as revealing microcosms of our broader relationship with animals. Whether it's rattlesnake hunts, frog-jumping contests, ostrich races, or groundhog celebrations, these events reflect the ways humans use animals to express cultural identity, community pride, and historical traditions. Yet beneath the pageantry and excitement lies a deeper question: Is our fascination with these spectacles worth the toll it takes on the animals involved? With compassion and insight, Elizabeth invites readers to consider whether there’s a more ethical and empathetic way to honor our stories — one that respects both animals and the traditions they inspire. Please listen, share and read, Forget the Camel. It will be released on April 8th, 2025. https://apollopublishers.com/index.php/forget-the-camel/…

about a year ago 19:02

MP3•Episode home

This year, we are featuring 13 nonprofits. Once the board chooses a nonprofit, reporters and photographers find an example of how the agency has helped individuals. Each article is accompanied by a box that shows what donations, even small ones, can accomplish.

Grant Butler, a longtime editor and reporter in our newsroom, takes on the challenge of managing the project each fall. He joined Editor Therese Bottomly, who leads the board overseeing Oregonian Publishing Co. Public Benefits Inc., to talk about the importance of our campaign.

> Donate to the Season of Sharing general fund. You can also text the code Season2024 to 44-321.

This year’s Season of Sharing fund drive continues until Dec. 31. Online donations can be made at oregonlive.com/sharing or the 2024 Season of Sharing GiveLively page. Donations can also be made by mail: Make a check out to Season of Sharing and send it to Season of Sharing, c/o Oregonians Credit Union, 336 N.E. 20th Ave., Portland, OR 97232.

In this episode of Beat Check, we talk about:

The history of our fund drive and how it has changed over the decades
How the nonprofits are chosen
Hearing about the transformative power of Season of Sharing gifts
How Season of Sharing prompts other gifts or bequests
Favorite stories Butler remembers

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

331 episodes

Beat Check with The Oregonian

How Oregonians can support Season of Sharing, our holiday campaign

Beat Check with The Oregonian

11 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

> Donate to the Season of Sharing general fund. You can also text the code Season2024 to 44-321.

In this episode of Beat Check, we talk about:

The history of our fund drive and how it has changed over the decades
How the nonprofits are chosen
Hearing about the transformative power of Season of Sharing gifts
How Season of Sharing prompts other gifts or bequests
Favorite stories Butler remembers

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

331 episodes

#News #Politics #News Talk #Andrew Theen #Oregon #Portland #Oregonlive #Pacific Northwest #Journalism #The OregonianOregonLives #Oregonian #Trends

All episodes

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
The fight to keep Mt. Bachelor ski resort local 22:26

7 days ago22:26

22:26

When the Mt. Bachelor ski resort abruptly went up for sale in August, a couple of Central Oregon mountain enthusiasts had an audacious thought : Maybe we should buy it. Before they knew it, the me — who had not met beforehand — put in motion a plan to purchase one of Oregon’s most cherished landmarks. They organized a GoFundMe and formed a company. They hobnobbed with Oregon politicians. They sought out big-pocket investors. They knew the challenge would be daunting. Bachelor is a coveted property, after all. So the corporate titans of the ski industry would be swarming, likely offering bids in the neighborhood of $200 million. But the movement was quickly celebrated as a potential win for the underdog, drawing national attention for its effort to keep the United States’ seventh-largest ski resort out of the hands of corporate America — and in the hands of local ski bums. The group made a major announcement last week regarding their quest to buy Bachelor. Where do things stand? And how did we get to this point? On the latest episode of Beat Check , Jonathan Bach , who covers housing and real estate for The Oregonian/OregonLive, discusses the backstory — and the latest news — surrounding the bid to buy Mt. Bachelor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
The effort to land a baseball team in Portland is swinging for the fences 28:45

14 days ago28:45

28:45

But will it be a home run? The Portland Diamond Project has so far struck out on its years-long efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Portland. But now they’ve got a new site on the South Waterfront, fresh energy from city leaders and a pitch to the Oregon Legislature, not to mention swoon-y renderings of a new stadium along the Willamette. Sports columnist Bill Oram and ECONorthwest economist Mike Wilkerson join Beat Check with The Oregonian to make sense of the numbers behind the proposal, the unknowns (who is behind that ownership group?) and what comes next. Wilkerson, a consultant to the Portland Diamond Project, says building a new stadium downtown could be a game-changer for Portland, the city that he recently and regretfully said was on the verge of a “doom loop” thanks to downward trends in population growth, the commercial real estate market and more. Stay tuned until the end of the episode to hear Oram and Wilkerson make it very clear where their own personal baseball allegiances land. Related coverage: Is a picture worth almost a billion dollars? OHSU responds to South Waterfront ballpark proposal Economist warns of Portland ‘doom loop’ Subscribe to Beat Check anywhere you listen to podcasts to get new episodes each week. You can support local journalism by becoming a subscriber to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Explore more of our podcasts and sign up to get newsletters for the latest news and top stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
How dangerous are wood stoves and fireplaces to human health and the planet? 35:55

21 days ago35:55

35:55

Preliminary results from a new state survey on wood combustion show more people are using fireplaces and woodstoves in urban areas in Oregon, despite efforts by state and local governments to decrease their use. Why the increase? And just how dangerous are wood stoves and wood-burning fireplaces to our health and the health of the planet? John Wasiutynski, the director for Multnomah County’s Office of Sustainability, talked on the Beat Check podcast about the pollution impacts of wood combustion and about why it’s so difficult to get people to stop using wood burning devices. READ MORE: Budget cuts jeopardize program providing heat pumps for low-income Oregonians Oregon attorney general’s office joins lawsuit against the EPA over wood-burning stove standards Limiting winter fires helps Portland’s toxic air, and it’s the law Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
Are Portland’s stubbornly high homicide numbers a new normal? 38:09

28 days ago38:09

38:09

It’s undeniably good news that deadly violence in Portland continued to tick downward last year. The city recorded 71 homicides in 2024. That’s six fewer than the year prior and a 30% drop from the record-shattering 101 killings Oregon’s most populous city saw in 2022. Reported shootings, meanwhile, fell below 1,000 for the first time since 2020. Despite these positive trends, annual Portland homicides are still more than double what they were pre-pandemic. And other large, more populous west coast cities like Seattle and San Francisco continue to see far fewer killings than here. So what gives? On The latest Beat Check, Oregonian/OregonLive reporters Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Zaeem Shaikh discuss Portland’s stubbornly high homicide numbers — and why there are signs of continued of improvement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
How The Oregonian/OregonLive is covering Trump orders, policy changes 13:17

5 weeks ago13:17

13:17

The second Trump administration has barely begun, but an avalanche of policy changes and executive orders have already had repercussions in Oregon. Editor Therese Bottomly is joined by politics co-editor Jamie Goldberg and watchdog editor Brad Schmidt to discuss local coverage of the Trump effect in Oregon. They discuss the many lawsuits already filed by Oregon and other states over Trump’s orders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
Recreational marijuana and Oregon’s cannabis economic crisis 24:50

6 weeks ago24:50

24:50

When Oregon became the third state in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana use, proponents envisioned a double dose of green. Residents were given a chance to light up legally, finally bringing the state’s underground cannabis culture out of the shadows. Nowadays, Oregon boasts twice as many cannabis shops as Starbucks coffeehouses. But a decade into Oregon’s grand, green experiment, the business of marijuana has reached a crisis . On the latest episode of Beat Check , Mike Rogoway , who covers Oregon technology and the state economy for The Oregonian/OregonLive, details the highs and lows of one of Oregon’s most unique industries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
Putting together the pieces of Oregon’s affordable housing puzzle 18:45

7 weeks ago18:45

18:45

It’s no secret that Oregon has an affordable housing problem. Gov. Tina Kotek has set an ambitious goal of building 36,000 units of housing a year, but so far, the state is nowhere close to hitting that target. Housing and real estate reporter Jonathan Bach recently went to Bend to spotlight a small but meaningful piece of the affordable housing puzzle: Community land trusts. He dissects them on this week’s episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, and also checks in on other strategies the state is using to chip away at its housing backlog. And don’t miss the end of the episode, where Bach discusses the commercial real estate projects that are set to break big in 2025, including the new James Beard Public Market in Portland. Pike Place, Portland’s coming for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
Can legislators shield consumers from the cost of powering data centers in Oregon? 29:31

8 weeks ago29:31

29:31

Oregon’s residential electricity rates have gone up nearly 50% in the Portland area in just the past four years. Those increases have primarily been driven by the rising costs to buy power from the open energy market. But there’s growing concern that the rapid expansion of power-hungry data centers could significantly drive up residential power bills in the coming years. Already, data centers consume more than 10% of all Oregon’s electricity. Power planners expect tech companies’ power use will double by the end of the decade, or perhaps quadruple. Mike Rogoway, who reports on data centers for The Oregonian/OregonLive, talked on Beat Check podcast about a new proposal state lawmakers are crafting for the new legislative session that would give Oregon regulators authority to insulate residential customers from the costs associated with supplying data centers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
Oregon lawmakers report to work. Here’s what they’re up to 19:17

9 weeks ago19:17

19:17

A housing, homelessness and behavioral health crisis. Flagging student test scores. Billions of dollars needed for road and bridge repairs.Oregon legislative leaders will kick off their 2025 session this week at the Capitol with no shortage of significant challenges to tackle and tame. And while Democrats and Republicans say right now that they share a focus on other key areas of concern — such as making life more affordable for Oregonians and greater accountability of state government — the finer details around those common goals could prove divisive in the coming months. On the latest Beat Check, reporters Sami Edge and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh offer a Salem legislative preview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
The ‘Starfish’ surveys that rattled the highest echelons at Nike 19:32

10 weeks ago19:32

19:32

Business reporter Matthew Kish just completed a three-part series on one of Oregon’s signature companies, Nike . He took a deep dive into the so-called “Starfish” surveys, a clandestine effort to document problems employees had with harassment and discrimination. The surveys are at the heart of a court case set to be argued this winter at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Kish joined Editor Therese Bottomly to talk about his reporting, the court case, and how The Oregonian/OregonLive became entwined in court proceedings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
What happens when Oregon approves massive thousand-acre solar farms? 33:47

11 weeks ago33:47

33:47

Large solar farms are on the rise in Oregon, in a push to fulfill the state’s ambitious clean energy mandates. But their rapid rise is leading to worries about how they could reshape the state’s agricultural economy and rural vistas. In November, the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council, a board that oversees the siting of large energy facilities, approved the state’s largest solar farm – and one of the country’s largest – on about 10,000 acres of active farmland in Morrow County. It’s one of several multi-thousand acre solar farms poised to be built in Oregon. Most of the projects will cover cultivable agricultural land, taking thousands of acres out of production and reshaping the rural landscape. This has brought questions about the potential impacts to farmers, ranchers, tourists and wildlife. Sarah Esterson, a senior policy advisor on the state’s Energy facility siting team, talked on Beat Check about how the state approves large solar farms and what it requires of developers to offset impacts to rural economies and landscapes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
A conversation with the superintendents of Oregon’s 3 largest school districts 26:19

12 weeks ago26:19

26:19

Schools may be closed for the holiday break, but there’s a lot ahead for Oregon’s public education system in 2025. We asked three of the superintendents of Oregon’s largest public school districts — Kimberlee Armstrong of Portland Public Schools, Gustavo Balderas from the Beaverton School District and Andrea Castaneda from Salem-Keizer Public Schools — to join Beat Check this week for a roundtable discussion. Listen in to get the scoop on their thoughts about how the state funds education, and how that impacts urban school districts, which serve complex, high-needs communities, including families experiencing poverty and students who don’t speak English as a first language. We also broke down the debate over greater accountability in Oregon’s school systems, what it’s like to be negotiating with teacher unions in the wake of Portland’s impactful teacher strike and what classroom projects — from language immersion to early literacy — have them really jazzed about 2025. Read more: How shabby or shiny are your local schools? In Oregon, it depends on where you live. After Portland teachers’ strike and statewide budget cuts, Kotek backs ‘significant’ changes to funding formula. In Albany, a teacher’s strike reverberates statewide Subscribe to Beat Check anywhere you listen to podcasts to get new episodes each week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
UFOs, mysterious red lights in Oregon skies and perplexed pilots 25:29

13 weeks ago25:29

25:29

On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 7, a series of curious and unusual red lights illuminated the Oregon night sky. They moved around dramatically, zooming up and down at speeds so extreme, so uncharacteristic, nearby pilots were left in awe as they watched it all unfold from 30,000 feet. “I don’t even know how to describe it,” one pilot said. “It’s pretty crazy,” added another. In the middle of the mystery, an air traffic controller gave permission for the pilots to “maneuver as necessary left and right to avoid the UFO out there.” Some have suggested that the lights were merely Starlink satellites , which are routinely spotted as they orbit the planet. But others aren’t so sure . Some believe those weird red lights that dazzled the night sky are part of a curious trend of uncanny events. Some believe there’s more to the story. On the latest episode of Beat Check , Lizzy Acker, who covers Oregon weather and writes the advice column Why Tho? for The Oregonian/OregonLive, shares details of the recent curiosities in our friendly skies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
How the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history imploded 20:16

14 weeks ago20:16

20:16

Last week, plans for the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history imploded in spectacular fashion. First, an Oregon federal judge blocked the $24.6 billion bid by Kroger to take over Albertson’s, its next largest rival. Less than 24 hours later, Albertsons, which also owns Safeway, pulled out of the deal entirely — and then filed a massive lawsuit against Kroger, the parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC. The bitter breakup marks the end of a two-year saga that stood to upend grocery shopping across Oregon and centered largely right here in Portland. On the latest Beat Check, Oregonian/OregonLive reporters Kristine de Leon and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh unpack the final twists and turns of the supermarket deal gone sour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Beat Check with The Oregonian

1
How Oregonians can support Season of Sharing, our holiday campaign 19:02

15 weeks ago19:02