April 02 2021
Eric Fruits, Ph.D. is vice president of Research at Cascade Policy Institute and an adjunct professor at Portland State University, where he teaches courses in urban economics and regulation.
We re in the waning days of the pandemic, and it s time to take action to return to normal. About one-quarter of the state s population has been vaccinated or received a first dose.
If the state keeps the current rate of vaccination, we should achieve herd immunity by early July. This also coincides with Independence Day, as well as some of Oregon s best weather. Let s make the Fourth of July the day Oregon celebrates our independence from the pandemic a summer of street fairs, block parties, dining out, and get-togethers. That gives us a little more than three months to get ready. And like any big celebration, there s a lot to do.
April 02 2021
The Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie of Northeast Portland is a minister in the United Church of Christ.
Portland has been home most of my life. Our family moved here when I was 10. At 18, I joined the Burnside Community Council board, kicking off a life in social services and ministry that has covered three decades and six Portland mayors.
All these years, I ve been in a lover s quarrel with Portland, demanding more housing and attention to civil rights to make Portland a better home for all.
At 52, like many Portlanders, I m dismayed where we are as a city and wondering if Portland, with all the Rose City has to offer, will become the new Eden, or are we on a path to becoming the new Gotham. You might be surprised to learn I m still hopeful about our future.
There s no escape from plastic.
Look around your kitchen, walk around your favorite park or beach and you ll likely find yourself in the presence of plastic pollution.
The United States produces enough plastic waste every 15 hours to fill Cowboys Stadium, the largest football stadium in the country. We eat about a credit card s worth of plastic every week because microplastics are so omnipresent in our environment. If our waste patterns continue, by 2050 the oceans could have more plastic than fish.
How did it get this way? It s not because people have been clamoring for more plastic in our lives. In fact, it s become nearly impossible to avoid plastic in packaging and consumer products.
February 24 2021
Lynn Peterson: Let s work together to ensure health care, social justice, equitable economic growth and dignified housing for everyone.
This has been the most difficult year many of us can remember. I won t recount all of the challenges we are facing together you know them; you feel them daily.
As your Metro Council president, I have the privilege of working with and for incredibly resilient Oregonians. And despite the challenges that we face, I look with optimism toward our future.
This is a region has recovered from recessions before. And as we prepare to recover from this one, I am inspired by the commitment to equity and resiliency for all that I have seen throughout these many challenging months.
February 12 2021
My generation needs Gov. Brown to get serious about getting all the state s polluters to clean up their acts. And do so before 2050
To grow up today is to grow up during the apocalypse. In the midst of a global pandemic and climate crisis, my classmates and I are just trying to finish high school. While already trapped in our homes, the record-breaking wildfire season destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and left Oregonians breathing toxic smoke for weeks. We re graduating into a world fraught with unprecedented tragedies.
Two global public health emergencies are harming Oregonians: COVID-19 and climate change. Smoke from wildfires, pollution from burning fossil fuels and a respiratory virus are all gunning for our lungs. Who is bearing more than their fair share of these burdens? The answer has always been the same: Black, Indigenous and people of color.