Think Out Loud

Washington lawmakers introduce bill to document and preserve state’s heritage apple orchards

Of the thousands of apple varieties grown in the U.S., only a small handful are actually bought and sold on a large scale. They have familiar names, like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith and Red Delicious. But these hugely commercially, successful apple varieties tend to overshadow older, more unique varieties known as heirloom, or heritage, apples. Some of these apples are almost literally hidden, found in small orchards and sometimes growing in backyards or on roadsides. While less commercially viable, heritage apples have unique flavors, colors and textures, and their genetic information can be studied to make apples more resistant to disease and even to breed new varieties.   The Washington state legislature recently introduced a bill that would task Washington State University with establishing a heritage apple orchard program. If passed, the university would create a registry of heritage apple orchards, documenting rare or lost apples throughout the state and providing resources to orchards that grow them. We’re joined by Matthew Whiting, a tree fruit scientist at WSU, to hear more about the significance of heritage apples and what a heritage orchard program could mean for the country’s leading apple producer.

Centralia, WA coal-burning power plant remains shut down despite federal orders

In 2010, environmental advocates, elected officials and executives from TransAlta, a Canada-based electricity supplier, assembled a plan [https://ecology.wa.gov/regulations-permits/compliance-enforcement/transalta] to close down Washington’s last remaining coal-burning power plant by the end of 2025. The 15-year long project was a sort of benchmark for transitions of this kind – it included comprehensive financial support [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/climate/trump-coal-plant-centralia-washington.html] and educational opportunities for employees and their families. It eventually lent itself to Washington’s clean energy goals [https://www.commerce.wa.gov/energy-policy/electricity-policy/ceta/] passed in 2019, one of which declared that all state utilities must cease purchasing and using coal-powered energy by the end of 2025. But late last month, when the plant was on track to shut down its operations, the Department of Energy issued an emergency order, [https://www.energy.gov/documents/order-number-202-25-11] ruling that the plant must remain operational for another 90 days. This posed many questions for the future of the plant [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/fight-over-centralia-coal-plant-heats-up-as-wa-challenges-feds/], due to the long-term effort to close its doors and the lack of customers for coal-powered energy because of the Clean Energy Transformation Act. The plant remains shut down despite the emergency order [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/17/washington-transalta-centralia-plant-shutdown/], but its future hangs in limbo. Joining us to discuss the details is Amanda Zhou [https://www.seattletimes.com/author/amanda-zhou/], a climate and environment reporter at the Seattle Times.

Democratic House Speaker and Republican House Minority Leader share priorities for Oregon’s short legislative session

On Monday, Oregon state lawmakers will convene in Salem to start the 2026 short legislative session. They’ll have just 35 days to tackle their legislative priorities, including the future of transportation funding, housing and rebalancing the state budget, which is facing a nearly $900 million shortfall due to an estimated loss in state revenue from tax changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have also seized on growing concerns around affordability and the cost of living, although with different views on what’s to blame. Also expected on the agenda is legislation Gov. Tina Kotek is sponsoring to accelerate job growth and ease business permitting as part of a multi-pronged effort that Kotek recently unveiled [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/02/oregon-governor-tina-kotek-ready-tackle-state-lousy-business-reputation/] and appointed former state Senate Republican leader Tim Knopp to lead [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/14/tim-knopp-prosperity-council-tina-kotek/].  House Minority Leader Lucetta Elmer, [https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/elmer/Pages/default.aspx] R-McMinnville, and House Speaker Julie Fahey [https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/fahey], D-Eugene, join us to share their perspectives and priorities for the legislative session. Editor’s Note: This description has been updated to accurately reflect the source of the nearly $900 million state budget shortfall. We also mischaracterized the source of this shortfall in the on-air conversation. OPB regrets this error.

Southern Oregon artist explores hair as beauty standard, cultural expression

Southern Oregon artist Crystal Proffitt [https://www.instagram.com/crystal.a.proffitt/] has always had a connection to hair. As a dancer, she grew comfortable styling her own hair for performances, and later worked as a professional hairstylist. But she’s also had strangers approach her to touch or tug her curls unsolicited, an experience she says isn’t uncommon for people of color.    Proffitt channeled those experiences and others into the art installation “Don’t Touch My Hair: An Interactive Crowned Experience.” It features portraits of local models accompanied by audio descriptions of their own experiences with their hair. The installation will be on display [https://www.ijpr.org/music-arts-culture/2026-01-16/dont-touch-my-hair-invites-southern-oregon-audiences-to-explore-identity] at the Rogue Gallery & Art Center in Medford through Feb. 27.   Proffitt joins us to talk more about the installation and the ways hair can convey beauty, culture, memory and identity.

Jefferson High School to end opt-out policy, new district boundaries to follow

Hand-in-hand with Jefferson High School’s planned expansion [https://www.pps.net/about/portland-public-schools-information/jefferson-is-rising] comes a change in boundaries for Portland’s school districts. Portland Public Schools voted earlier this month to end the dual-assignment policy [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/14/jefferson-high-school-enrollment-comprehensive/], which for the last 15 years has allowed families to let their student opt-out of attending Jefferson High School and instead choose to attend one of three other high schools in the area.   This dual-assignment policy has led to steadily declining enrollment rates for the public high school in North Portland. Jefferson High school currently enrolls just under 400 students. Grant High School has an enrollment of over 2,000, McDaniel High School has over 1,600 students, and Roosevelt High School enrolls over 1,400. The new boundary plan aims to even out enrollment between the three schools by 2030, with the $465 million expansion set to open in 2028. Joining us to discuss the changes are Michelle DePass [https://www.pps.net/board/board-of-education/board-members/michelle-depass-vice-chair], vice-chair of the Portland School Board, and Lakeitha Elliot, Jefferson High graduate and former PTA member