Think Out Loud

Owners of new Trap Kitchen restaurant in Portland say it’s about both food and community

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 [https://trapkitchenpdx.com/] 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 [https://www.mashed.com/2096840/snoop-dogg-favorite-underground-food-trap-kitchen/] in 2013 and later launched Trap Kitchen food carts in LA and then in Portland [https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/news-restaurants/2018/01/05/comptons-world-famous-trap-kitchen-is-cooking-in-portland-right-now/]. 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.

PSU graduate program focuses on mental health of infants and toddlers

Conversations about mental health may include adolescents or children, but they rarely focus on babies or toddlers. A graduate program at Portland State University is teaching child care professionals to do just that.   The Infant/Toddler Mental Health [https://www.pdx.edu/academics/programs/graduate/infanttoddler-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 [https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/serve-and-return/] 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 [https://www.pdx.edu/academics/programs/graduate/early-childhood-inclusive-education] master’s program and an assistant professor of early childhood care and education at PSU.

Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson responds to chemical disaster at Longview paper mill

Early Tuesday morning, a chemical tank [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/26/longview-chemical-explosion-nippon/] 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 [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/27/chemical-tank-disaster-longview-washington-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

Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson responds to chemical disaster at Longview paper mill

Early Tuesday morning, a chemical tank [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/26/longview-chemical-explosion-nippon/] 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 [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/27/chemical-tank-disaster-longview-washington-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

Portland’s Curbside Serenade organizes busking concerts

LONG SYNOPSIS: PLAYING IN A PARK OR ON A STREET CORNER ISN’T NEW FOR MUSICIAN JOHNNY FRANCO. FRANCO AND HIS BROTHER DOMENICO ARE BUSKERS, AND DURING THE PANDEMIC THEY STARTED TAKING REQUESTS FROM PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO BE SERENADED FROM OUTSIDE THEIR WINDOWS WITH CONCERTS. NOW, WITH CURBSIDE SERENADE, THE TWO HAVE TEAMED UP WITH OTHER MUSICIANS TO ORGANIZE REGULAR OUTDOOR CONCERTS AROUND THE CITY DURING THE SUMMER. THE GOAL, THEY SAY, IS FOR AUDIENCES TO STUMBLE ACROSS MUSIC WHEREVER THEY HAPPEN TO BE. WE TALK TO JOHNNY AND DOMENICO FRANCO, ALONG WITH DAVE POLLACK, ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF CURBSIDE SERENADE.