Think Out Loud

Portland nonprofit Smashing Barriers aims to improve the lives of young people through tennis

The Portland-based nonprofit Smashing Barriers [https://smashingbarriers.org/] works with organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Friendly House. It offers free tennis clinics and organizes charity tournaments. Jiya Mehta and Rohan Shah, the co-founders, started the nonprofit while in high school. They aim to bring the organization to each state in the U.S. In addition to Oregon [https://www.instagram.com/smashing_barriers/], the nonprofit already has chapters in Arizona, California and Texas. We listen back to a conversation we first aired on Aug. 11, 2025 with Shah and Mehta who shared how tennis has shaped their lives and their plans for growing Smashing Barriers.

Researchers say network-forming fungi need more protection

LONG SYNOPSIS: Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a major hotspot for webs of mycorrhizal, or network-forming, fungi. Researchers at the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) predict that nearly 90% of mycorrhizal networks around the world lie outside of protected areas, including those in the Pacific Northwest. These fungal networks help promote soil health and plant growth by moving nutrients between plants and soil.   Scientists at SPUN say that this hidden vital component of land-based ecosystems is deserving of more protection. But protection for these networks is different from typical land protection, since these fungal species are present in much of the soil in the U.S. Researchers say it’s important to find ways to protect this diverse fungi without keeping humans out of these areas entirely.   Kylie Mohr, a reporter with High Country News, wrote about the presence of these fungal networks in the West, and spoke with several experts who are imagining and calling for ways to preserve them. She joins us to break down the details.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson lays out his budget priorities

THE CITY OF PORTLAND IS FACING A $172 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL FOR VARIOUS REASONS, INCLUDING DECLINING TAX REVENUE, INFLATION, EXPIRATION OF PANDEMIC-ERA FUNDS AND INCREASED HEALTHCARE COSTS.  MAYOR KEITH WILSON SHARED A PROPOSAL LAST WEEK THAT WOULD CUT NEARLY 150 JOBS AND MAKE CUTS TO PUBLIC SAFETY, PARKS, TRANSPORTATION AND RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. MAYOR WILSON HAS SAID THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/20/portland-mayor-wilson-budget-deficit-cut-jobs-programs/] HE’S EVER DONE. HE JOINS US NOW TO SHARE MORE ON HIS BUDGET PROPOSAL AND THE FINANCIAL FUTURE OF THE CITY.

Is a liberal arts degree worth it?

Student debt in the U.S. has risen dramatically in the last few decades, while recent college graduates are having a harder time finding work. For the last five years, the unemployment rate of college graduates is above the national average and students graduate with an average of $40,000 dollars of debt. Meanwhile, students with degrees in technology or finance might find they are facing a work landscape transformed by artificial intelligence. But what about a liberal arts degree? We sit down with students, faculty and administrators at Linfield University to ask whether a liberal arts degree is still worth it.

REBROADCAST: Oregon grandparents share lived experiences to promote vaccinations for preventable illnesses

Grandparents for Vaccines is a nationwide nonprofit that aims to educate the current generation of parents about vaccine-preventable diseases. Launched in September 2025, the group has produced videos of grandparents describing what it was like to endure or witness their friends, classmates and relatives battle illnesses such as polio, measles and pertussis before vaccines for them existed. The group’s launch comes amid rising vaccine skepticism fueled by misinformation about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Washington Post showed that 1 in 6 parents in the US have delayed or skipped vaccines for their children. Teri Mills is a founding member of Grandparents for Vaccines and a retired public health nurse who was named "Oregon Nurse of the Year" in 2019 by the Oregon Nurse Foundation. We listen back to a conversation we first aired on Nov. 19, 2025 with Mills and Sheri Schouten, a retired public health nurse and former Oregon state lawmaker, to hear their work with Grandparents for Vaccines.