Think Out Loud

Oregon voters reject gas tax, Christine Drazan wins GOP nomination for fall rematch with Gov. Kotek

Oregon voters resoundingly rejected a statewide ballot measure [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/19/oregon-primary-races-draw-to-close-with-multiple-elections-across-state/] that would have raised the state gas tax from 40 to 46 cents and  doubled car title and registration fees to help fund road maintenance and other transportation projects. Measure 120 was widely expected to fail, especially as gas prices continue to soar in Oregon and across the nation.   Last year, Gov. Tina Kotek and Democrats in the Legislature approved a bill that included the gas tax and fee hikes, but Republican lawmakers succeeded in raising enough signatures to put the issue before voters [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/30/measure-120-oregon-gas-transportation-tax/]. Democrats, however, countered by ensuring the measure appeared on the May ballot instead of in November, when Gov. Kotek is up for reelection.    Gov. Kotek will now face Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/21/oregon-politics-governor-republican-candidates-drazan-diehl-dudley/] in a rematch of the 2022 gubernatorial race. On Tuesday, Republican voters selected Drazan to be their gubernatorial nominee over former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley, state Rep. Ed Diehl and other candidates.    OPB political reporter Lauren Dake joins us for more details about Drazan’s victory and the failed gas tax measure.

Woodburn school board, teacher’s union on protections against Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in schools

The Woodburn School District and Woodburn Education Association are currently amid a contract dispute that has lasted over a year. One issue that has been highly contested in the community is codifying rights and protections around Immigration and Customs enforcement activity on school campuses in the district, where 87% of the student population is Latino.    The Woodburn School Board has had heavy turnover the past year, since the prior board sparked community backlash after their management of the “Safe and Welcoming Schools resolution,” [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/12/woodburn-school-board-safe-welcoming-schools-oregon-immigration-undocumented-migrants-education-school/] — causing many to lose their seats. District policies were already in place to protect students against ICE enforcement, but supporters of the resolution maintained it was an important step by school leaders to reaffirm and publicly support these protections in the largely-immigrant led community.   We’ll hear from Jason Levin, a union representative with the Woodburn Education Association and a Career and Technical Education teacher at Woodburn High School, as well as Woodburn School District Superintendent Juan Larios, and Debbie Ballweber, chair of the Woodburn School Board.

BizTown gives Portland-area kids a glimpse into adulthood

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there are nearly 170 Million employed civilians [https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm] in the American workforce. However, that number may be an undercount because it does not include kids working at BizTown.   Junior Achievement’s BizTown gives kids in fourth, fifth and sixth grade the chance to experience working in a simulated city in various fields, including healthcare, construction, food service, journalism, banking and more. Kids are given jobs based on interviews they’ve done and BizTown money to purchase various goods and services in their make believe city.   Host Dave Miller and producer Rolie Hernandez spent a day at Biztown recently, talking to students at Boring's Hood View Adventist School and Vancouver's Columbia Valley Elementary to find out what a day of adulthood was like for students. They also spoke to the actual adult responsible for the exercise: Barbara Smith, CEO of Junior Achievement's BizTown.

Late Portland documentary filmmaker Brian Lindstrom focused on people society ‘put an X through’

Portland filmmaker Brian Lindstrom died last Friday, May 15, 2026 at age 65.  He was diagnosed with the rare brain disease Progressive Supranuclear Palsy only last month.  “He was a stellar husband. He was the most magnificent dad,” wrote his wife author Cheryl Strayed on Instagram Friday. “He was a man whose every word and deed was driven by kindness, compassion, and generosity. He saw the goodness in everyone. He believed that we are all sacred and redeemable.” Lindstrom was a guest on “Think Out Loud" in 2015 to talk about his film “Mothering Inside,” a program that aimed to keep families intact after mothers are sent to prison.  He said the film was the third in a trilogy, after “Finding Normal” and “Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse," all centered around one thing:  “Really trying to shine a light on people that we, as society, usually put an X through, and try to reveal their humanity and strength. And I feel so privileged to have been let into the program and to really see these women, not only nurture and develop bonds with their children, but really work on themselves and change. Their kind of life story in a sense, to change the way they thought of themselves and to put their experiences in a different context: one based on strength … I found that wonderful spiritual humility that comes about when someone takes a hard look at their life, admits that it's not working, and will do anything to change it.”  It was Lindstrom’s wish that any donations made in his memory go to the  Family Preservation Project [https://family-preservation-project.org/], the organization that runs the “Mothering Inside” program. To hear a longer excerpt that includes a participant in the program who was in conversation with Lindstrom and “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller, click the arrow below.

Portland celebration honors trumpeter Miles Davis on what would have been his 100th birthday

One of the most popular jazz albums of all time is still “Kind of Blue”, from trumpeter Miles Davis. Over the course of his career, Davis was pioneering in almost every major form of jazz, from be-bop to fusion. Early in his career, he recorded the compilation “Birth of the Cool” with nine other musicians, which is considered seminal to the era of cool jazz. KMHD [https://www.kmhd.org/live-events/] and Portland trumpeter Noah Simpson [https://www.reed.edu/music/instructors/noah-simpson.html]will celebrate Miles Davis’ 100th birthday later this month with a performance [https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/35221873/birth-of-the-cool-portland-aladdin-theater?_gl=1*1wpvr2p*_gcl_au*NDQyNDk1MDk2LjE3Nzg4Njk4MTc.*_ga*MTc3NjQ3NjA5MS4xNzc4ODY5ODE4*_ga_PL0N2H17N6*czE3Nzg4Njk4MTckbzEkZzAkdDE3Nzg4Njk4MTckajYwJGwwJGg2MTg5NzEyNzc.&_ga=2.85440285.565833434.1778869818-1776476091.1778869818] of the classic 1957 album in its entirety.