Think Out Loud

How Oregon magicians are keeping the craft alive

Stage magic reached its peak [https://americanmuseumofmagic.com/history-of-magic/] in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th century, when illusionists such as Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston fascinated audiences with feats of escapism, levitation and more. It had a resurgence in the late 20th century when David Copperfield, Penn and Teller and others brought their acts to television audiences.    In the age of reality TV stars and social media influencers, illusionists may seem like entertainment relics. So who’s still learning magic? What keeps the craft alive?   To answer those questions and more, we’re joined by George Alvarez, president of the Portland Society of Magicians [https://www.portlandsocietyofmagicians.com/], and Eric Pearson, founder of the magic performance group The Secret Society [https://www.facebook.com/SenseiStrange/]

Oregon needs transit-oriented upzoning, says one Portlander

Last year, California and Washington passed laws to make it easier to allow midrise buildings to be built near transit stations throughout the state. Oregon did not. According to Fischer Jemisen, who runs urbanpdx.blog [https://urbanpdx.blog/why-oregon-needs-transit-oriented-upzoning/], transit-oriented upzoning in Portland could help answer the ridership recovery issues that TriMet is having. He joins us to share more on the benefits and challenges of transit upzoning.

Portland-based nonprofit hosts culinary education program for those with barriers to employment

The Portland-based organization Stone Soup hosts a twelve-week culinary education training for individuals that have had significant employment barriers, whether that be experiences with substance abuse, gaps in work experience, lack of access to resources or housing, or other systemic obstacles. The program works to equip those participants with skills to enter the food service industry.   The organization was founded in 2018, and its community kitchen program also provides meals to senior care communities, schools, mental health facilities and shelters, some of which are cooked by those participating in the culinary training program, and some of which are cooked by Stone Soup staff.    We’ll hear from the organization’s director, Ellen Damaschino, and one of the participants of the program, Mikey Barth, about the culinary training program, as well as the organization’s work to provide meals to community organizations.

‘Light of Day’ memoir tells story of Portland family’s heartbreaking struggle with childhood cancer

Portland author Lorna MacKinnnon Day has written a new memoir about her son’s diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer when he was 9 years old. “Light of Day,” details the ways her family navigated six years of his treatment for Ewing sarcoma. After his death, she founded the Sam Day Foundation, which advocates for funding childhood cancer research and supports the families of children living with cancer. Nationally, only 4% of federal cancer research money goes toward childhood cancer, according to the Pediatric Research Foundation. This year the Sam Day Foundation and Oregon Health & Science University secured a $3.17 million research grant to fund pediatric cancer research. MacKennon Day joins us to share more about her son Sam and her own experience in his fight to both survive and live well.

Warm Springs radio station KWSO keeping community up to date with latest on wildfires

Oregon’s wildfires have now burned an estimated 1.8 million acres so far. Dozens of large fires [https://www.opb.org/wildfires/] are continuing to burn, many only partially contained. The Confederate Tribes of the Warm Springs reservation in North Central Oregon is at risk [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/30/wildfires-oregon-weather-fire-big-grass-rowe-creek/] from the Bench fire [https://centraloregonfire.org/2026/07/29/bench-fire-july-29-2026/] in the area. The KWSO radio station [https://kwso.org/] located inside the reservation is playing a critical role in helping the community stay informed about fire risks and evacuation orders. Station Manager Sue Matters joins us with the latest.