Think Out Loud

New book catalogues art lost in explosion that destroyed a Portland tattoo studio

A decade ago, a building in Portland's Nob Hill neighborhood exploded in a gas leak [https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/10/19/portland-bagelworks-vanishes-in-northwest-23rd-avenue-gas-leak-explosion/] and was consumed by a fire soon after. That building was home to Portland Bagelworks and the eyewear shop Fetch, as well as Art Work Rebels Tattoo Studio, which was located in the building for seven years [https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/10/20/a-tattoo-studio-was-also-destroyed-in-yesterdays-fire-now-theyre-trying-to-raise-money-to-rebuild/]. Artist Jeff P, who now co-owns Tattoo Smile, was an artist at the shop when this happened. After the dust settled and rubble was sorted, much of the shop was lost, including memories, personal belongings and much of the hand drawn art and flash that many artists like Jeff created.   But for Jeff, some of his work survived as digital scans and phone camera photos he captured as he documented his own work. Now, Jeff has released a book marking the anniversary of the explosion. "Everything That Burned” is a collection of scans and photos of his art and the shop after the fire. Jeff joins us to share more on his memories of the shop and his new book.

Rates of gun-related suicides in OR are higher than national average

Around 44,000 people died in a gun-related injury in the U.S. in 2024, according to a new report [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/28/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-us/] from Pew Research. Suicides make up a majority of those deaths at 62%. But in Oregon, that number is much higher [https://www.alliancesafeoregon.org/annual-report-2024], with 80% of all firearm deaths being a suicide. On top of that, previous reporting has also shown that some of the state’s most rural areas have the highest rates of gun-related suicides, especially for older men. Becca Valek is a research project coordinator at OHSU’s Gun Violence Prevention Center. Katie Lossi is an Associate Professor at OHSU’s department of medicine and a staff physician at VA Portland Health Care System. They both join us now to discuss these figures and what can be done to address them.   If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the national suicide and crisis lifeline. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Longview disaster raises questions about Oregon’s preparedness and response to hazardous materials

Eleven people died after a chemical tank holding hundreds of thousands of corrosive chemicals ruptured last Tuesday at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is leading the investigation as questions mount over workplace safety and the caustic stew of chemicals and equipment maintenance [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/30/what-caused-longview-mill-chemical-plant-questions/] within the paper mill.    Washington state’s deadliest workplace incident in nearly a century has raised concerns about Oregon’s level of readiness and resources to respond to hazardous materials incidents.    That experience dates back to 1989, when Oregon became the first state in the nation to establish a state-level hazmat program. Today, there are 12 regional hazardous material emergency response teams [https://www.oregon.gov/osfm/emergency_response/Pages/hazmat.aspx], from Astoria to Ontario, who can quickly deploy to support local first responders in emergencies, as well as offer training to local agencies and industries. The  Community Right to Know [https://www.oregon.gov/osfm/industry/Pages/CR2K.aspx]program allows members of the public to see where hazardous substances are being stored in their communities, unless that information is determined to be sensitive or confidential.     Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple joins us to share her thoughts on the Longview disaster and Oregon’s efforts to mitigate the risks hazardous materials pose.

The US turns 250 years old this year. Oregon teachers share what the anniversary means for the classroom

HIS YEAR MARKS THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE UNITED STATES. SPECIFICALLY, IT IS WHEN THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNING BODY OF THE 13 COLONIES, ADOPTED THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.   IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN. BUT WHAT WOULD OUR FOUNDING FATHERS THINK OF OUR SOCIETY TODAY? HOW SHOULD HISTORY, BOTH PAST EVENTS AND CURRENT, BE TAUGHT IN CLASSROOMS? TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS MORE WE’RE JOINED BY TWO OREGON HISTORY TEACHERS. JACQUELINE POPE-BROTHERS TEACHES U.S. GOVERNMENT, AP GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AT SPRAGUE HIGH SCHOOL IN SALEM. MAURICE COWLEY TEACHES ENGLISH AND AP AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AT MCDANIEL HIGH SCHOOL IN PORTLAND.

Portland downtown hotels are still struggling to recover from the pandemic

THE PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL [https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2026/05/26/portland-hotels-pre-pandemic-levels-costar.html] REPORTED THIS WEEK THAT HOTELS IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND ARE STILL STRUGGLING YEARS LATER TO RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC. ACCORDING TO THE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ANALYTICS FIRM COSTAR, THE OCCUPANCY RATE FOR DOWNTOWN PORTLAND HOTELS WAS ROUGHLY 62% LAST YEAR – NEARLY 10% LESS THAN THEIR PRE-PANDEMIC OCCUPANCY LEVELS IN 2019. IN ANOTHER OMINOUS SIGN OF THE MARKET’S RECOVERY, THE REVENUE THE HOTELS GENERATED PER ROOM WAS $13 LESS LAST YEAR THAN WHAT THEY EARNED IN 2019. RECOVERY FOR OTHER DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES, INCLUDING RESTAURANTS AND COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, HAS ALSO BEEN SLOW. A recent report [https://industry.traveloregon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Travel-Impacts-2025-Oregon_2026_04_09.pdf] from Travel Oregon, meanwhile, showed that spending on hotels and motels by visitors to the Portland region increased by 2% last year from 2024. That might suggest that business travelers and tourists are returning to the area, but choosing to stay overnight and spend their money outside of downtown. Sara Edwards is a staff reporter at the Portland Business Journal who covers commercial real estate. She joins us to explain the grim outlook facing Portland’s downtown hotels.