Think Out Loud

New podcast from KUOW investigates rumors of high school sexual abuse

In the 1990s, a beloved high school teacher in Seattle was rumored to be sexually abusing a student. Students at the school newspaper started investigating. The teacher later died by suicide. A new podcast from KUOW dives deep into the story [https://www.kuow.org/podcasts/focus] - exploring what really happened back then. Isolde Raftery, managing editor at KUOW, was also a student in that high school in the 90s. She brings us the story.

How banned fish traps could help salmon in the PNW

Nearly a century ago, fish traps were banned [https://www.opb.org/news/article/fish-trap-salmon-columbia-river-ban/] on the Columbia River. The practice had been used by indigenous communities of the Northwest for a millenia, but when European settlers expanded west, they set up their own industrial versions, catching as much as 73 tons of salmon a season. Voters would ban these traps in Washington and Oregon in 1934 and 1948, respectively. But now some permitted experiments are being conducted using traps to sustainably harvest fish. Zach Theiler is a freelance writer who covered this issue for the Smithsonian Magazine [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fish-traps-have-been-banned-on-the-columbia-river-for-nearly-a-century-could-bringing-them-back-help-save-salmon-180988439/]. He joins us to share more.

Severe drought impacting Oregon farmers as temperatures rise

Historic-low snowpack and drought in the West this year has come with a myriad of complications [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/27/oregon-farmers-water-irrigation-summer-droughts/] for the agricultural industry. As irrigation season begins, this winter’s drought combined with record-high temperatures is creating a stark reality for Oregon’s farmers, ranchers and water managers as they look to the coming summer. We’ll hear from Jeremy McCulloch, a rancher in Wallowa County, and Gordon Jones, an agronomist with Oregon State University’s Extension Service, to discuss the challenges of this year’s irrigation season.

Oregon Donkey Sanctuary saves animals and provides tranquil space for visitors

When you think of a donkey, you might think of some stubborn, more dangerous version of a horse. But the couple that runs the state’s only donkey sanctuary in Oregon City say, if so, you’d be dead wrong. The myths and folklore about these animals is one reason they need special care in the first place. Jim and Rhonda Urquhart formally incorporated their nonprofit five years ago, but the sanctuary has been growing since they took in their first donkey in 2010. They now have 160 volunteers who facilitate visits from the public to spend peaceful time with the donkeys [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/10/oregon-donkey-sanctuary-respite/]. The Urquharts say educating people about donkeys and creating the space for them to spend time with the animals has become an integral part of their mission. We’ll sit down with the couple to learn more about the Oregon Donkey Sanctuary [https://www.oregondonkeys.org/] — and how people respond to these donkeys, which they say are actually more like dogs than horses.

The Portland Fire gears up for their inaugural WNBA season

Typically, new WNBA teams have five to six months to acquire players and practice as a team before the season starts. The Portland Fire have only five weeks.   With the WNBA expansion draft [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/02/portland-fire-wnba-expansion-what-to-know/] on April 3, the Fire were finally able to start building their team roster. The draft was delayed several months due to tense contract negotiations [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/09/wnba-players-union-labor-deal-portland-fire-delay/] between the WNBA and the players’ union. The season is set to tip off [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/22/portland-fire-first-contract-negotiation/] May 9 at the Moda Center.   Kimberly Veale is the senior vice president of communications for the Portland Fire. She joins us to talk about the draft and the team’s upcoming season.