Think Out Loud

Portland City Councilors discuss recently passed arts tax increase

IN LATE MAY, PORTLAND CITY COUNCILORS VOTED 7-5 TO INCREASE THE CITY’S ARTS TAX TO $50. THE TAX, WHICH PREVIOUSLY WAS A $35 FEE ON INDIVIDUALS MAKING MORE THAN $1,000 A YEAR GOES TOWARD FUNDING ART PROGRAMS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND NONPROFITS. THE PROPOSAL ALSO NOW EXEMPTS INDIVIDUALS MAKING LESS THAN $20,000 A YEAR, MEANING ROUGHLY 214,000 PORTLANDERS ARE NOW EXEMPT FROM PAYING.   CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT JAMIE DUNPHY INTRODUCED THE PROPOSAL AND VOTED IN FAVOR OF IT. COUNCILOR STEVE NOVICK VOTED AGAINST IT. WE’LL HEAR FROM BOTH COUNCILORS TO GET THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE TAX AND THE NEW PROPOSAL.

Illnesses from extreme heat events could double by 2040, Portland State University study predicts

IT’S BEEN NEARLY FIVE YEARS SINCE A DEADLY HEAT DOME [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36289-3]GRIPPED THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. MANY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DIED — INCLUDING 69 IN MULTNOMAH COUNTY ALONE — FROM THE EXTREME HEAT EVENT THAT SENT THE TEMPERATURE SOARING TO 116 DEGREES IN PORTLAND AND BROKE OTHER TEMPERATURE RECORDS IN THE REGION.    AS CLIMATE CHANGE MAKES EXTREME HEAT EVENTS MORE FREQUENT AND LONGER-LASTING, A NEW PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY STUDY [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GH001655] PREDICTS THAT HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES COULD DOUBLE BY 2040 ACROSS MORE THAN 50 OF THE LARGEST METRO AREAS IN THE U.S., INCLUDING SEATTLE AND PORTLAND. THE COST OF TREATING HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES IS ALSO EXPECTED TO DOUBLE, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY, LIKELY FURTHER STRAINING HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.    THE STUDY’S AUTHORS DEVELOPED A MODEL INTEGRATING MULTIPLE VARIABLES, INCLUDING DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ABOUT AGE, RACE AND HEALTH; CLIMATE DATA; VISITS TO HOSPITALS AND EMERGENCY ROOMS FOR HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES; AND ACCESS TO AIR-CONDITIONING OR OTHER COOLING INFRASTRUCTURE. THE STUDY REVEALS THAT CITIES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COULD BEAR AN ESPECIALLY HIGH PUBLIC HEALTH BURDEN WITH THEIR AGING POPULATIONS AND LACK OF COOLING INFRASTRUCTURE.   VIVEK SHANDAS IS A PROFESSOR OF EARTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY AT PSU AND CO-AUTHOR OF THE STUDY. HE JOINS US TO SHARE MORE DETAILS.

State agency helps Oregon businesses reach international markets

LAST MONTH, GOVERNOR TINA KOTEK ANNOUNCED THE CREATION OF A NEW STATE RESOURCE TO HELP OREGON BUSINESSES REACH INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. THE GLOBAL TRADE DESK ADVISES BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL ON HOW TO EXPORT THEIR PRODUCTS AND FIND BUSINESS OVERSEAS. TATUM ALBERTINE, THE GLOBAL TRADE MANAGER AT BUSINESS OREGON, THE STATE’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, JOINS US TO SHARE MORE DETAILS.

Portland filmmaker Vu Pham explores family story, Vietnamese diaspora through documentary

Vu Pham, an independent filmmaker based in Portland, is working on a documentary film about his mother’s murder, which took place when he was a young child.   Pham and his mother fled Vietnam by boat in 1981. The film, Sea Rose Ashes, explores Pham’s journey learning more about his mother’s past and making efforts to take restorative justice pathways with her murderer. Pham joins us to discuss his journey and his current film.

Oregon couple uses social media sketches for healthcare education, advocacy

The U.S. healthcare system is notoriously complex — something as simple as a doctor’s visit has the potential to generate mysterious bills and endless calls to insurance companies. An Oregon couple is attempting to give voice to those frustrations through comedy sketches on social media.   Dr. [https://www.instagram.com/docglauc/] and Lady Glaucomflecken [https://www.instagram.com/ladyglaucomflecken/] — otherwise known as Will and Kristin Flanary —  began making TikTok videos during the COVID-19 pandemic. Will is an ophthalmologist and two-time cancer survivor. Kristin supported Will through those diagnoses and, more recently, provided 10 minutes of CPR after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in his sleep.   The couple has used their personal and professional experience to tackle topics such as private equity in healthcare, unrealistic expectations placed on medical students, and providers’ struggles to balance the needs of their patients with the requirements of insurance companies.   In addition to social media, the two host a podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/knock-knock-hi-with-the-glaucomfleckens/id1659572053] and create educational resources for clinicians [http://glaucomflecken.com/content/30-days-of-healthcare/] and “co-survivors [https://glaucomflecken.com/about/lady-glaucomflecken/resources/],” or people who support a loved one through a traumatic illness or medical crisis.   Will and Kristin Flanary join us to talk about healthcare advocacy and the role that humor can play in it.