Think Out Loud

Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival of new plays offers audiences an enormous variety

The Fertile Ground festival of news plays in development has become a staple of the Portland theatre scene since it first began in 2009. This year’s festival has expanded to 17 days, the longest festival yet, to take in the 80-some different productions that run through April 26. We talk with the festival director Tamara Carroll and Kristin Tehrani, who helped create “When I Was a Mexican: A Bollywood Musical.”

How charitable donation bins in Oregon, and around the US, can be deadly

CHARITABLE DONATION BINS, THE LARGE STEEL AND METAL BOXES OFTEN FOUND IN PARKING LOTS, BEGAN APPEARING IN THE U.S. IN THE 1950S. BY 1960, PORTLAND HAD MORE THAN 70 GOODWILL BINS, COLLECTING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BAGS OF DONATED GOODS A YEAR. BUT THERE IS A COST THAT COMES WITH CHARITABLE GIVING. NEW REPORTING [https://www.thebeliever.net/the-death-of-a-superman/] FROM THE BELIEVER FOUND MORE THAN 30 DOCUMENTED CASES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE DIED WHILE TRYING TO ACCESS DONATED GOODS. MANY OF THE DECEASED WERE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND THE DOCUMENTED NUMBER OF DEATHS IS BELIEVED TO BE AN UNDERCOUNT.   PAUL COLLINS, AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR AT PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, WROTE ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR THE PUBLICATION. HE JOINS US TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF THESE BINS AND WHY THEY ARE SO DEADLY.

First year of Washington County’s deflection program shows progress, areas to improve

Oregon voters passed Measure 110 in 2020. The goal was to decriminalize small amounts of street drugs and move users into treatment. That goal was ultimately not realized, and in 2024, the legislature changed the drug laws. They implemented a new program: it let counties set up deflection programs to direct people facing misdemeanor possession charges away from the criminal justice system and into treatment.   Most counties set up these deflection programs, and some, like Washington county, kicked off their program on as early as they could: Sept. 1, 2024. Now, a new report is out that details how many people went through the deflection program, or otherwise received treatment and social services to support their sobriety. We’re joined by Danielle Far, the senior program coordinator of the county’s deflection program.

Salem McKay High School teacher wins state award for improving youth financial literacy

For more than four years, business teacher Marcia Latta has been helping youth improve their financial literacy at McKay High School in Salem. In recognition of her efforts, Latta was recently named the Oregon Financial Empowerment Educator of the Year [https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/OST/Posts/Post/Oregon-2026-Financial-Empowerment-Champions-Recognized] by Oregon Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner. The Salem Statesman Journal [https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/education/2026/04/07/mckay-high-teacher-gets-state-honor-for-youth-financial-literacy/89388131007/] first reported news of Latta’s award, which includes a $1,500 cash prize for Latta, $500 for her school and $500 total in college savings plan gift certificates for her students.     Starting next year, all Oregon high school students will be required to earn a half credit in personal finance education in order to graduate. Latta teaches two classes at McKay, including one that’s a requirement on personal finance that helps high school juniors understand bank loans for car or home purchases, how to save for retirement and other financial concepts. For three years now, Latta has also used a grant from the Oregon Department of Human Services to organize free tax preparation clinics for students, many of whom she says get refunds on their filed returns.    Latta joins us to share her work educating youth about their personal finances.

Why some researchers are editing human genes in embryos

In 2023, the FDA approved [https://docs.google.com/document/d/13RxBeD4FnX5y0PxWlE5PT4GmvDTkKH5SmTFwqOugh_M/edit?tab=t.0] the first gene therapies to help treat people with sickle cell disease. The treatment is for patients 12 years and older, but what if you could use this technology before someone is born? That’s what some researchers, and others, believe is the hope for the future. The idea is to use CRISPR [https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/CRISPR], a technology used to edit the genes of living beings, during in vitro fertilization. It is much easier said than done, but could be possible in theory. Ashley Smart is the associate director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. He is also a senior editor at Undark and reported on embryonic gene editing for the publication. He joins us to share how these treatments and technologies might work, as well as the current challenges and limitations.