Think Out Loud

How the Bench fire in Central Oregon is impacting the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs

By Monday, the Bench fire [https://centraloregonfire.org/2026/07/27/bench-fire-july-27-2026/] burning in Warm Springs grew to more than 40,000 acres after combining with the Beachcomb fire. At least six homes and five buildings have been lost, according to state fire officials.    Hundreds of people are under Level 3 “Go Now!” evacuation orders, with more than a thousand others under lower evacuation levels.    Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council Chair Dennis White III has issued a state of emergency declaration [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y1sk8QrgGaFLS-bc9aYknkeNbGF_lGds/view?fbclid=IwY2xjawTVCkRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFzQ25aYkQ4WE9mRkNkUkJ0c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsRwjbdZBzuuK73cLJn_QAU9gWoVSqqsqymkbpsr60S2X5CheNfuUVKX67m4_aem_1hQu95y1uWo_E9uqvQ5ixA] that authorizes coordination with and seeks assistance from state, local and federal agencies to fight the wildfires threatening the reservation and taking a toll on tribal services. Tribal officials have now issued a water conservation order [https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1497599022395611&set=pcb.1497599239062256] and a boil water advisory [https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1497599035728943&set=pcb.1497599239062256]while announcing the closure of government offices on Tuesday.      Edward Henderson, Secretary-Treasurer/CEO of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, joins us to share more.

Trail Blazers relocation threat heightens, as Portland city officials approach Moda Center draft sheet deadline

Portland city officials are rapidly approaching the Aug. 12 deadline to begin negotiations for a Moda Center deal. With both city officials and Trail Blazers management firm in their stance, the threat of a Trail Blazers relocation has crept into NBA discourse.   NBA reporters Mike Vorkunov [https://www.mikevorkunov.com/] and Yaron Weitzman [https://www.yaronweitzman.com/]join us to discuss further about the possibility of a Blazers relocation, and what cities may be attractive suitors for the franchise.

Oregon forestry department on response to wildfires raging across state

Firefighting crews are working around the clock to contain the dozens of wildfires [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/27/wildfire-oregon-weather-public-safety/]burning across Central, Eastern and Southern Oregon. The Oregon Department of Forestry is coordinating with state, local and federal agencies to contain large wildfires that have triggered level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations and led to air quality advisories in more than a third of the counties in the state.    The agency’s complex incident management teams have taken command of the Akawa Butte fire [https://www.facebook.com/akawabuttefire] burning near Sisters and are assisting on several fires that are part of the Rowe Creek Complex [https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/OSFM/Posts/Post/rowe-creek-727]. A state-to-state mutual aid agreement has allowed ODF to get help from Florida firefighters who took over command [https://flashalert.net/id/1072] on Monday of the Evans Creek fire in Southern Oregon.   Kyle Williams, ODF’s Deputy Fire of Fire Operations, joins us for more details.

Portlander named 2026 National Yo-Yo Champion

Portlander Aliyah Tan recently won first place at the National Yo-Yo Contest [https://nationalyoyocontest.com/] in Las Vegas. It was the first time Tan took the spot spot since she started competing at nationals in 2014. Tan’s winning routine [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwWd48UdnHw], set to music by the British rock band The Last Dinner Party, featured three minutes of elaborate string tricks between two yo-yos. She now heads to the World Yo-Yo Contest [http://worldyoyocontest.org/] in Himeji, Japan, next month.    Tan joins us in the studio to talk about her elaborate yo-yo routines and what she loves about it.

Fired WA police officers disproportionately hired for Tribal policing, new reporting finds

Tribal police departments in Washington employ police officers who have been fired at a disproportionate rate, according to new reporting from InvestigateWest. At the state level, tribal law enforcement only makes up about 2.5% of the police force, but they hire four times more officers who were previously fired or resigned in lieu of termination than other departments. Melanie Henshaw reported on this issue for InvestigateWest and joins us to share more.