Think Out Loud

OSU study explores how wildfire smoke affects songbird behavior

Despite wildfires becoming more frequent and intense, little is known about how wildlife responds to the threats they present. Researchers at Oregon State University are attempting to shed some light on the issue.    A recent study [https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/robin-study-suggests-fleeing-isn%E2%80%99t-necessarily-wildlife%E2%80%99s-first-response-wildfire-smoke] looked at how wildfire smoke affected the behavior of robins. Instead of simply fleeing the smoky conditions, the birds often reduced their activity and shortened their flight distances to remain in their home environments.   Jamie Cornelius is an associate professor in the department of integrative biology at OSU and principal investigator of the university’s Little Bird Lab [https://littlebirdlab.org/]. She joins us to talk about what scientists are learning about how different wildlife species respond to wildfire.

Portland Police Chief Bob Day on police response times and budget numbers

A new report [https://www.scribd.com/document/1055589349/PPB-Recruitment-Report-Final-6-15-2026] found that Portland Police Bureau response times for high-priority calls is on average more than 20 minutes. And as reported in Willamette Week [https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2026/06/25/new-research-shows-how-police-response-times-vary-across-the-city/], some neighborhoods in Portland can wait as much as 40 minutes. The reports of these delays come as a  new city budget is adopted [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/18/portland-budget-city-council-cuts/] that will lead to cuts to public safety. A PPB-backed [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/06/measure-to-divert-portland-climate-funds-to-hire-more-police-could-be-headed-to-voters-in-november/] proposed measure aims to direct Portland Clean Energy Fund dollars to the bureau. Portland Police Chief Bob Day joins us to share more on response times and the new budget.

Oregon Secretary of State on USPS and Trump administration’s impact on elections

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read recently called for the United States Postal Service to look at its policies around mail pick up on Election Day [https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/09/oregon-secretary-of-state-usps-review-mail-pickup-policies/90868339007/], after officials in Benton county found some voters’ ballots were left in mailboxes. The postal service has said they prioritize package delivery when staffing is short.   Read has also pushed back against the Trump administration’s threats to elections officials [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/us/politics/justice-department-elections-noncitizen-voting.html] in all 50 states and D.C.   President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked vote-by-mail with false statements and is pressuring Congress to pass his “Save America Act” in an effort to exert federal control [https://www.npr.org/2026/06/25/nx-s1-5869577/trump-voting-save-america-act] over state elections in a variety of ways.  We talk with Secretary Read about federal interference in Oregon elections and the security of elections in this state.

In Woodburn, the World Cup and has a lasting significance

When ESPN feature writer Roberto Jose Andrade Franco spent two weeks in Woodburn, Oregon, he met and spoke with a host of community members, from business owners to coaches to artists. Those conversations informed a new piece [https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49190018/how-mexico-world-cup-run-brought-small-oregon-town-life] Franco wrote about the ways the community came alive and together during the World Cup.   Franco joins us to discuss his reporting and what he found during his time in Woodburn.

In Oregon’s coastal communities, doulas and volunteers are reimagining end-of-life care

In Oregon’s rural, coastal communities, volunteers are coming together to reimagine what end of life care can look like for aging residents outside of medical settings.   Three years ago, Margo Lalich co-founded the North Coast End of Life Collective. She’s a nurse and public health professional who says the COVID-19 pandemic was a “wake-up call” that helped her identify a lack of intentional, communal grieving and gaps in infrastructure surrounding end-of-life care in rural areas. She began hosting educational workshops via Zoom for people who wanted to learn more and be involved in facilitating end-of-life conversations and initiatives for their communities’ aging residents. One of the attendees was Kevin Shluka, a sculptor and landscaper located in Tillamook County who’s been volunteering in community hospice since 2024.   We’ll hear more from Lalich and Shluka about the role the End of Life Collective has filled in these coastal communities, and more on what it looks like to facilitate this unique model of care.