New leader of Multnomah County Homeless Services Department on heading up the agency

The Hybrid Gallery creating safe space for queer and trans arts and the greater Eugene community

For the last 5 years, The Hybrid Gallery [https://www.thehybrideugene.com/] in Eugene has welcomed and showcased creatives of all kinds into its space. The art collective has diversified its offerings over the years, adding more classes, groups and space for local bands to play. General manager Geneva Vincent says The Hybrid is providing a safe space, not just for artists but for everyone in the community. Events include weekly open mic nights where anyone can share comedy, music, poetry and storytelling. And last year they added [https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/arts-culture/2025/08/22/with-body-positive-figure-drawing-muses-can-be-any-shape/] a monthly queer and trans figure drawing class [https://www.thehybrideugene.com/events/p/queer-trans-figure-drawing]. Mars Cantrell teaches that class in addition to one that focuses on body positivity. He and Vincent join us to share more about the art collective and how these figure drawing classes support both those who take them and those who model for them.

New leader of Multnomah County Homeless Services Department on heading up the agency

The Multnomah County Homeless Services Department was first established in 2016 as the Joint Office of Homeless Services — an office overseeing services provided to people experiencing homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County The agency faced turnover as it transitioned from a joint office to a formal county department in 2024, and its newest leader, appointed in April, is Nathaniel VerGow, who comes from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.   VerGow begins his new position following Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s campaign promises to end unsheltered homelessness in Portland, which have raised questions about what goals can be realistic for the city [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/01/behind-portlands-homelessness-data-familial-political-fight-emerges/] and what services do the most good [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/27/think-out-loud-homeless-research/]. He's also heading up the agency as it faces a $67 million funding gap [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/16/multnomah-county-chair-cutting-homeless-shelter-beds-budget/]. VerGow says the agency has the current job of learning how to “do as much if not more with less,” as the department adjusts to its new fiscal norm.   We’ll hear from VerGow about his plans for the agency, and how his work with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority can inform his new role with Multnomah County.

Botulism outbreak threatens wild birds in Klamath Basin

A large botulism outbreak in Klamath Basin wetlands could kill more than 100,000 waterbirds if more water is not sent to the wetlands. The Bird Alliance of Oregon is asking the Bureau of Reclamation to release the water [https://birdallianceoregon.org/take-action/urgent-water-needed-at-klamath-to-avoid-deaths-of-thousands-of-birds-2/] to the Klamath National Wildlife Refuges and says if there is no intervention, the die-off could surpass the one in 2024 when 140,000 birds were killed. We talk with Teresa Wicks, Eastern Oregon biologist with the Bird Alliance of Oregon to get more details.

REBROADCAST: US Poet Laureate Ada Limón on “The Hurting Kind”

At first, Ada Limón [https://www.adalimon.net/] wasn’t able to write poetry during the pandemic. And then she wrote a poem called “The Hurting Kind.” From that flowed the rest of her new book of poems under that same name. We talked to Limón, then the poet laureate of the United States, before an audience in April 2023 at the Literary Arts space in downtown Portland.

REBROADCAST: Patrick Radden Keefe discusses his new book “London Falling” at Lincoln High School in Portland

tkIn 2019, a 19-year-old man named Zac Brettler died after jumping off the balcony of a luxury apartment in London near the River Thames. Police never came to a conclusion about what led to Brettler’s death. But soon after, it was revealed that Brettler was living a double-life, filled with lies and organized crime in a city changed by extreme wealth. Patrick Radden Keefe dives into this story in his newest book, “London Falling,” focused on Brettler’s death and the people around him. He joined us in front of a live audience of students at Portland's Lincoln High School in Portland on April 23, 2026 to share more on his newest book.