Think Out Loud

Portlander wins World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event

ADAM NATTRESS HAS BEEN PLAYING POKER SINCE HE WAS 19 YEARS OLD, BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL HE GOT SOBER THAT HE WAS ABLE TO REALLY SUPPORT HIS FAMILY AND DEDICATE HIMSELF TO THE GAME. NATTRESS RECENTLY WON NEARLY $140,000 DOLLARS IN SOUTH LAKE TAHOE AT THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER CIRCUIT MAIN EVENT. THE $1,700 BUY-IN TOURNAMENT DREW OVER 400 PLAYERS FROM AROUND THE U.S. WE TALK TO NATTRESS ABOUT WHY HE LOVES POKER, ADDICTION AND WHAT THE TOURNAMENT CIRCUIT IS LIKE.

What difference will 8 new immigration laws make for immigrants in Oregon?

OREGON LAWMAKERS PASSED EIGHT IMMIGRATION BILLS IN THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT ENDED IN MARCH, AND GOV. TINA KOTEK SIGNED THEM INTO LAW [https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/04/09/oregon-governor-signs-slew-of-bills-protecting-immigrants-amid-federal-crackdown/] IN APRIL. THE PACKAGE OF BILLS CAME AS A RESPONSE TO A HOST OF FEDERAL ACTIONS IN 2025 THAT PUT IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN JEOPARDY. OREGON WAS THE FIRST IN THE NATION TO BECOME A SANCTUARY STAT [https://www.doj.state.or.us/oregon-department-of-justice/civil-rights/sanctuary-promise/]E IN 1987 AND HAS STRENGTHENED ITS PROTECTIONS IN THE INTERVENING YEARS. IT IS ALREADY ILLEGAL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC AGENCIES TO COOPERATE WITH FEDERAL AGENTS WITHOUT A WARRANT.    THE NEW LAWS STRENGTHEN EXISTING PROTECTIONS AND ESTABLISH NEW ONES. AMONG OTHER PROVISIONS, THEY DIRECT SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS TO CREATE ALERT SYSTEMS, FORMALIZING RESPONSES TO FEDERAL ACTIONS. AND THEY PROTECT IMMIGRANT’S DATA AND AIM TO PREVENT EMPLOYER RETALIATION. ISA PEÑA [https://innovationlawlab.org/team-member/isa-pena] IS THE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY AT INNOVATION LAW LAB [https://innovationlawlab.org/], AN IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ORGANIZATION THAT LOBBIED FOR THE BILLS. SHE JOINS US TO SHARE MORE ABOUT WHAT THE LAWS WILL DO AND THE DIFFERENCE THEY’RE EXPECTED TO MAKE FOR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN OREGON.

Amazon is planning more smaller distribution centers in smaller communities around Oregon

Amazon has plenty of huge warehouses around Oregon to get goods to online shoppers quickly, including one that’s 3.8 million square feet one in Woodburn, its biggest in the entire Northwest. But the giant retailer has started moving toward smaller facilities [https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2026/04/amazons-oregon-buildout-shifts-to-smaller-warehouses-and-sometimes-bigger-fights-with-local-residents.html] in more communities around the state, like Hood River, Eugene and Redmond. Amazon says this will provide better service for rural and smaller communities. But some people aren’t so keen on this idea. We hear more from Mike Rogoway [http://connect.oregonlive.com/staff/MikeRogoway/posts.html], who covers business and technology at The Oregonian/Oregonlive to hear more about Amazon’s strategy and the variety of reactions it's getting from residents.

Owyhee Canyonlands protection effort remains in limbo

The Owyhee Canyonlands area encompasses millions of acres along the Owyhee River on the borders of Oregon, Idaho and Nevada. The land is rugged and remote and beautiful, and efforts to to protect it in some way have dragged out for years. There were pushes for the last two Democratic presidents to designate the area a national monument and most recently, a bill to protect over 1 million acres of the land as wilderness failed in Congress at the end of last year. We traveled to the area and talked to people about the land and the efforts to protect it. We stopped in Jordan Valley and talked to Mindy Kershner, a lifelong Jordan Valley resident, rancher, and owner of the Ranch Hand Hardware & Mercantile. Then we travelled down to Birch Creek Historic Ranch on the edge of the river to talk to Tim Davis, executive director of Friends of the Owyhee. We spoke to rancher Elias Eiguren on his family’s land in Arock. And then we talked to Reginald Sope, an elder of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes who lives near the head of the canyon in Nevada.

Portland nonprofit Smashing Barriers aims to improve the lives of young people through tennis

The Portland-based nonprofit Smashing Barriers [https://smashingbarriers.org/] works with organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Friendly House. It offers free tennis clinics and organizes charity tournaments. Jiya Mehta and Rohan Shah, the co-founders, started the nonprofit while in high school. They aim to bring the organization to each state in the U.S. In addition to Oregon [https://www.instagram.com/smashing_barriers/], the nonprofit already has chapters in Arizona, California and Texas. We listen back to a conversation we first aired on Aug. 11, 2025 with Shah and Mehta who shared how tennis has shaped their lives and their plans for growing Smashing Barriers.