Think Out Loud

Why a Washington program for Indigenous homeownership hasn’t worked

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit’s Eventual Tenant Ownership program is meant to give people the chance to buy the home they're renting. It works by providing developers with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for building homes that would qualify for this program in exchange. But new reporting from Underscore Native News and ICT highlights how the Washington program, which mainly serves tribal lands and governments, has failed to convert a single home to ownership. Luna Reyna is the Northwest Bureau Chief for the publication. She joins us to share more.

Rose City Coffee Co. in Southeast Portland moves to 24-hour service

Staffing shortages and rising labor costs have caused many 24/7 businesses to reduce their hours [https://www.marketplace.org/story/2024/11/21/this-is-why-your-local-diner-and-grocery-store-arent-open-24-hours-anymore] since the COVID-19 pandemic. But Rose City Coffee Co. [https://www.rosecitycoffeecompany.com/] is bucking the trend.  The Southeast Portland coffee shop is now open [https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ-Fm0ykjsU/] 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’ll talk with owner Christie Gryphon about what it takes to run a 24-hour business in today’s economy.

Three Portland-area counties launch regional climate health dashboard

Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties recently launched a regional dashboard [https://multco.us/info/climate-and-health#section-2-01] that tracks the health impacts of climate change in the metro area. It includes data on heat and cold events, air quality, infectious diseases and the effects climate change can have on mental health. The dashboard is an evolution of the counties’ Regional Climate and Health Monitoring Report [https://multco.us/file/regional_climate_and_health_monitoring_report%3A_2012-2022/download], which was previously released every two years as a lengthy PDF.  Sarah Present is the Clackamas County Health Officer, and Kathleen Johnson is a senior program coordinator at Washington County Public Health. They join us to talk about the new dashboard [https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/11/portland-metro-multnomah-clackamas-washington-climate-change-health-heat/] and how climate change is impacting public health in the metro area.

Oregon Christmas tree specialist helps protect state’s status as nation’s top producer

Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees in the nation, accounting for about a third of all real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. Christmas tree farmers in Oregon grew more than 3 million Noble fir, Douglas fir and other Christmas tree varieties in 2023, the most recent year for which statistics are available.    Priya Rajarapu is an assistant professor in the college of forestry at OSU and the Christmas tree specialist [https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/new-chapter-begins-osu-extension-christmas-tree-program] at OSU Extension Service. In the past year, she has visited 20 Christmas tree farms in Oregon where she has offered advice, diagnosed diseased trees and confirmed infestations of bark beetles and other pests.    But the biggest threat Oregon’s roughly $120 million Christmas tree industry faces is climate change [https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/oregon-maintains-top-christmas-tree-producer-title-adapting], according to Rajarapu. Extreme heat and drought can imperil the survival of Christmas trees, especially seedlings. Rajarapu has been studying mulch alternatives like compost that has been shown to boost the survival of seedlings during their first year.   Rajarapu joins us for more details about her work and why non-native varieties such as Nordmann and Turkish firs are gaining in popularity among both farmers and consumers.

New investigation shows how wealthy ranchers and corporations profit off public lands

A new investigation by ProPublica and High Country News reveals how wealthy ranchers and corporations are profiting from federal subsidies for fees they pay to graze cattle on public land. The three-part investigation used data from the Bureau of Land Management to analyze grazing fees and identify the largest ranchers on public lands. Joining us for more details is Mark Olalde, an investigative reporter at ProPublica.