Think Out Loud

Washington made it harder for CPS to separate families, but kids may be less safe

Washington state made several changes in the last few years to prioritize keeping kids with their birth families. But a new investigation from KUOW found that over the same time period, more babies and children from families who’ve been investigated by Child Protective Services (CPS) workers have died. Eilis O’Neill, a reporter for KUOW, joins us to talk about the story.

Eugene’s LGBTQ+ resource center finds permanent home

According to its website, The Lavender Network [https://www.lavendernetwork.org/] is Eugene’s only LGBTQ+ service and community center. The coalition of five nonprofits [https://www.lavendernetwork.org/partners] offers health care, counseling, a free clothing closet and more to queer communities in Lane County. After renting different spaces around Eugene, the network opened its first permanent space [https://www.klcc.org/human-interest/2026-02-11/the-lavender-network-opens-first-permanent-lgbtq-community-center-in-lane-county] near downtown on Feb. 10.   Laura Henry is the manager of The Lavender Network. She joins us to talk about the importance of creating permanent spaces for LGBTQ+ communities.

Oregon launches multi-agency effort to protect state’s immigrants and refugees

Last month, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed an executive order [https://www.oregon.gov/gov/eo/eo-26-04.pdf]creating an interagency council to better support immigrants and refugees in the state. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, there are more than 400,000 immigrants in Oregon, making up nearly 10% of the state’s population and nearly 13% of the state’s workforce.    The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement [https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/about/pages/oira.aspx#about] at ODHS is leading this new effort which aims to boost coordination and communication between multiple state agencies amid the toll heightened immigration enforcement is taking on communities and the state services they rely on.     According to OIRA director Jessica Ventura, the council had its first meeting last week and aims to deliver a plan by late spring that identifies how to align and boost state programs to support immigrants and refugees while upholding the state’s sanctuary law. Gov. Kotek and Ventura join us for more details about the Interagency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Coordination and to share what they’ve been hearing from dozens of community partners who advocate on behalf of these vulnerable Oregonians.

REBROADCAST: Stacey Abrams on writing, AI and democracy

Stacey Abrams has published more than a dozen books over the last 25 years. Those include thrillers, romance novels, children’s books and political memoirs and manifestos. That would be a full career for most people, but Stacey Abrams seems to have more energy than most people.   While she has always been a writer, she has also been a tax attorney, a Georgia state lawmaker, the minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives and the first Black woman in U.S. history to become the gubernatorial nominee of a major political party.   Abrams has launched multiple nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies, with a longstanding focus on voter registration and voter’s rights. Her new book is “Coded Justice.” She spoke with “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller in front of an audience at the 2025 Portland Book Festival.

REBROADCAST: Portland author's graphic novel updates Huck Finn

Portland author David F. Walker and illustrator Marcus Kwame Anderson have worked together before - on a 2021 graphic novel about the Black Panther Party. This time they’ve teamed up on something a little different: an update of the classic American novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” In their version, the escaped slave Jim is more than just Huck’s companion; he’s a fully imagined character. Walker joined us on Dec. 2, 2024 to talk about the work of updating an American classic.