PODCAST · news
Beat Check with The Oregonian
by The Oregonian/OregonLive
A weekly look inside Oregon's biggest news stories with the journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive.com.
Episodes
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(2023 Replay) The Unidentifieds Episode 2: The unknown baby boy and the reservoir
On the morning of July 11, 1963, a fisherman made a horrifying discovery: He stumbled across the concealed remains of a 2-year-old boy. The tiny body was wrapped in blankets, tied with wire and held down by iron weights in the Keene Creek Reservoir along Oregon 66 east of Ashland, Oregon.…
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(2023 Replay) The Unidentifieds Episode 1: Remains found along the Redwood Highway
There are so many unidentified human remains in the United States that the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System calls it “the nation’s silent mass disaster.” Roughly 4,400 human remains are found every year, and nearly one-quarter of those remain unidentified after one year. Some...
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(2024 Replay) The backstory to the mystery of ‘Cosmo the talking crow’
Any newspaper editor will tell you readers love animal stories. The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Samantha Swindler took that axiom to the next level this spring with a 12-part video series on the mysterious disappearance of Cosmo, the talking crow. She joins Editor Therese Bottomly on “Beat Check with...
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(2024 Replay) The mysterious shadow economy around winning Oregon Lottery tickets
Watchdog reporter Ted Sickinger published an in-depth article examining a loophole in the Oregon Lottery’s rules. In Oregon, it is perfectly legal to re-sell your winning lottery ticket at a discount, allowing the buyer to claim the prize. Why would anyone do this? Well, if they wanted to avoid...
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(2024 Replay) Why heat waves are growing more frequent, and what’s being done
Environment reporter Gosia Wozniacka joined host Elliot Njus to discuss this dangerous effect of climate change and how the Portland region is preparing for more frequent, more severe heat events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Fiona Conneely & Shelley Schuler: Food hubbing emerges as a solution for feeding us all (Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment)
This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication. Listeners producer Kristen Mico speaks with Fiona Conneely and Shelley Schuler about how food hubbing models offer solutions to small farms, markets and food assistance programs.…
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More than words: Language and belonging in rural Oregon (Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment)
This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication. For this episode, we invite listeners into the realities of rural Oregon, where questions of identity, belonging, and resilience are part of everyday life. In this episode…
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Adam Davis: Humanities resilience (Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment)
This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication. Listeners producer Daniel Bloomfield speaks with the Executive Director of the Oregon Humanities, Adam Davis, about the Trump administration’s recent cuts to the National…
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Beat Check is taking a short break for the summer, stay tuned
Beat Check with The Oregonian is taking a short break for the summer while we work to bring you our next exciting project and reimagine the format of the show. In the meantime, you can look forward to several episodes of “Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment,” a limited-series podcast from the...
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Duncan Hwang: Advocacy in organizing and politics (Oregon Speaks: Voices from this moment)
This episode was created by students from the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Journalism and Communication. Producer Kaiya Laguardia-Yonamine speaks with Duncan Hwang about the importance of local organizing and turning inward to sustain our communities. Duncan reflects on his…
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Therese Bottomly on four decades in Oregon journalism
Therese Bottomly, editor of The Oregonian/OregonLive and a frequent host of Beat Check with The Oregonian, is retiring next month after 42 years in the newsroom. On this episode of Beat Check, Bottomly reflects on the stories that shaped her career, and Oregon. She discusses how the newsroom rose...
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The charm and gossip in reporting in rural Oregon
Features reporter Samantha Swindler talks about the hidden gem stories she finds in some of Oregon's smallest towns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How the Trump immigration crackdown is impacting Oregon
The Oregonian’s investigative reporter Yesenia Amaro talks on Beat Check about the recent immigration enforcement ramp-up, Trump’s approach to immigration and the impact on Oregon communities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Does Oregon’s cherished Bottle Bill compound Portland’s fentanyl crisis?
Lawmakers in Salem recently enacted a series of substantive tweaks to the state’s beloved Bottle Bill, which allows residents to return cans and bottles for 10 cents apiece. Those changes have helped amplify a growing and complicated debate about Oregon’s first-in-the-nation program, now more…
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Fact vs. speculation: How true crime podcasters approach the Kyron Horman case (Part 4: Guest podcast: Bookies with Your Besties)
In the digital age, true crime content has exploded in popularity across podcasts, social media and streaming platforms. But with this growth comes a troubling trend: The blurring of verified facts and speculative theories. On a recent episode of Beat Check with the Oregonian, guests Emily Reeder...
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Long hours, daylong stakeouts: How reporters pursued the Kyron Horman story in 2010 (Part 3: Shane Dixon Kavanaugh)
In 2010, digital tools for journalists were emerging, but the gritty, time-intensive methods of traditional reporting still dominated newsrooms. The disappearance of 7-year-old Kyron Horman from his Portland elementary school thrust The Oregonian’s journalists into a high-stakes investigation…
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How a critical time gap derailed the Kyron Horman investigation (Part 2: Maxine Bernstein)
When a child goes missing, the first hours can be critical. In Kyron Horman’s case, investigators didn’t even know he was missing until about six hours had passed — a devastating delay that may have forever altered the trajectory of one of Oregon’s most haunting unsolved cases. In a recent...
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15 years later: The haunting disappearance of Kyron Horman (Part 1: Noelle Crombie)
Fifteen years after 7-year-old Kyron Horman vanished from Skyline Elementary School in Portland, his disappearance continues to haunt not just the Pacific Northwest, but parents everywhere. In this special episode of Beat Check, engagement editor Julie Evensen and social media producer Destiny...
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Five years on, Portland journalists reflect on 2020 protests
A trio of journalists joined Editor Therese Bottomly on Monday’s episode of “Beat Check with The Oregonian” to talk about the 2020 street protests that started in Portland after the police killing of George Floyd. Multimedia journalist Beth Nakamura, social media producer Ryan Fernandez, and...
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The Trail Blazers are for sale. What’s next, who might buy them and will they stay in Portland?
When Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen died in 2018 from complications related to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, it was matter of when, not if, his beloved professional sports team would be sold. Seven years later, that time has finally arrived. Allen’s estate announced on May 13 that is has...
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Behind The Oregonian/OregonLive’s headlines about a trucker licensing scheme
Watchdog reporter Ted Sickinger joined Editor Therese Bottomly on this episode of “Beat Check with The Oregonian” to talk about his extraordinary reporting into Skyline CDL School, which operated in Oregon and Washington. On this episode of Beat Check, we talk about: --How the alleged bribery...
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Burning questions on the Portland Public Schools bond
For this week’s episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, education reporter Julia Silverman tackles a series of burning questions from readers and listeners who are weighing how to vote on the $1.83 billion bond. Have a listen, and don’t forget to turn in your ballot. Learn more about your ad...
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A perilous moment for Portland mass transit
It is a bleak time for mass transit all throughout the U.S. The challenges here in the Portland metro area are many and pronounced.TriMet is providing about 30 million fewer rides each year than it did in 2019 — and the recovery appears to be slowing way down. Rider safety has been a persistent...
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How to keep hope alive as Trump upends climate, environmental work
In recent months, climate and environmental work have been under threat in the U.S., with the Trump administration dismantling climate legislation, freezing funds and intimidating universities, states and nonprofits. Despite the chaos, there’s still a place for hope, says award-winning...
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Trump’s tariffs and his trade war’s ‘sobering’ impact on Oregon small businesses
When President Trump raised tariffs against China and other countries earlier this month, stock markets plunged, chaos rippled through the global economy and anxiety hit business owners across the United States. The specifics of the tariffs — which soared as high as 145% on China and affected...
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Everything you ever wanted to know about polls, because we are not afraid to ask.
In this week’s episode, Politics and Education Editor Betsy Hammond breaks down the key finding of a survey of 600 metro area voters by DHM Research, commissioned by The Oregonian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Is Portland ready for a large wildfire in Forest Park?
With wildfire season approaching and southern California still reeling from the January wildfires, Portland leaders are making sure the city can withstand a major urban wildfire. Forest Park, the city’s crown jewel and one of the largest urban forests in the U.S., has been identified as one of…
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How officials at one Oregon sewer agency scored years of lavish trips and lots of meals
First-class airfare to Hawaii. Five-star hotel stays. Lots and lots of food. All of it footed — directly or indirectly — by customers of a large Portland-area utility. A recent Oregonian/OregonLive investigation found that executives with Clean Water Services, Washington County’s sewer agency…
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Scandals plague Oregon’s adult prisons, youth detention facilities
A series of headlines has brought bad news about the management of Oregon’s Department of Corrections and Oregon Youth Authority to public attention. Numerous leadership changes have also resulted at the two departments. The agencies are separate divisions in Oregon’s state government but share…
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The fight to keep Mt. Bachelor ski resort local
When the Mt. Bachelor ski resort abruptly went up for sale in August, a couple of Central Oregon mountain enthusiasts had an audacious thought: Maybe we should buy it. Before they knew it, the me — who had not met beforehand — put in motion a plan to purchase one of Oregon’s most cherished...
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The effort to land a baseball team in Portland is swinging for the fences
But will it be a home run? The Portland Diamond Project has so far struck out on its years-long efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Portland. But now they’ve got a new site on the South Waterfront, fresh energy from city leaders and a pitch to the Oregon Legislature, not to mention swoon-y...
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How dangerous are wood stoves and fireplaces to human health and the planet?
Preliminary results from a new state survey on wood combustion show more people are using fireplaces and woodstoves in urban areas in Oregon, despite efforts by state and local governments to decrease their use. Why the increase? And just how dangerous are wood stoves and wood-burning fireplaces…
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Are Portland’s stubbornly high homicide numbers a new normal?
It’s undeniably good news that deadly violence in Portland continued to tick downward last year. The city recorded 71 homicides in 2024. That’s six fewer than the year prior and a 30% drop from the record-shattering 101 killings Oregon’s most populous city saw in 2022. Reported shootings,...
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How The Oregonian/OregonLive is covering Trump orders, policy changes
The second Trump administration has barely begun, but an avalanche of policy changes and executive orders have already had repercussions in Oregon. Editor Therese Bottomly is joined by politics co-editor Jamie Goldberg and watchdog editor Brad Schmidt to discuss local coverage of the Trump effect...
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Recreational marijuana and Oregon’s cannabis economic crisis
When Oregon became the third state in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana use, proponents envisioned a double dose of green. Residents were given a chance to light up legally, finally bringing the state’s underground cannabis culture out of the shadows. Nowadays, Oregon boasts...
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Putting together the pieces of Oregon’s affordable housing puzzle
It’s no secret that Oregon has an affordable housing problem. Gov. Tina Kotek has set an ambitious goal of building 36,000 units of housing a year, but so far, the state is nowhere close to hitting that target. Housing and real estate reporter Jonathan Bach recently went to Bend to spotlight a...
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Can legislators shield consumers from the cost of powering data centers in Oregon?
Oregon’s residential electricity rates have gone up nearly 50% in the Portland area in just the past four years. Those increases have primarily been driven by the rising costs to buy power from the open energy market. But there’s growing concern that the rapid expansion of power-hungry data…
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Oregon lawmakers report to work. Here’s what they’re up to
A housing, homelessness and behavioral health crisis. Flagging student test scores. Billions of dollars needed for road and bridge repairs.Oregon legislative leaders will kick off their 2025 session this week at the Capitol with no shortage of significant challenges to tackle and tame. And while...
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The ‘Starfish’ surveys that rattled the highest echelons at Nike
Business reporter Matthew Kish just completed a three-part series on one of Oregon’s signature companies, Nike. He took a deep dive into the so-called “Starfish” surveys, a clandestine effort to document problems employees had with harassment and discrimination. The surveys are at the heart of a...
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What happens when Oregon approves massive thousand-acre solar farms?
Large solar farms are on the rise in Oregon, in a push to fulfill the state’s ambitious clean energy mandates. But their rapid rise is leading to worries about how they could reshape the state’s agricultural economy and rural vistas. In November, the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council, a board...
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A conversation with the superintendents of Oregon’s 3 largest school districts
Schools may be closed for the holiday break, but there’s a lot ahead for Oregon’s public education system in 2025. We asked three of the superintendents of Oregon’s largest public school districts — Kimberlee Armstrong of Portland Public Schools, Gustavo Balderas from the Beaverton School…
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UFOs, mysterious red lights in Oregon skies and perplexed pilots
On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 7, a series of curious and unusual red lights illuminated the Oregon night sky. They moved around dramatically, zooming up and down at speeds so extreme, so uncharacteristic, nearby pilots were left in awe as they watched it all unfold from 30,000 feet. “I don’t...
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How the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history imploded
Last week, plans for the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history imploded in spectacular fashion. First, an Oregon federal judge blocked the $24.6 billion bid by Kroger to take over Albertson’s, its next largest rival. Less than 24 hours later, Albertsons, which also owns Safeway, pulled out…
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How Oregonians can support Season of Sharing, our holiday campaign
For decades, The Oregonian has sponsored an annual fundraising drive, featuring local nonprofits making a difference in our community. Its part of The Oregonian/OregonLive’s mission to strengthen and empower the communities we serve. This year, we are featuring 13 nonprofits. Once the board…
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The stolen identity of Roger Pearce
Roger A. Pearce Jr. spent three decades as a successful attorney in the Northwest, representing prominent people and high-profile businesses in Oregon and Washington. He dedicated his free time to nonprofit boards and planning commissions. He spent countless hours doing pro bono legal work. He…
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An end to Oregon’s record-breaking kicker tax rebates?
For more than a decade, Oregon forecasters have underestimated the strength of the state’s economy — and the amount of money it collects each year. That’s led to tax rebate windfalls for Oregon residents, who receive a portion of excess revenue under the state’s unique “kicker” law. It’s also…
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How Oregon’s foster system failed to protect a Portland teen from sex trafficking
A new investigation published in The Oregonian/OregonLive focuses on the life of an Oregon girl who was repeatedly trafficked for sex and on how the foster care system had failed to protect her. On the latest Beat Check, investigative reporter Hillary Borrud talked about the story, including how...
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Unpacking Election Day 2024 with The Oregonian’s politics team
We’re a few days out from Election Day 2024, and reporters at The Oregonian/OregonLive have been hard at work trying to decode all the results and what they mean for our region. Portland’s got a new mayor, and the new City Council is coming into focus too. Voters chose two new progressive…
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Oregon’s cutthroat race for congress and its national implications
In one of the most contentious and consequential elections in recent memory, Oregon has become ground zero for one of the most intriguing and potentially important races in the United States. District 5, a wide swath of Oregon that stretches from SE Portland to Albany to Bend, is home to a heated...
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A makeshift cell, a daring escape: Oregon trial brings kidnapper to justice
The Oregonian/OregonLive's Maxine Bernstein reported on the two-week trial in federal court that brought to light a pattern of crimes by defendant Negasi Zuberi. A final twist as the case was headed to the jury threatened to hold up the final verdict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A weekly look inside Oregon's biggest news stories with the journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive.com.
HOSTED BY
The Oregonian/OregonLive
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Beat Check with The Oregonian have?
Beat Check with The Oregonian currently has 360 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Beat Check with The Oregonian about?
A weekly look inside Oregon's biggest news stories with the journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive.com.
How often does Beat Check with The Oregonian release new episodes?
Beat Check with The Oregonian publishes regularly with 360 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Beat Check with The Oregonian?
You can listen to Beat Check with The Oregonian on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Beat Check with The Oregonian?
Beat Check with The Oregonian is created and hosted by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
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