PODCAST · news
OPB Audio
by Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon Public Broadcasting Newsroom
Episodes
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Portland ghost tour guides share their best haunted stories
With a chill in the air and Halloween around the corner, there is no denying that the scariest time of the year is here for Oregon. While some will be celebrating the season by shopping for costumes, decorating their homes and stocking up on candy, others will be trying to experience the scares...
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What to know about the Ranked Choice Voting system rolling out across Multnomah County this election
Ballots are hitting Oregon mailboxes and for voters in Multnomah County, there’s a lot more to choose than in previous elections.
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Bend dancers rally to support 7-year-old wounded in Silver Rail shooting
A dance recital for Saylor Graham was among many weekend efforts as people in Bend searched for ways to help and grieve.
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Three candidates make their case to be Multnomah County Chair
Voters in Multnomah County will see three familiar names on their ballots running for county chair. It’s the first time ranked-choice voting will be used for this position. Julia Brim-Edwards is a current county commissioner who previously served on the Portland Public Schools Board of Education....
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All but two health insurance carriers pull out of individual marketplace in Central Oregon
Big changes are coming to the individual health insurance marketplace in Central Oregon. PacificSource, Moda and Providence are all pulling out of the region, leaving just two options for people shopping for their own health insurance: BridgeSpan Health and Regence BlueCross BlueShield. Both...
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Portland fee waiver program hasn’t spurred massive increase in new construction
Portland fee waiver program hasn’t spurred massive increase in new construction
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Bend-LaPine schools prepare to resume after tragic mass shooting
Bend-LaPine schools prepare to resume after tragic mass shooting
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Bend reels after school shooting leaves 3 children, teacher dead
Hundreds of people gathered to share songs and prayer at a vigil in Drake Park hours after Thursday’s shooting.
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School violence expert on Bend shooting response, recovery
School safety is top of mind for many families and students, a day after a mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. Three children and a teacher died, as well as the suspected shooter. It’s a horrific situation for Bend and communities well beyond it. Kent McIntosh is a professor…
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Portland Public Schools Superintendent answers questions about proposed school closures
The Portland Public Schools proposal to close up to 14 schools is getting a lot of pushback. Earlier this week, School Board Chair Eddie Wang answered questions from parents who would be affected. He emphasized that even though the district has had to make a series of significant cuts over the…
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Nonprofit seeks volunteers to help tally wildlife, dead or alive, on Oregon’s roads
Dozens of volunteers across the state have now signed up to help tally wildlife they observe either dead or alive along Oregon’s roadways. That might mean, for example, taking out their phone to snap a photo of an elk munching on moss next to a country road or a photo of a dead opossum struck by…
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Grief in Bend after deadly school shooting
The Central Oregon community is grieving after a gunman opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday afternoon, killing three children and a teacher, according to police. Another child and teacher are also hospitalized. Police said that the suspected shooter, a 16-year-old boy, is…
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What we know so far about the Bend school shooting
What we know so far about the Bend school shooting
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New book ‘Seeking Kenny: A Wrestler’s Journey’ chronicles extraordinary life of Oregon wrestling champ
Author Michael Copperman wrestles with loss and celebrates the legacy of his friend, following Kenny Cox’s adventures and sharing interviews with his loved ones.
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3 children among dead in Bend school shooting
The shooting occurred at Silver Rail Elementary School. The suspected shooter died at the scene, according to police. We get the latest from OPB's Emily Cureton Cook.
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Rogue Valley faring better than other Oregon wine regions amid industry-wide downturn
Southern Oregon was the only region in the state to see more wine production in 2025 than 2024. That’s according to the Oregon Vineyard and Winery Report released this summer. USA Today also named the Rogue Valley the best wine region in the country in its annual poll. The recognition comes amid...
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A historian’s perspective on where we are as a nation
Christopher McKnight Nichols taught history at Oregon State University for a decade and was also the director of its Center for the Humanities until 2022. He left that year for Ohio State University where he is today the Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security and a professor of history.…
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Salmon are returning to the Klamath River after 100 years
Since the Klamath Dams came down in 2024, researchers, tribes and conservation officials have all been waiting to see whether salmon would return to the rivers and streams they last populated 100 years ago. A study published in the journal “Nature” this summer shows that they have. Researchers...
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Docktober invites folks to join citizen scientists in peeking under docks
Docktober invites folks to join citizen scientists in peeking under docks
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Investigative series reveals past stories of educator sexual misconduct at Centennial High School
A new six-part investigative series follows several cases of educator sexual misconduct that took place at Centennial high school in Gresham in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It closely follows the story of Stacy Love, a student who married her former high school teacher shortly after graduating...
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Portland nonprofit Ukandu opens year-round community center for children with cancer and their families
Since 1986, the Portland-based nonprofit Ukandu has offered a week-long, free camp for children with cancer, ages 8 to 18, and their siblings. In 2022, Ukandu began offering a free week of camp on the Oregon coast for the entire family. Ukandu is now about to expand its programming year-round…
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Algal blooms are happening more often in Oregon and around the West
For more than 20 years, Oregon has been monitoring toxic algal blooms. Other states such as Utah, Wyoming and California have been monitoring the blooms as well. Now, new reporting from High Country News highlights how these blooms are happening more frequently and are lasting longer. Reporter...
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A free Portland newsletter is tracking grocery prices
For the past 14 months, Bryan Vance has tracked the prices of 20 common grocery staples, aggregating them into a newsletter called Stumptown Savings. Spurred by rising costs and his own layoff, the Google sheet where he tracks items is now 5,500 lines long. Every month he adds 400 unique points…
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Inconsistent efforts from distracted leaders keep Oregon education outcomes from improving
Part 2 of OPB’s series on the state’s school system explores how parents and school advocates are looking to other states for ways to change the system from the ground up.
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Why does an electrified pickle glow? We’re not exactly sure
Portland State University engineering professor Joshua Méndez is conducting experiments in his lab to get to the bottom of this electrostatic mystery.
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Many PPS families asking for a pause in school closures process
14 neighborhood schools in Portland would close if the Portland Public Schools Board approves a district plan. The "rightsizing" plan also includes consolidating or eliminating programs, as well as major boundary changes. Parents, students and staff have been pushing back on both the process and...
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Amazon, data centers and the race for Oregon governor
Can a massive influx of money to political candidates and rural communities change public perception of Amazon’s data centers in Oregon?
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Southwest Washington’s battleground Congressional race
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more unpredictable Congressional race than the one in Washington’s Third District. Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has won that election twice now. But polling commissioned by OPB shows she’s in a statistical dead heat with her Republican...
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Portland-based group Seffarine releases new album
The Portland-based group Seffarine blends traditional music from Morocco and Southern Spain with jazz and other contemporary genres. Their upcoming album, “Abaraz,” explores the music of Southern Morocco and the Arab and West African music that influenced it. The album was inspired by the band’s...
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From hip-hop pioneers to a legendary jazz bassist, KMHD’s October music highlights
“Think Out Loud” continues our monthly conversations with Meg Samples, general manager of member-supported KMHD Jazz Radio. Each month, we’ll hear about artists to add to your playlist, along with concerts and community events to attend. In October, that includes a concert by the pioneering,...
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How and why Metro has been creating “Nature Parks” since the ‘90s
Metro has been acquiring land to create green spaces in the Portland metro area since the 1990s — and its collection of natural areas, trails and parks has now grown to over 20,000 acres. Metro-managed natural areas and parks include the Smith and Bybee Wetlands in North Portland, Cooper Mountain...
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Oregon Campus Voting Challenge
Oregon's Secretary of State's Office and the national organization ALL IN are launching the Oregon Campus Voting Challenge this year. PSU held a "Puppies at the Polls" event as part of it.
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Oregon campus radio stations on keeping college broadcasting alive
More often than not located in a dark basement, walls hidden behind a massive collage of musical ephemera dating back a few decades, young adults sorting records and CDs: It’s the local college radio station! In 1948, when the FCC was making an attempt to promote new FM radio, they created the...
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How youth are making their voices heard in Clark County
The Clark County Youth Commission allows young people to offer their input to the county council about the issues youth are facing and how to address them. While their work typically focuses on mental health, the commission has also explored violence prevention, youth homelessness, community...
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Increase in ICE arrests in Portland area has advocates worried a federal operation is coming
Immigrants’ rights advocates are reporting a rise in the number of arrests by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in the Portland metro area in the last week. Immigration arrests peaked in November of 2025 with “Operation Black Rose.” They decreased dramatically earlier this year but numbers...
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Tensions over La Grande gas tax tap into debate shaping tight Oregon governor race
Tensions over La Grande gas tax tap into debate shaping tight Oregon governor race
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Oregon's second gubernatorial debate
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and state Senator Christine Drazan met for their second gubernatorial debate in Medford this week. The two candidates discussed taxes, the increasing cost of living and healthcare among other topics. OPB politics reporter Dirk Vanderhart watched the debate and joined…
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How music educators in Oregon are handling their first year in the classroom
With both education and arts funding facing cuts across the country, it’s not an easy time to be a school music teacher. Research shows that music educators have been leaving the field in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are still young professionals who are…
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Amazon delivery by drone may soon be coming to Portland
Early next year, Portland residents may begin seeing and hearing fleets of drones carrying Amazon packages bound for delivery in as fast as half an hour. The tech giant says it plans to expand its Prime Air delivery service to nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of the year. A company press...
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Eugene voters facing clean energy ballot measure modeled after the Portland Clean Energy Fund
The voter-passed Portland Clean Energy Fund, or PCEF has been awarding grants for about five years. The tax on large retailers who do business in the city has raised far more money than expected. Now Eugene voters will decide whether to pass their own clean energy fund, called ECEF. It’s modeled...
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‘Dead in the water’: How FAFSA can shut LGBTQ+ young adults out of college
For some queer and transgender students, navigating college means overcoming financial aid rules designed around family support they don’t have.
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Multiple reports of rape mar the University of Oregon's fall term
Multiple reports of rape mar the University of Oregon's fall term
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Two Portland pro-wrestlers share their journey and the work behind it
When you think of professional wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment, also known as WWE, may come to mind. But the Pacific Northwest is home to its own indie scene of wrestling. As Katherine Cusumano writes in The Believer, the blood, sweat and tears that go into wrestling take a toll on the...
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Restaurants coming to Portland and Eugene this autumn
Portland’s got a reputation for food — the New York Times has called the city “the dining capital of the Pacific Northwest.” And last year, a Eugene establishment made it into the publication’s top 100 restaurants of 2025. Zoe Baillargeon is a freelance food writer based in Portland, and Taylor...
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Breaking down the Oregon gubernatorial race
Polling from OPB shows that the Oregon gubernatorial race is neck-and-neck in the rematch between Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan and the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Tina Kotek. That’s with roughly a week to go before Oregon voters start receiving their ballots. OPB politics reporters…
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Does cannabis relieve stress? Washington State University study aimed to find out
Researchers at Washington State University were interested in seeing whether cannabis use decreased stress, based on both subjective reports and objective measurements of bodily changes associated with stress. That includes, for example, an increase in heart rate during stress. The scientists...
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Hundreds of students, parents, staff ask Portland to pause school closures
Hundreds of students, parents, staff ask Portland to pause school closures
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Portland’s Toody Cole heads to Europe for Winter tour
Toody Cole has been a pillar in many beloved Pacific Northwest bands, including Dead Moon and the Rats and Pierced Arrows. After Pierced Arrows disbanded in 2015, Toody Cole and her husband Fred Cole performed together until his death in 2017. Six years later, the 77-year-old would return as…
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Portland’s Tim Leatherman shares stories and lessons in new book
The Leatherman tool came from a simple idea: What if a Boy Scout knife had pliers? This simple idea started a company with now more than 540 employees and a dedicated fan base. In a new book from the tool’s inventor, Tim Leatherman, “The Leatherman” shares the story of the tool's creation, the…
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Oregon’s grape harvest is in full swing, but wine sales have been dropping
Oregon’s grape harvest is in full swing, but wine sales have been dropping
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Oregon Public Broadcasting Newsroom
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Oregon Public Broadcasting
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does OPB Audio have?
OPB Audio currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Oregon Public Broadcasting Newsroom
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OPB Audio releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
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OPB Audio is created and hosted by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
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