Willamette Wake Up

Find out what it's like owning an electric car with Marc Albert, who's owned all-electric vehicles for over 10 years. Find out the pros, how to get around the "cons", and the earliest electric vehicle on the market. 

Conservation Spotlight prepares us for wildfire season with Alison Green from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office. They discuss what it really takes to be prepared. From creating defensible space and hardening your home to understanding evacuation levels and your level of risk. Get practical advice straight from someone on the front lines.

Meet Kimberli Fitzgerald, Salem Historic Landmarks Commision and the producer of "Salem History Moment" on KMUZ's Willamette Wake Up show. She shares her experience with that project as well as her passion for training guide dogs for the blind. 

Monmouth Monthly talks with Maren Anderson, professor, author and playwright. Maren shares two upcoming events in Monmouth - the Applebox Children's Theatre in the City of Monmouth and the Academic Excellence Showcase happening at Western Oregon University. 

Wastewater Collection and Treatment: How does it work? Why should we care? What changes are coming down the pike? Join us as we explore these issues with Sage Barnard-Davidson and Rob Layne, with the City of Salem. 

The Fair Housing Council of Oregon shares its findings on barriers and challenges for people with intellectual & developmental disabilities to secure and maintain housing, with Gina Rizk, Education & Outreach Coordinator.

Policy for the People talks with Kathy Lara of the Oregon Center for Public Policy about the latest data on worker organizing in Oregon, why unions continue to matter for wages and workplace standards, and the barriers workers still face when trying to organize. 

Girlypop Politics talks with Angelo Arredondo Baca, with the Marion County Democrats and Oregon Community Table on Postsecondary Education and Training, about what it looks like to be a young person in local leadership and how Salem Keizer students are rising to the challenge. 

In this bonus edition of Policy for the People, Oregon economist Joe Cortwright challenges the myth that Oregon has a "bad business climate." 

Willamette Block Party talks with Janique Crenshaw of Janique Crenshaw Illustration. She shares her journey surrounding art, community involvement, creating accessible art workshops, and designing innovative community spaces within the Willamette Valley. 

Keeping Oregon Oregon talks with Mary Kyle McCurdy, 1000 Friends of Oregon, about the good, the bad, and the questionable land use-related bills debated at the 2026 legislative session. 

Elephant in the Room talks with Lauren Anderson of Oregon Wild about federal efforts to open up national forests to more logging. 

Holla for Labor explores data centers: what they are, how they're sited, and community concerns related to data centers' use of power and water. Saul Cortes, program host of a tech show on KMUZ radio, shares what he's learned from his personal research. 

Monmouth Monthly talks with Heather and Matt Matz, the force behind Monmouth Celebration of Cultures, to talk about how they support cultural events in Monmouth. Learn how to get involved and the dates for upcoming events like Pride, Asian American Pacific Islanders, and Juneteenth. 

Girlypop Politics talks with CM Hall, of Emerge Oregon, about the value women bring to the policy-making table and how Emerge Oregon recruits & prepares women to run for elected office. 

Conservation Spotlight talks with Kevin Porter & Mike Wilson with the Polk Soil & Water Conservation District about the role the district plays in residents' lives, unique issues in Polk County and how the community can get involved. 

Families who are homeless are less visible than individuals we see in public spaces, but have a long term social impact leading to generational homelessness. Learn about a program through Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action that serves families and the unique issues they face, through Family First Resource Center and Arches Nest. 

Policy for the People talks with Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read about the efforts of the Trump administration to make it harder to vote - through the SAVE Act, how the state is responding, and the impact of money in politics. 

Elephant in the Room talks with Elise Graneck, Portland State University, on plastic pollution. Granek shares research that explains what happens to discarded plastic in our coastal environment.

Girlypop Politics talks with Crissy Oyervides, with Youth Era, about the recent closure of The Salem Drop and the impact it's had on the hundreds of youths who attended. Youth Era is a Eugene based non profit that works to create and sustain community spaces for youths ages 14-25, staffed with trained support professionals.

Willamette Block Party highlights key community events in the Willamette Valley & explores local groups like Black Mid-Valley that support Black identity, business, and culture. Then: a tribute to the late Gregg Simpson, Jr., a passionate community leader and activist. Plus, meet Glitter Gloria, who shares her journey from construction to founding Exit Bliss, a consultancy focused on helping businesses preserve knowledge and plan for sustainable success. 

Salem Police Chief, Trevor Womack, is retiring in May 2026. He'll share his thoughts on the state of public safety in Salem, the department's accomplishments & challenges under his leadership, and his hopes for Salem's future. 

This report captures excerpts from some presenters and rally goers at Salem Oregon's No Kings Rally from March 28, 2026 organized by Salem Region Indivisible.

Holla for Labor explores how collective action & collaboration with community can be an effective tool in resisting current federal administration's policies, with Petee Talley, highest ranking Black woman to serve in the AFL-CIO. 

Health, Thought & Transformation talks with JD Edwards, head conditioning coach at the Oregon Department of Public Safety & Standards Training, about how fitness training promotes resilience, longevity and performance among public safety professionals. 

Salem City Councilors Paul Tigan (Ward 1) and Shane Matthews (Ward 3) explore the city's budget process and "themes" for fiscal year 2026-27. They share the values they embody when examining city policy and funding city services, and how the general community can participate. The budget process, while already underway, begins in earnest in April. 

Conservation Spotlight talks with Milan Davis, Urban Forester with the City of Salem, about the city’s proactive management of urban ash trees in the face of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Hear the strategies, partnerships, and work already being done to protect valuable urban trees from disease. 

Dave Duncan, program host of NW Tech Show on KMUZ radio, explains the purpose and value of a "maker space," and how the one in Salem is providing an open space for people to be creative and share ideas.

Pull Up a Chair, talks with Jerry Schierling, retired educator in the Salem Keizer School district, about book he wrote called "Bindle Stiffs".  A bindle stiff was a term from the late 19th century to describe someone who traveled the country carrying their belongings in a bundle or pack.

Jane Titchenal is the newest member of the KMUZ Willamette Wake Up team.  Find out how she got interested in local politics, what she hopes to accomplish with her segment, and why she named it "Girlypop Politics."

Oregon is one of the nation’s top destinations for data centers, attracted by the state’s cheap power and favorable climate. Despite the state being an ideal location for data centers, Oregon and communities like Hillsboro in Washington County have been doling out massive tax subsidies to the corporate owners of data centers. That has been a very foolish thing to do, says Dirk Knudsen, a real estate broker and editor of the Hillsboro Herald. Dirk has followed closely the rise of data centers in Hillsboro. In this episode of Policy for the People, Dirk shares what he’s learned about the data center boom.

Jimmy Jones and Ashley Hamilton, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, talk about shifting the narrative on homelessness, coordination with other agencies to offer more than one path into shelter & housing, and what gives them hope to make "homelessness" a brief rather than long term experience. 

Girlypop Politics talks with Salem Keizer Schools' Superintendent Andrea Castañeda about what's behind proposed cuts in the district's Fiscal Year 26-27 budget; and, how & why the district plans to prioritize early childhood education in spite of budget challenges.

Women leaving incarceration face different challenges than men.  Find out how CREW - Connecting Resources to Empower Women - helps them re-enter the community safely and with more success.  Taryn VanderPyl, CREW director and Kyle Black, who was formerly incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, tell us how the program works.

Willamette Block Party engages with Julie-Ray Joy, Movement Building Director for Partnership for Safety & Justice. They explore the complexities of the criminal justice system in Oregon, highlighting the significant financial and social costs of incarceration versus community-based solutions. 

Keeping Oregon Oregon Examines Senate Bill 1586 (2026) which, if passed, would rezone 1700 acres of prime farmland in Washington County Oregon. Nellie McAdams, 1000 Friends of Oregon and Araon Nichols of Stoneboat Farm discuss the impact for agriculture if the land was used for high technology manufacturing purposes as allowed for in the bill.  (Note: this bill will not move forward this session.)

February 27th hundreds of high school students in the Salem-Keizer School District walked out of the classroom and marched to the State Capitol to demonstrate against federal immigration enforcement. This report shares comments from a few students who talked about how federal immigration enforcement is affecting them and their families and what they want from policy makers.

March 1st the U.S. & Israel attacked Iran, killing the country's Supreme Leader. History professor Bill Smaldone talks with host Ken Adams about the implications and unanswered questions about what this means for democracy in the U.S. and international relations overall.

Meet Community, Business & Education Leaders (CBEL) and how this collaborative is engaging with neighborhoods and families to help them thrive through Family Neighborhood Councils. Plus, how the general community can participate in conversations every two months. 

Holla for Labor celebrates Black History Month with Terry Melvin, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Tim Newman, president of the Salem Bicycle Club shares the club's mission, upcoming events and how to get involved.

Health, Thought and Transformation explores aspects of healing through traditional Chinese medicine with Dr. CT Holman, LAc. Dr. Holman talks about treating emotional trauma with Chinese medicine; and that Chinese medicine recognizes that each patient is unique, and addressing that uniqueness is part of a finding the best treatment.

Girlypop Politics will be joined by Becka Bonner of Radness Ensues to share about the work it takes to run a non-profit and why focusing on youth today will build a better future for everyone.

Cheryl Nester Wolfe, President and CEO of Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics, and Maggie Hudson, President and CEO of Santiam Hospital & Clinics discuss a proposed merger/affiliation of the two health care systems. They address the reasons behind proposing the partnership, why they believe it benefits the community and next steps in the process.

Conservation Spotlight talks with Keith Norris, Executive Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology, about the organization’s conservation work and partnerships across the West. Keith also discusses the impacts of recent federal funding cuts and what IAE needs most as they work to move forward. 

Monmouth Monthly talks with Nikita Vincent and Erubiel Valladares about their work in farming and about their involvement with the Cultural Harvest Farmers Collective and the Monmouth Feasibility Study.

Marion County Clerk, Bill Burgess, reviews the mail-in voting process in Oregon to illustrate its complexities, and the guardrails in place to prevent voter fraud.  Then he reflects on a bill currently in Congress to nationalize the voting process called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility or SAVE Act.

Policy for the People examines the looming crisis facing Oregon's subsidized child care program, Employment Related Day Care with Marchel Kaleikini and Ivy Major-McDowall of "For All Families Oregon". The program is on course to run out of money in January 2027. If that were to happen, thousands of families would lose child care, and with that, their ability to work and earn a living.

Gwen Carr, Director of Bush House Museum, invites us to a new heritage talk series at Bush House this spring, starting with "Help Wanted: The Working Hands of the Bush House" on March 1st.  Then docent and presenter, Bill Galbraith, talks about how he researched the topic. The series has limited seating and charges a nominal fee to attend.

Salem Fire Chief David Gerboth talks about the City of Salem's new partnership with Marion County to assist people in a medical crisis in downtown Salem with the REACH team - Rapid Engagement, Assessment & Community Health team. He'll address the goals of the pilot program and how it's working - just a few weeks into the program.