Beat Check with The Oregonian

A weekly look inside Oregon's biggest news stories with the journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive.com.

News
News Commentary
Politics
176
Grant Butler on how to shakeup your Thanksgivin...
For millions of Oregonians, Thanksgiving 2020 was smaller than expected.But with widespread vaccination – and now booster shots – Delta subsiding, many families are getting back together and can feel safer about doing it. The CDC has some...
20 min
177
What is happening in Newberg
The conservative majority on Newberg’s school board tripled down last week on its controversial policy to ban so-called political symbols like the Pride Flag and Black Lives Matter from classrooms and campuses. The board voted 4 to 3 to oust...
29 min
178
Data, water and and why an Oregon town is suing...
One of the country’s most famous companies is expanding in Oregon, and one city is carrying the water, legally speaking. That town sued to the public from knowing key details about the company’s plans.I’m Andrew Theen and this is Beat Check with The...
30 min
179
Body shaming allegations rock Oregon Ducks trac...
The University of Oregon’s track and field program is one of the best in the world, and the school has pushed the limits for decades to help athletes trim their times, boost their throws and jumps and live up to Eugene’s Track Town USA nickname.But ...
27 min
180
Editor Therese Bottomly on transparency, public...
Sometimes in journalism, it’s like pulling teeth trying to obtain records from public agencies. Other times, the state accidentally sends sensitive records to your email box. Then it’s decision time.Therese Bottomly, the editor of The Oregonian and ...
37 min
181
Another COVID crisis for Oregon's prisons
Oregon’s state run prisons have had some of the worst workplace outbreaks during the pandemic. Now as the clock ticks toward a key deadline where prison staff must be vaccinated, a large number of workers are not. The state’s top prison official is say...
20 min
182
Under the gun: Inside Portland's rise in homicides
Portland is on pace to shatter the record for most homicides in a calendar year. It’s a confluence of factors. People lost their lives in all corners of the city, and there is no clear consensus on how to address the crisis  On the ...
33 min
183
Land at Willamette Falls is finally in tribal h...
Willamette Falls is one of Oregon's most impressive natural wonders, but chances are you've never seen it up close.That may eventually change.On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, travel and outdoor writer Jamie Hale (...
20 min
184
Eli Saslow of The Washington Post on his new bo...
Perhaps nothing in our lifetimes has so universally affected humans than the coronavirus pandemic, and a new book from a Portland-based journalist has the ambitious goal of sharing more than two dozen stories from all around ...
34 min
185
Report Card: Checking in on the back to school ...
--Students at Reynolds high school will be learning from home once again this week. Dozens of students have had to isolate so far for potential exposure on school buses in Portland and Lake Oswego.But all in all – students are back in classrooms and t...
25 min
186
An update on Portland politics, plus Rose Quart...
The summer doldrums are here and fall is just around the corner – but some things don’t seem to change – Portland City Hall is filled with uncertainty and the mega project to expand I-5 through the rose quarter is once again filled with question marks....
33 min
187
Dispatch from a Portland critical care unit
Eighteen months into the pandemic, healthcare workers in hospitals and intensive care units in Oregon are still at it. They are tired, frustrated and feeling forgotten. It’s a tense time and unvaccinated Oregonians continue to show up at their doors, s...
30 min
188
What you need to know about back to school plans
It’s the first week of class for Portland public school students and many others around the state return in a matter of days. But the Delta variant of COVID-19 is spreading and most students are still unvaccinated. It’s an exciting and nerve-wracking t...
32 min
189
A Portland pediatrician on back to school, Delt...
Public students are going back to school full-time in the coming days for the first time in 18 months. We figured this was worth a couple episodes of the podcast. My colleague, Julie Evensen, interviewed Dr. Whitney Casares, a Portland pediatrician, ab...
25 min
190
Oregon breweries died, survived or grew during ...
Beer is part of the culture in Oregon, and a year and a half into the pandemic, the renowned industry is tired, but still standing. Some big names are gone. Others expanded. And Beervana is once again seeing new businesses enter the crowded ...
23 min
191
The Delta variant strikes Oregon
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon has been one of the best performing states. We had some of the lowest infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths per capita in the nation.But now the Delta variant is surging here, infection rates and hospi...
31 min
192
The state of homelessness in Portland
Where do people experiencing homelessness go when their campsite is swept away? And how does Portland fare on the issue compared to other cities? Is it possible that Portland has more resources and a better plan?On the latest episode of Beat Check w...
24 min
193
How Dutch Bros became an iconic Oregon company
What companies belong on Oregon’s Mt. Rushmore? Nike. TexTronix. Les Schwab Tire Centers….and now Dutch Bros? The Grants Pass based drive through coffee company’s success isn’t new, but it’s decision to go public is putting the company in rarefied air....
24 min
194
The Obsession: Anatomy of a Murder
How far would you go to investigate a murder in your family? What if one parent was accused and convicted of killing the other? One Vancouver woman has made reopening the case her life.On the latest episode of Beat Check, reporter Doug Perry talks a...
22 min
195
Oregon athletes begin cashing in on name, image...
For decades the holy veneer of amateurism surrounding big time college sports largely stood untouched and unblemished. It was sacrosanct, even as coaches made millions. Then come July - poof. It was gone. College athletes were free to make money off th...
32 min
196
Portland's ongoing traffic violence and one wom...
Portland is still emerging from a deadly pandemic, and we’re seeing a record number of homicides plus dozens of deaths due to the recent heat wave. But another troubling issue continues to bubble beneath the surface: Traffic deaths are on pace to shatt...
24 min
197
Recapping Top Chef Portland
What does it mean to have one of the nation’s premier food shows shoot in Portland and what should we make of the controversial winner?Despite our national reputation and several celebrity chefs, Portland has never hosted a season of Bravo’s Top Chef ...
34 min
198
Why the deadly heatwave is unlikely to be Orego...
It’s been one week since Portland had its hottest day in recorded history — and that came on the heels of two days that were also record breaking. 116 degrees. What do we make of it? Is this a one off or a scary preview of our future? On the second hal...
24 min
199
Will Portland's red-hot housing market cool down?
The Oregonian/OregonLive's Janet Eastman discusses the red-hot Portland housing market, why millennials are hopping into the buying spree and why prices are unlikely to go down even as inventory increases.
26 min
200
Rep. Peter DeFazio on the transportation talks
Oregon’s longest tenured Congressman has a critical seat at the table in Washington as the Biden administration pushes for a massive transportation package.On this episode of Beat Check, Rep. Peter DeFazio talks about the latest twists and ...
33 min