KGW’s Straight Talk

Portland business leaders said there are positive trends in downtown Portland's economic recovery but acknowledge it's a "work in progress" and won't happen overnight. In this episode of Straight Talk, representatives from the Portland Business Alliance, Prosper Portland and Travel Portland join Laural Porter to discuss the state of the city's downtown.

During the early days of the pandemic, reliable and fast internet connectivity became a lifeline for nearly everyone in some fashion, whether it was online school, working from home, ordering groceries, or telehealth doctors appointments. It meant that people who don't have that connection for one reason or another had an extra burden during an already difficult time. The City of Portland is working with Comcast and community groups to create multiple solutions to meet the needs of people without internet connection.

It was a historic election night in Oregon on Tuesday, with three women running for governor and more women candidates running for office up and down the ballot than ever before. KGW's election night analysts, Democrat Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal and Republican strategist Rebecca Tweed, reflected on the midterm election in Oregon during this week's episode of "Straight Talk."Jayapal said that leading up to election night, the 2022 midterms were popularly described as a referendum on both the party in power in the White House and in the Oregon governor's office. But rather than being a referendum, Jayapal said voters took a more nuanced approach for specific candidates. Democrats like Tina Kotek, who won the Oregon governor's race, were successful because they ran nuanced campaigns that touched on both issues and values, she said.Republican strategist Rebecca Tweed said that while it's disappointing that GOP candidate for governor Christine Drazan came up just short of winning the race, Republicans in Oregon can still point to some meaningful wins. It wasn't a runaway race for Democrats, she said, who have been in power in the Oregon governor's office for nearly 40 years, and Drazan brought a lot of energy to her campaign and messaging that resonated with a lot of Oregonians.

With just days before Election Day, Rene Gonzalez and Jo Ann Hardesty joined Straight Talk this week to talk about their vision for the city if they're elected to Portland City Council. Both were the top two finishers in the May primary election, setting up a November runoff after incumbent Hardesty fell short of the 50% threshold to win outright. The winner of the runoff will serve a four-year term starting in January.

With ballots mailed out and just over a week to go before Election Day on Tuesday, November 8th, voters in Washington's 3rd Congressional District are choosing a new face to represent them in Washington, D.C. Six-term incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler lost in the top-two primary in August. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the only Democrat on a crowded ballot, was the top vote-getter while Republican Joe Kent came in second. Herrera Beutler was one of 10 US House Republicans to vote to impeach former President Donald Trump, which Kent said motivated him to run against her. Neither he nor Gluesenkamp Perez have ever held elected office.Gluesenkamp Perez owns a Portland auto repair shop with her husband and lives in rural Skamania County. Kent is a former Green Beret who served 20 years in the military. He's endorsed by President Trump and lives in Yacolt, Washington. In this week's episode of Straight Talk, Kent and Gluesenkamp Perez sparred over their competing visions for Southwest Washington and the nation, including what they would do to bring down inflation and reduce crime, and their views on abortion rights and immigration.Following the taping of the regular edition of Straight Talk, the candidates took another 15 minutes to answer a bonus round of questions in which Kent and Gluesenkamp Perez debated what happened on January 6th during the US Capitol riot, how to make sure Social Security remains solvent, Second Amendment rights and how to reduce gun violence, and Kent's call to abolish Washington State's vote-by-mail system.

Wednesday night on KGW, the three candidates for Oregon governor met for their fourth and final debate before Election Day. Republican Christine Drazan, Democrat Tina Kotek and unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson got one last chance to make their case to Oregon voters.The candidates had an hour to tackle some of the biggest issues facing Oregonians: homelessness, mental health, addiction services, abortion rights, education and campaign funding, among others."Straight Talk" host Laurel Porter moderated the debate, and now she explores some of the key takeaways as we quickly approach Election Day.

Oregon's congressional races are unusually tight in a typically blue state, and are drawing a lot of interest and money from both Republican and Democratic national party committees. One of the most competitive races is in Oregon's newly created sixth congressional district between Democrat Andrea Salinas and Republican Mike Erickson. The new district was created following the 2020 census and includes parts of southwest Portland, Salem, Woodburn, Yamhill County, and Lake Oswego in Clackamas County.

With the balance of power on the line in Congress, Oregon's hotly contested fifth Congressional district race is in the national spotlight.Neutral polls show it's a contest that is too close to call. Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who defeated incumbent Kurt Schrader in the primary, is going head to head with Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer. One certainty in the race is that Oregon will add another woman to its Congressional delegation to join Democrat Suzanne Bonamici, who represents the state's first district.McLeod-Skinner is a Terrebonne attorney and part-time emergency preparedness coordinator, as well as a board member of the Jefferson County Education District. Chavez-DeRemer served as mayor of Happy Valley from 2010 to 2018. She and her husband co-founded Anesthesia Associates Northwest, and own health and wellness clinics that treat drug resistant depression. The two candidates appeared separately on this week's edition of "Straight Talk" to make their case to voters on why they believe they are the best fit for the vast and diverse district.

Portlanders are less than two months away from voting on Measure 26-228, a proposal to radically reshape the city's form of government, and supporters and opponents of the charter reform package are both pressing their cases.Melanie Billings-Yun, who co-chaired the Charter Commission that developed the proposal, and Sol Mora, campaign manager for the reform proposal advocacy group Portland United for Change, were guests on Straight Talk this week to make their case for the ballot measure.Also appearing this week was Vadim Mozyrsky, who was one of three Charter Commission members who voted against the package, and is now campaigning in opposition to it as part of a group called the Partnership for Common Sense Government.

As CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Care Systems, Becky Hultberg has a close-up view of the crisis gripping the state's health care sector — and she spends sleepless nights thinking about what the future holds.More than two and a half years since the start of the pandemic, hospitals and skilled nursing homes continue to face historic staffing shortages, and it's left Oregon's hospitals and health care systems in deep financial turmoil."Like many of you, I have family members whose lives have been saved in hospitals," Hultberg said. "And it feels really scary and desperate to me to think about living in a place or being in a time when there's not an emergency department bed that's open in a reasonable time, or there's not a hospital bed available when someone I love needs that care."Hultberg and Samaritan Hospital CEO Laura Hennum were guests on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss the hospital crisis, what caused it and possible solutions.

Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan had hoped to have six Safe Rest Villages, planned tiny home communities for residents without homes, open across the city by the end of 2021. That didn't happen. The process has been slower and harder than anticipated, but in this week's episode of Straight Talk, Ryan said the work has taken on new momentum and he hopes to have all the sites open by the end of this year.Mayor Ted Wheeler's emergency declaration in February was pivotal, Ryan said, because it gave him office emergency powers to expedite village locations. And even with only some of the villages open, Ryan said city staff and partners are already starting to see the results they were hoping for. In the past three months, 23 people who were once living on the streets have transitioned through existing Safe Rest Villages and into permanent housing.

Oregon's senior Senator Ron Wyden was at a pharmacy on West Main Street in Medford when President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law this week."I was telling the seniors (at the Medford pharmacy) that there was a dose of good news," he said. "A big dose of good news for thousands of senior citizens in Oregon and hundreds of thousands across the state, because they were going to get a fair shake, finally, for their medicine."Wyden was a guest on this week's episode of "Straight Talk" to discuss how the Inflation Reduction Act will bring down costs for Oregonians, among other topics.

Congress passed a sweeping, $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill known as the Inflation Reduction Act this week, but the Senate vote on Sunday came only after an exhausting 16-hour marathon session. Senate Democrats stayed unified through the process, with all 50 members of their caucus voting in lockstep and Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaker vote in the evenly divided Senate. The House took the bill up Friday and passed it in a 220-207 vote, sending it on to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley hailed the passage of the bill "a very big deal." Merkley was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss how the bill will impact Americans and lower inflation.

The race for county elections clerk doesn't often get the attention it deserves. Voters frequently skip over the non-partisan race when marking their ballots. Clackamas County Clerk Sherry Hall has served as County Clerk for 20 years and is running for her sixth term in the November election on November 8th. Hall has an opponent in the November election who is making her first run for public office. Catherine McMullen is an elections administrator for Multnomah County with 15 years of public service and lives in West Linn.

Southwest Washington voters will decide this year whether to reelect Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler to represent the state's 3rd Congressional District or to send one of her eight challengers to Washington D.C. instead, and they'll get their first chance to weight in on Tuesday. Her three leading opponents are Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republicans Joe Kent and Heidi St. John, both of whom are running to Herrera Beutler's right.The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 2 primary will advance to a runoff in the general election, regardless of party affiliation. That means the two names on the ballot in November could be two Republicans, two Democrats, or one of each. It's also possible Herrera Beutler could be edged out of the race on Tuesday if she fails to win one of the top two slots. Political observes say this year could be her toughest electoral challenge since first winning office in 2010.

More than 3,000 people in the Pacific Northwest are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. The nonprofit Donate Life Northwest has registered nearly three million Oregonians to be organ, eye and tissue donors, but a lot of people still haven't had the conversation about being a donor.A powerful new documentary called "A Donation Conversation" aims to reach a wider audience and spur more people to enroll as organ donors. The film centers on the story of a Forest Grove family, the Dieter-Robinsons.Six-year-old Ana and 11-year-old Abigail were killed when a car ran over them while they played in a pile of leaves in 2013. In the documentary, their parents talk about how their legacy lives on through organ donation.

Grayson Dempsey with Lilith Clinic, Oregon's only independent abortion clinic, joined University of Oregon Assistant Professor Alison Gash, a specialist in constitutional rights, and OHSU's Dr. Paula Amato on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss what happens next following the Supreme Court's abortion decision.

Oregon is just one week away from hosting the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, marking the first time the event has been held in a U.S. city.

It's been more than two years since Washington State enacted the "Tiffany Hill Act," named in memory of a young mother gunned down by her estranged abusive husband.The law allows courts to order offenders to wear a GPS ankle bracelet which would be monitored and linked to an app on the victim's phone, alerting them when their abuser was nearby. State Sen. Lynda Wilson (R-Vancouver), one of the authors of the law, said the technology could have saved Hill's life.The bill was signed into law in 2020, but few Washington counties are utilizing the monitoring technology. Wilson has been advocating for wider adoption within the state and for other states to adopt their own versions of the law.

As the transgender community faces threats on multiple fronts, local advocates pledged to fight back and offer support to transgender individuals and families. Jess Guerriero, a social worker at OHSU's Transgender Health Program, and Seth Johnstone of Basic Rights Oregon were guests on this week's episode of "Straight Talk" to discuss the threats facing transgender people and the resources and support available to help.KGW's Ashley Korslien and Vancouver-based trans activist Linden Walls also joined the show to discuss the KGW original podcast "Should Be Alive," which explores the murder of transgender teen, Nikki Kuhnhausen.

Over the years, when people would encourage then-Oregon state Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose to run for governor, she says her comeback line was always, "I'd rather throw myself in a wood chipper." It's not the wood chipper, but Johnson has thrown herself into the ring in the three-way race for Oregon governor. Johnson was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss why she's running for governor and her position on issues important to Oregonians, including gun safety measures.

Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty is a combat veteran who served in Iraq, married to another combat veteran. They are gun owners — but Beaty believes it's time for the nation to pass what she called "reasonable gun control measures."Beaty said following the mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school where a gunman used an AR-15 rifle to kill 19 children and two teachers, she felt unsafe in America for the first time since serving in Iraq.

Following Oregon's primary election on May 17, the state's general election in November is shaping up to be historic and expensive. For the first time in state history, all the major candidates for Oregon governor are women. Former House Speaker Tina Kotek secured the Democratic nomination, former Republican House leader Christine Drazan won the GOP nomination, and it's expected former longtime Democratic lawmaker Betsy Johnson will qualify to be on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. The governor's race is also expected to be the most expensive when it comes to campaign spending in state history. KGW political analyst Len Bergstein and Republican strategist Rebecca Tweed discuss their takeaways on the election results and their thoughts about the general election in November.

Dan Ryan was first elected in 2020 in a special election to serve the last two years of the late Commissioner Nick Fish's term. Now, he is running for a full four year term, but faces a challenge from several candidates, including the leading opponent Alanna Joy "AJ" McCreary.In their pitch to Portland voters, Ryan pointed to his experience and said now is not the time to elect a newcomer to politics, while McCreary said Portland needs change and new leaders.

Most Oregon voters have their ballots and Election Day is just weeks away for the May Primary. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is term-limited and cannot run again, and for the first time in decades it appears possible a Republican candidate could win election to the governor's office. In a debate hosted by Portland City Club and moderated by KGW's Laural Porter and David Molko, candidates Bridget Barton, Jessica Gomez, Bud Pierce and Stan Pulliam answered questions on the issues of homelessness, crime, education and more.

Oregon's primary election is May 17th and ballots are beginning to hit mailboxes throughout the state. At the top of the ticket, the Governor's race which is wide open this election since incumbent Gov. Kate Brown can't run again because of term limits. KGW and The City Club of Portland partnered for a debate between the leading Democratic candidates, former House Speaker Tina Kotek and State Treasurer Tobias Read. A debate between five Republican candidates is set for Tuesday, May 3rd at noon.This episode of "Straight Talk" includes excerpts from Kotek and Read as they debated how to tackle homelessness and gun violence, what they would do for rural Oregon, and how they would have handled the pandemic.

Shortly after receiving the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award, KGW alum Ann Curry sat down with Laural Porter at Portland's Behind the Museum Café for a wide-ranging conversation about her reflections on her career, the most powerful stories she's covered, restoring trust in journalism, the importance of local journalism and why Oregon still holds a special place in her heart.

Oregon's primary election is about a month away on May 17, with ballots going out in less than two weeks. Secretary of State Shemia Fagan wants Oregonians to feel confident in the security of the state's election process. Appearing on KGW's Straight Talk with Laural Porter, Fagan was emphatic in saying the 2020 election results were accurate. Her office is on the offensive in an effort to reassure Oregonians they can feel confident in the safety and security of Oregon elections and to clear up any confusion voters may have about the process.

Oregon lawmakers passed massive back-to-back investment packages in the state's mental and behavioral health system in the 2021 and 2022 legislative session, leveraging state general funds and federal dollars for a combined total of $1.25 billion.Lawmakers have described the investments as "historic" and the beginning of an effort to turn around a neglected system. Oregon state Senator Kate Lieber, D-Portland, and Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, are co-leaders of the Oregon Legislature's Joint Budget Committee, and they helped lead the way to pass both packages.The two lawmakers joined this week's episode of KGW's Straight Talk to discuss how the money will be invested and the difference they think it could make for Oregonians struggling with mental health and addiction issues.

The new Speaker of the Oregon House, Rep. Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis), said he would give the recently completed 2022 short legislative session an A-minus grade, because there's always room for improvement. Republican House leaders would agree there's room for improvement — a lot of it. They said they would grade the session a D. House Republican Leader Rep. Vikki Breese Iverson (R-Prineville) and Deputy Republican Leader Kim Wallan (R-Medford) join Laural Porter to share their thoughts on how the session went.

Political insiders are predicting the race to represent Oregon's newly redrawn 5th Congressional district could become the nation's marquee Democratic House primary to watch. That's according to an article in Politico.Seven-term incumbent Kurt Schrader, a moderate, is being challenged from the left by former congressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner from central Oregon. They're running in a newly formed district. The boundaries were reshaped by the Oregon Legislature last fall and now include most of Clackamas and Marion Counties, but not Salem.

Intel is Oregon's largest corporate employer with 22,000 employees. It's at the heart of Oregon's "Silicon Forest" in Washington County, but when Intel announced it was making a $20 billion investment in a massive chip manufacturing facility, that investment went to Ohio, not Oregon.How did Oregon miss out?Monique Claiborne, CEO of Greater Portland Inc., along with Oregon state Representative Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley) and Jennifer Baker, President of the Columbia River Economic Development Council in Clark County, join Laural Porter to discuss how Oregon can work to attract new investment in the state.

When the new Oregon Speaker of the House Rep. Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) gaveled out the 2022 Oregon legislative session on March 4th, his 10-year-old son Adam was by his side. It was the conclusion of Rayfield's first legislative session as Speaker of the House after being elected to replace former Speaker Tina Kotek, who resigned to focus on her campaign for governor. Rayfield called the 31-day session a success. Speaker Rayfield was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss what was accomplished, what is left to be done next session, and shared his personal life experience that has helped to inform the kind of leader he is today.

For the first time since 1986, Portland has a contested race to see who will be the next city auditor. Current auditor Mary Hull Caballero decided not to run for re-election, and for a while it looked like no one wanted to take the job next.But now there are two candidates vying to replace Hull Caballero; Simone Rede, who works as a senior management auditor at Metro, and Brian Setzler, a certified public accountant.Rede and Setzler were guests on Straight Talk to make their case for election to voters.

CEO of the Portland Business Alliance Andrew Hoan joined John Tapogna of ECONorthwest and Michelle Neiss from DHM Research as guests on this week's episode of "Straight Talk" to discuss the 2022 State of the Economy report.

Peter DeFazio is the longest serving House member in Oregon history and the 65th longest in U.S. history. He was a guest on this week's episode of Straight Talk to reflect on his congressional career and his plans for retirement.

Long-term care executive Phil Fogg is calling on the U.S. to treat the workforce shortage in health care as a national crisis.

Bloodworks Northwest is calling on Washington and Oregon residents to give blood this holiday season as the nationwide shortage continues. We also talk to Josh Schreck with the KGW Great Toy Drive about this year's effort to support the community. Investigative reporter Kyle Iboshi also joins to discuss holiday scams to watch out for.

Portland Commissioner Dan Ryan joined Oregon Recovers co-founder and director Mike Marshall and Oregon State Representative Tawna Sanchez (D-District 43) on this week's episode to discuss behavioral health and homelessness in Oregon.

Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury joined Laural Porter on Straight Talk to discuss the city's homeless crisis and progress being made, thanks in part to Metro's supportive housing bond that passed in 2020. Homeless service providers Mercedes Elizalde from Central City Concern and Stacy Borke from Transition Projects were also guests on this week's episode.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer says he's optimistic the planet can slow global warming. He recently attended the global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland and joined Laural Porter on Straight Talk to discuss climate change and his new report on preparing for climate disaster, "From Ruin to Resilience."

Gabe Newland with the Oregon Justice Resource Center and Marion County DA Paige Clarkson joined Laural Porter to discuss the pros and cons of clemency for offenders convicted as teens.

Political strategists Dan Lavey and Kevin Looper usually find themselves on opposing sides of an issue. Lavey served as strategist for former Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith, and advises Oregon business interests. Looper is a long-time Democratic consultant. However, what they see as the decline and decay of their hometown, Portland, brought them together to launch the nonprofit advocacy group, People for Portland. Lavey and Looper were guests on this week's episode of "Straight Talk" to discuss why they founded People for Portland, their objectives, and who is funding the $1.5 million campaign.

Kim McCarty represents 6,000 low-income tenants across the state. As the executive director of the Community Alliance of Tenants, McCarty said their office receives hundreds of calls from tenants who have lost their employment benefits and are still not fully employed — now, they're afraid of being evicted. Oregon's statewide eviction moratorium expired at the end of June but state lawmakers passed a bill providing a 60-day grace period for those who applied for assistance — Multnomah County extended that grace period to 90 days. Deborah Imse is the executive director of Multifamily NW, a rental industry group representing a mix of large and small landlords and property managers. She said landlords are in the dark about how the rental assistance process works, where their tenants' applications are in that process and at what point they will get paid. McCarty and Imse discussed their frustrations on this week's episode of "Straight Talk."

Portland Police Sergeant Ken Duilio, Lakayana Drury, founder of the nonprofit Word Is Bond, and Multnomah County's Chief Deputy District Attorney Kirsten Snowden were guests on this week's episode of "Straight Talk" to discuss what's behind the gun violence and possible solutions.

It was 1913 when Portland voters first decided the city would have a commission form of government with city council members elected at large. Now, 108 years later, Portland is the only large city in the U.S. to still have the unique system of government and residents have voted eight times to keep it that way. A twenty member Charter Review Commission is studying alternatives to the city's form of government and elections, and may refer their recommendations to the Nov. 2022 ballot. In this episode of Straight Talk, Laural Porter talked to members of the commission about their task, why there's a charter review, what they're studying and how you can make your voice heard.

Youth climate activists Adah Crandall and Cassie Wilson discuss the growing climate crisis and what they want Oregon leaders to do about it. Specifically, they talk about the recent climate protests and their objections to the I-5 Rose Quarter expansion project.

Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan discusses the new "Safe Rest Village" project, the surge in gun violence and his plan to run for re-election in 2022.

Blanchet House Director Scott Kerman is calling for innovation, bold action and teamwork as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens the crisis on Portland's streets. Also, Terry Leckron-Myers with the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO) joins to discuss how MHAAO has ramped up efforts to alleviate the ongoing crisis.

Greg Johnson, the leader of the Interstate Bridge Replacement project, and Joe Cortright, a Portland economist opposed to replacing the bridge, discuss the latest bridge project and concerns about the cost, tolling and congestion.