News
Combatting social isolation during the pandemic
Fred Maxwell was speed reading on his porch in Oklahoma City, but he didn’t need to be in such a hurry. He paused reading his book and surveyed his actions. He had been multitasking this whole time. He was sipping coffee, playing the radio and greeting neighbors. All while speed reading like he had an…
‘No human being belongs in a cage’: Podcast creator gives fellow ex-prisoners a platform
In the 19th century, slave narratives from writers like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs played a critical role in spreading the abolitionist message and fighting slavery. Today, Joshua Edward Wright hopes to do much the same, but for prisoners. Based in Portland, Wright launched a new podcast, “The Exiled Voice,” to give former prisoners a…
OHSU students and employees working from home offered vaccines
Some Oregon Health & Science University employees expressed concern this week as COVID-19 vaccines became available to all the institution’s workers and students on Sunday — including those who work from home. One worker, who spoke with Street Roots on the condition of anonymity, noted the odd timing of the Jan. 3 email. “While it might…
Vendor Profiles
Street Roots vendor profile | Looking forward to a better year
Marla Duby rushed into this world. She was born prematurely and weighed only 1 1/2 pounds at birth, then quickly dropped down to a mere 15 ounces. She was given 24 hours to live. “I had a lot of nurses praying over me. No one realized that I was hard of hearing until I was…
Environment
Opinion | Get Wall Street out of Oregon’s forests
This week, the Coast Range Association is delivering a forest carbon sequestration proposal to key climate leaders in Congress and the Oregon Congressional delegation. Here is what makes our proposal different. On Nov. 5, 2019, over 11,000 scientists, led by Bill Ripple, distinguished ecology professor at Oregon State University College of Forestry, signed onto a…
Opinion
Opinion | Get Wall Street out of Oregon’s forests
This week, the Coast Range Association is delivering a forest carbon sequestration proposal to key climate leaders in Congress and the Oregon Congressional delegation. Here is what makes our proposal different. On Nov. 5, 2019, over 11,000 scientists, led by Bill Ripple, distinguished ecology professor at Oregon State University College of Forestry, signed onto a…
Opinion | Big corporations offered pandemic hazard pay — until customers stopped paying attention
It wasn’t that long ago that the country celebrated frontline workers by banging pots in the evening to thank them for the risks they took doing their jobs during the pandemic. One national survey found that health care workers were the most admired (80%), closely followed by grocery store workers (77%), and delivery drivers (73%).…
Editorial | Portland Street Response pilot should explore more options
“When stepping into a situation, try to keep an open mind. Ask what they think would resolve the problem the best.” — An unhoused person describing how first responders should approach street crises in our survey, “Believe Our Stories & Listen” There’s tremendous hope invested in the launch of the Portland Street Response pilot this week.…
Street Roots Podcast | Sen. Wyden: ‘Horrifying moment’ at Capitol was domestic terrorism
After an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol building last week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) joined the Street Roots Podcast, calling the turn of events a domestic terrorist attack and sharing his concern for staffers who were at the Capitol. “In these kinds of situations,” Wyden said, “everybody always helps the members and the like.…
Culture
This is fine: The artist behind the meme
When wildfires devastated the West Coast this summer, burning ancient forests to embers and incinerating whole communities off the map, the internet found ironic solace in a familiar cartoon dog. A photo captioned ‘Noon in San Francisco’ by @pettycommajared on Twitter, which was shared nearly 30,000 times, featured a plush toy perched in a chipper…
Podcast
Street Roots Podcast | Sen. Wyden: ‘Horrifying moment’ at Capitol was domestic terrorism
After an unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol building last week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) joined the Street Roots Podcast, calling the turn of events a domestic terrorist attack and sharing his concern for staffers who were at the Capitol. “In these kinds of situations,” Wyden said, “everybody always helps the members and the like.…
