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This summer, we’re having a series of conversations about Interstate 5. This time, we’re talking about Harriet Tubman Middle School, which sits very close to the freeway. Portland Public Schools invested significant resources in the building before it reopened last year, but school board members, students and parents are concerned about what a freeway expansion could mean for the future of the school. We hear from Malina Yuen, who will be an eighth-grader at Harriet Tubman Middle School this fall, and Portland Public Schools board member Scott Bailey.
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A judge has approved class-action status for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the city of Grants Pass, challenging the city’s treatment of people experiencing homelessness. We hear more about the significance of this legal challenge from Sara Rankin, an associate professor at the Seattle University School of Law and director of the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project.
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We explore what’s behind the dwindling population of Puget Sound orcas, their significance and what’s being done to save them. We are joined by The Whale Trail’s Donna Sandstrom, who sits on Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s orca recovery task force, and Kurt Russo with the Lummi Nation.
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The Oregon Legislature passed a law this session that will create a new district for managing and funding the levees on the Columbia River. Now, everyone who lives in the Multnomah County urban growth boundary could be on the hook to pay for levee upkeep and improvements. Jules Bailey of Levee Ready Columbia tells us what’s at stake.
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