I've been trying to piece together what's happening in a small Southwest Washington town where businesses have been bought up and some residents are worried about a possible religious vision for their community. Here's what I found out

A Christian vision for Battle Ground?

How one businessman is transforming the heart of a Southwest Washington town.

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Changing the name of the street formerly known as 39th in Portland is a complicated process, emotionally and bureaucratically. Some ski resorts closing early. Blazers sold. PCC strike ends. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: The complicated campaign to rename Cesar Chavez Boulevard

Portlanders seem to agree that the street name should change, but differ on how to go about it. Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.

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Why schools turn to furloughs over other cost-cutting measures. Opponents of Washington's "millionaires tax" concoct plans to overturn it. No Kings recap from Portland, La Grande, Vancouver and more. Tracking bobcats. Blazers win. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Why schools turn to furloughs

Several Oregon school districts have furlough days or unpaid, non-work days for staff to balance tight budgets — and Portland Public Schools could be the latest to approve them. Here's your First Look...

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Students plant willows near Philomath (because who couldn't use a story about willow planting rn?). SCOTUS could curtail mail-in voting. Budget cuts coming for Washington public lands. Blazers are dancing. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Planting willows and building community

A habitat restoration program in Oregon is helping high school students clean up run-down natural spaces and build friendships in the process. Here's your First Look at Tuesday's news.

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PCC board gets earful from faculty, staff and students over strike. Providence wants to spin off its insurance business. PCUN leader speaks out after allegations against Chavez. Oregon adopts nitrate rules for Lower Umatilla Basin. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: PCC strike drags into second week

The strike at Oregon’s largest institution of higher learning has lasted more than a week, and the effects are piling up for students. Here's your First Look at Friday's news.

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Northwest institutions named for Cesar Chavez consider whether to change their names. BLM plans to quadruple logging in western Oregon forests. First cases of white nose syndrome found in Oregon bats. Blazers win. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Reckoning with allegations against Cesar Chavez

Allegations of sexual abuse and rape against the late civil rights leader have launched complicated discussions in the Pacific Northwest. Here's your First Look at Thursday's news.

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Interstate Bridge cost estimate soars. Archaeologists learn more about the role of women in logging in Eastern Oregon. UO raises in-state tuition. Godzilla is coming and only Damian Lillard can save us. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: A troubled bridge over water

The anticipated cost of a new Interstate Bridge connecting Oregon and Washington has more than doubled, according to estimates released yesterday. Here's your First Look at Wednesday's news.

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Joe Kent resigns. Developers move closer to building a battery storage facility next to a wildlife refuge in Washington County. Gas prices are higher in Oregon. Green rain. Mystery orcas. Tiny park. Blazers win. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Washington’s Kent resigns from Trump administration over Iran war

Joe Kent, who ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Southwest Washington, has resigned as the nation’s top counterterrorism official. Here's your First Look at Tuesday's news.

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Flood watch is out, heat dome is in. Reed College trustee wins an Oscar. Portland traffic deaths down for the second year in a row, but still not zero. Takeaways from Washington's legislative session. Blazers lose. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Goodbye, flood watch. Hello, heat dome?

Parts of Oregon could feel the effects of a dangerous heat dome gripping the American West this week. Here's your First Look at Monday's news.

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Public records obtained by OPB suggest the scope of the Blazers’ campaign for public funds to pay for Moda renovations. From a staff trip to North Carolina, to implicit threats to relocate the team, to nudging from Nike’s CEO, the documents pull back the curtain on months of private talks:

Trail Blazers to Portland: Public cash ‘only solution’ for renovating Moda Center

Public records obtained by OPB suggest the scope of the Blazers’ campaign to get Portland leaders to fund the Moda Center renovations.

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New map shows surge in immigration arrests in the Pacific Northwest. Heavy rain continues. Linn County residents line up to oppose a solar project. Public records show Blazers' pressure on Portland to fund Moda reno. Thorns back. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Visualizing the surge in Northwest ICE arrests

Arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the Pacific Northwest have exploded under President Donald Trump. Here's your First Look at Friday's news.

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Amazon bids for Oregon's largest planned solar project. Flood watches and warnings across northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Scientists are looking for whitebark pines at Crater Lake that can withstand invasive blister rust. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Amazon’s bid for Oregon solar power

Amazon appears to be the highest bidder for the largest planned solar and battery storage project in Oregon. Here's your First Look at Thursday's news.

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Judge will decide whether to block Oregon lawmakers from changing the date of the gas tax referendum. Two Portland Community College unions strike. Remembering jazz singer Rebecca Kilgore. Beavs, Ducks, Vikings and Blazers lose. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Gas tax goes to court

A judge will decide this week whether to block Oregon lawmakers from moving the date of a vote on transportation tax and fee increases from November to May. Here's your First Look at Wednesday's news.

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Judge limits use of tear gas and other crowd control weapons outside the Portland ICE building. Portland State to pursue retrenchment. West Linn-Wilsonville voters want to recall their school board. Beavs win. Beavs lose. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Judge limits officers’ use of tear gas outside Portland ICE building

A judge ordered federal agents to limit use of tear gas and other crowd control weapons on nonviolent demonstrators outside the ICE building in Portland. Here's your First Look at Tuesday's news.

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WNBA contract negotiations could hold up the start of the Portland Fire's first season. Behind the scenes with OPB politics reporters in Salem. Ah Bing immortalized in children's book. Blazers win. Beavs win. Vikings win. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Portland Fire smolders as WNBA contract talks continue

Ongoing collective bargaining between the WNBA and its players union could hold up the start of the Portland Fire’s first season. Here's your First Look at Monday's news.

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Albany mom's immigration detention forces her children to care for their father, who is recovering from a stroke and heart surgery, alone. Fort Vancouver teachers walk out over anonymous IG account posting AI images of them. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Ripple effects of an Albany mom’s immigration arrest

Maria Trinidad Loya Medina's detention has forced her teenage children to care for their father, who is recovering from a stroke and heart surgery, alone. Here's your First Look at Friday's news.

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Judge seems skeptical of how federal agents have used force against nonviolent protesters in Portland. Short-term rental operators in Portland face hefty fines. ICE abandons Newport plans for now. Oregon WBB wins. Blazers win. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Judge skeptical of federal agents’ use of force in Portland

A federal judge expects to rule soon in a case about the use of force against nonviolent protesters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. Here's your First Look at Thur...

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Two Longview teens accused of sexual assault against some of their high school basketball teammates pleaded not guilty yesterday. That plus other stories we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Longview teens accused of sexual assault plead not guilty

The case against two students at Mark Morris High School in Longview, Washington, has rattled the community. Here's your First Look at Wednesday's news.

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Waterfall for sale, reining in data centers, gas tax referendum moved and more from the Oregon Legislature's final days of session. Portland says its SDC waiver is working, but data is inconclusive. Logging sports are back at OSU. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Oregon Legislature sprints to the finish

Lawmakers are taking steps on some of the biggest issues on the docket in the last days of Oregon's short legislative session. Here's your First Look at Tuesday's news.

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Evidentiary hearings on federal agents' use of tear gas and crowd control at Portland ICE building begin today. Iranian Americans in Portland celebrate fall of Iranian government. Sihek recovery at Oregon Zoo. Blazers lose. What we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Tear gas on trial (sort of)

Federal agents’ use of tear gas and other crowd control measures against Portland protesters will be the subject of court hearings set to begin today. Here's your First Look at Monday's news.

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OPB reexamines President Trump's attempt to send the National Guard to Portland. Longview parents lash out at school board over handling of sexual assault allegations against two students. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Trump’s attempt to send troops to Portland

OPB premieres a new documentary series examining how nightly demonstrations outside the Portland ICE building escalated into a test of presidential power. Here's your First Look at Friday's news.

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Judge orders salmon protections on Columbia and Snake after Trump canceled a historic deal last summer. Oregon inches closer to implementing gun safety measures approved in 2022. PeaceHealth votes no confidence in hospital leadership. Here's what's new on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Northwest salmon score court victory

A judge's order largely restores provisions in place under a deal the Trump administration canceled last year. Here's your First Look at Thursday's news.

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ICE officer's exchange with a person he says was following him in Portland detailed in 911 call, police report. BLM considering grazing privileges for the Hammonds. PPS to make midyear cuts. Blazers lose a close one. Here's what's new on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: A tense exchange with an ICE officer in Portland

The recording of a 911 call obtained by OPB details a tense confrontation in Portland between an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and a person he says was following him last fall. Here's yo...

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People with Oregon connections share accounts from Jalisco state about the violence unfolding there. House Republicans in Oregon stage another walkout. Groups in Eugene propose a clean energy fund like Portland's. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Oregonians caught up in Mexican cartel violence

People share accounts from Jalisco state, Mexico, about the situation unfolding there. Here's your First Look at Tuesday's news.

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Schools staring down large budget gaps are turning to Salem for help. Some flights from PDX to Mexico could see disruptions after killing of cartel leader. Astoria is restoring its riverfront trolley. Blazers win. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Slumping schools seek solutions in Salem

Oregon schools are staring down big budget gaps this year and are turning to Salem for solutions. Here's your First Look at Monday's news.

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Trump admin investigates voter-approved program to support Black students in Portland. Republicans return to Oregon Senate floor. Cost of Bull Run filtration goes way up. Loretta Smith wants open carry for councilors. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Trump administration investigates Portland school program

The Department of Education is following up on a complaint of "racially discriminatory programming" in the voter-approved initiative to support Black students in Portland. Here's your First Look at Fr...

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Republicans walk out in the Oregon Senate (again). New Seasons plans a round of layoffs. Portland's budget shortfall is bigger than previously thought. Bills flop in Washington. Seahawks for sale. Diving for geoducks. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Republicans no-show in the Oregon Senate

Republicans in the Oregon Senate did not show up to the chamber yesterday as a vote to move the gas tax referendum from November to May neared. Here's your First Look at Thursday's news.

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New OPB doc looks into the 1988 murder of Mulugeta Seraw by neo-Nazi skinheads in Portland. That, plus other stories we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: Remembering Mulugeta Seraw

A new OPB documentary revisits the racist 1988 killing of an Ethiopian immigrant in Portland. Here's your First Look at Wednesday's news.

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Neighbors of Portland's ICE facility will be in court today, arguing tear gas is causing health issues. Sheridan Fruit closes. Examples of early tailoring found in an Oregon cave. Blazers win. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: ICE’s Portland neighbors go to court

Residents of a nearby apartment building are suing over chronic tear gas at the Portland immigration facility. Here's your First Look at Friday's news.

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Rural Oregon DMVs are closed a lot. Oregon's low snowpack likely won't recover this winter. Blazers exec hints how long the team could play in a renovated Moda. More turmoil in Springfield schools. Blazers lose. Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2026...

OPB’s First Look: DMV closures put rural Oregonians in a pinch

DMV offices in rural parts of Oregon have been closing more often in recent years, partially due to short staffing. Here's your First Look at Thursday's news.

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