City Cast Portland
City Cast Portland captures the one-of-a-kind creative spirit of this place and tackles who we are and where we’re going — from big deals, like equity and livability, to tiny delights, like the city's most wonderful doughnut. Our home is teeming with creativity and controversy, natural beauty and impossibly good food and drink. Host Claudia Meza is so over the notion that ‘Portland is over.’ On the show, she’ll revive your civic pride and stir you to help create local change — through conversations with neighbors, newsmakers, artists and entrepreneurs about our ever-changing city.
Episodes
April 24, 2024 • 21 mins
Jenny Nguyen is the owner of Portland’s Sports Bra — the first bar in America dedicated to playing only women’s sports. Following this week’s news that The Sports Bra plans to begin opening franchises nationwide, we’re revisiting a conversation host Claudia Meza had with Nguyen about her role in raising the profile of college and professional women’s basketball, in our city and across the country.
This conversation originally aired...
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April 23, 2024 • 21 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about a recent report on the health of the Willamette River and our local coastal waters. We also have updates on stories from last week, including Commissioner Rene Gonzalez’s backtracking on Mayor Ted Wheeler’s updated camping ban, and redemption for a maligned executive producer. Joining host Claudia Meza on our midweek roundup is our very own producer, Giulia Fiaoni.
Discussed in Today...
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April 22, 2024 • 20 mins
The Joint Office of Homeless Services was created in 2016 to centralize planning for homelessness programs and coordinate services between the county and the city. But despite a budget of $279 million a year, critics say it’s been slow to act and ineffective. There’s been enough controversy that the city auditor’s office just released a comprehensive look at the office. Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with KC Jones, the ...
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Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about delayed and unfinished city infrastructure projects in Montavilla, how parent fundraising for Portland Public Schools might be changing, and Commissioner Gonzalez’s surprise camping ban proposal. Joining host Claudia Meza on this week’s Friday news roundup are City Cast director of digital strategy, Bryan M. Vance, and our very own executive producer, John Notarianni.
Stories Discuss...
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April 18, 2024 • 20 mins
This tax season, $5.61 billion is headed back into our pockets, courtesy of Oregon’s largest-ever “kicker” tax credit. Why were our state economists so far off? And why don’t they just use that money on all the stuff Oregon really NEEDS, like mental health services, housing, or schools? Today on City Cast Portland, OPB politics and government reporter Dirk VanderHart is walking us through the hows and whys of the Oregon law — and h...
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April 17, 2024 • 25 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with WeShine, a neighbor-organized nonprofit that builds and runs micro-villages in our city. Executive Director Jan McManus and facility coordinator Hunter Burkett are sharing how their micro-villages address the ongoing housing crisis and how their model fits in with the city and county’s larger efforts to address homelessness.
Volunteer at WeShine: https://weshinepdx.org/about/join-us/
...
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April 16, 2024 • 24 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about how Pho Gabo owner Eddie Dong is preparing to sue the city after an odor ordinance forced him to close his restaurant. Plus, we play our new one-star review game, where we read some hilariously brutal one-star reviews of very popular outdoor spaces and attempt to name the establishments. Joining host Claudia Meza on the midweek roundup is our very own executive producer, John Notaria...
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April 15, 2024 • 19 mins
Some Portlanders seem to have a bit of a superiority complex regarding our suburbs, but over the past decade or so, areas like Beaverton and Hillsboro have become serious foodie destinations. Today on City Cast Portland, Eater Portland editor Brooke Jackson-Glidden is sharing her picks for the best places to eat west of the city.
Restaurants discussed in this episode:
Coredam
Always Spring Restaurant
The Korean Mama
Yvette Ciao...
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Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about the costly outcome of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s missing text messages, Lake Oswego’s battle to keep the public out of their lake, and the dramatic cost increase in rebuilding Jefferson High School. Joining host Claudia Meza on our Friday news roundup are our very own producer Giulia Fiaoni and Althea Billings, KBOO news director and host of the weekly talk show “The Gap.”
Stories Discussed...
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April 11, 2024 • 21 mins
In 2020, Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to pass a law legalizing psilocybin use at treatment centers. And now there are nearly 300 licensed facilitators across the state and by last year, more than 700 people had already gone through treatment. But what does therapy look like? How much does it cost, and is it really worth it? Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with Courtney Campbell, a trained facilitator and founde...
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April 10, 2024 • 22 mins
Scientists say we’re long overdue for a devastatingly large earthquake. They predict it could be big enough to bring down most of Portland’s bridges and cut off electricity and water for weeks. And after recent high-profile quakes in Taiwan and New Jersey, experts are reminding anyone who will listen that Portland is not ready for The Big One. Today science journalist Erin Ross is updating us on experts’ latest Cascadia earthquake ...
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April 9, 2024 • 22 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about Mayor Ted Wheeler’s new proposed camping ban ordinance and the $1.3 billion Powerball winner in Northeast Portland. Plus we’re reading from our listener mailbag about your ideas for the very real 503 Day. Joining host Claudia Meza on the midweek roundup is our very own executive producer, John Notarianni.
Discussed in Today's Episode:
Oregon Powerball Player Wins $1.3B Jackpot Afte...
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April 8, 2024 • 19 mins
The Multnomah County Library is one of the busiest library systems in the country based on circulation. With a $387 million dollar construction boom underway, as well as ongoing concerns about safety, there’s a lot more going on than just quiet reading these days. Today on City Cast Portland, executive producer John Notarianni talks with the library’s director Vailey Oehlke about the massive changes coming to libraries across the r...
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Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about the Portland Police Bureau’s handling of a decades-old rape case linked to a man convicted of killing a well-known Portland activist. We’re also discussing the need for additional mental health and drug treatment staff for beds funded in this year’s legislative session and the Moda Center court’s irregular 3-point lines discovered by a fan at this year’s women’s March Madness games. ...
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April 4, 2024 • 24 mins
The Portland area’s rainy weather and rich soil give us exceptional local produce, but some crops that can only be found here are at risk of disappearing. Today we’re talking with food historian (and City Cast Las Vegas co-host) Sarah Lohman. She investigated the country’s nearly-forgotten foods in her recent book “Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods,” and is joining us to talk about some of our area’s rarest foods —where ...
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April 3, 2024 • 23 mins
With a $2.1 billion dollar renovation underway at Portland International Airport, we had questions for the airport experts. Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with the guy in charge of this massive renovation project: Christopher Neal, director of PDX Next Operations for the Port of Portland. He’s letting us know what to expect from this expansion, whether flying has become more dangerous, and if a certain carpet is ever co...
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April 2, 2024 • 25 mins
Today on City Cast Portland we’ll look at how Oregon’s new “right to repair” law could help customers across the country get cell phones fixed, hear about the latest local battle over pickleball noise complaints, and dive into our mailbag to discuss city smells and spring bicycling tips.
Discussed in Today’s Episode:
With Kotek’s Signature, Oregon Now Has One of the Nation’s Strongest ‘Right to Repair’ Laws [OPB]
Oregon...
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April 1, 2024 • 29 mins
Happy April! Today on City Cast Portland we have our top picks for the month in food, entertainment, and everything in between. Joining host Claudia Meza on the show are our very own producers, John Notarianni and Giulia Fiaoni.
Our Picks for April:
Dog Mountain
Oregon Park
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Portland Japanese Garden
Portland Trail Blazers
Hollywood Farmers Market
The One Moto Show
The Portland Pickles Pub
...
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March 29, 2024 • 36 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about how some are saying an Oregon law is robbing murder victims and their families of justice, why the City Auditor’s office is calling out fossil fuel company Zenith Energy for violating city code, and how a new scam allows fraudulent deeds and house transaction sales to go through our County Assessor’s office. Joining host Claudia Meza on our Friday news roundup are Oregonian court rep...
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March 28, 2024 • 21 mins
Live Nation Entertainment recently obtained an exclusive contract to host live performances at Providence Park, and is now in talks with a local developer for a massive music venue on the Willamette’s east bank, with capacity for 3,000 people. Though a waterfront music venue might sound amazing, local music advocates, including venue owners, are worried. Today we’re talking with MusicPortland board member Jamie Dunphy about why so ...
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