Sage Van Wing

Last week a federal judge ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service can no longer continue to issue permits for the incidental take of humpback whales when they get tangled in sablefish pot gear off the West coast. The lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity.

For too many Oregonians, having a mental illness or substance use problem means repeated failed attempts to get help, and then experience a crisis: an emergency department visit, isolation in a jail cell, or an involuntary stay at the state’s overwhelmed psychiatric hospital. OPB health reporter Amelia Templeton talked to experts throughout the state to learn about several of the most pressing elements of the crisis — and about promising strategies to address them.

Students from North Portland’s Jefferson High School made history earlier this month. Two members of the Jefferson Dancers won awards for choreography at the National High School Dance Festival. It was the first time any school won top honors for two different pieces.

The health care organization CareOregon has purchased a former Red Lion Hotel in Seaside with the goal of turning it into both workforce housing and permanent supportive housing for people with behavioral health needs.

Tow years ago, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the Washington State Climate Commitment Act into law. It requires businesses to buy permits for the greenhouse gases they produce. The first auction for permits was held last week, and the state announced that they sold out quickly, with an average price nearly double that of the most recent cap-and-trade auction held by California and Quebec.

The healthcare organization CareOregon has purchased a former Red Lion Hotel in Seaside, Oregon, with the goal of turning it into both workforce housing and permanent supportive housing for people with behavioral health needs. CareOregon's Columbia Pacific CCO will run the building and provide mental health and addiction treatment support. Two-thirds of the building will house healthcare workers.

Winslow Crane-Murdoch, the co-director of a new documentary about Lyme disease, joins us to talk about his film “The Quiet Epidemic,” and the history and controversy surrounding medical treatment of the disease.

When sea ice melts, it can lead to faster warming because water absorbs more heat than ice does. That’s one of more than 25 climate feedback loops found in a recent study from Oregon State University. Some of these feedback loops aren’t included in current climate models, partly because science, and the climate, are changing so quickly.

People in Morrow and Umatilla counties have faced nitrate pollution in their drinking water for decades. Last year Morrow County declared an emergency and began distributing clean water and filters, but that order ended in January. The Environmental Protection Agency sent a strongly worded letter to the state encouraging it to take more action against polluters, but the Oregon Health Authority still hasn’t tested any residential wells.

Starting in 2017, all new apartment buildings built in Portland with more than 20 units must dedicate a portion of their units for low and moderate income housing. But some developers are choosing to pay a penalty instead of creating affordable housing. The developers of the new Ritz-Carlton building downtown may be paying more than $7 million dollars.