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
June 7, 2024 • 32 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about Portland Public Schools’ new superintendent pick, the city’s foreclosing on abandoned buildings, and the demise of two local media empires. Joining host Claudia Meza on this week’s Friday roundup are Willamette Week reporter and author Brianna Wheeler and our very own executive producer, John Notarianni.
Discussed on Today’s Episode:
Portland Public Schools Picks New Superintendent...
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June 6, 2024 • 20 mins
Portland’s relationship with the Willamette River has taken on many forms throughout history, from aiding the industrial boom to functioning as a literal sewer. And while many people see it every day, few realize just how much it’s shaped modern-day Portland. As the end cap of our river week series, we’re talking with our resident Oregon historian, Doug Kenck-Crispin, about the Willamette River’s wild past.
Mentioned in Today’s Ep...
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June 5, 2024 • 17 mins
Blooms of harmful algae are common in the Willamette River during the summer months. They can be toxic to humans and pets, shutting down swimming for weeks at a time. But where does all of this harmful algae come from? And why can’t we find ways to prevent it from happening? Today we’re talking with Willie Levenson of the river advocacy group Human Access Project about the plan to fight a major source of the river’s harmful algae b...
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June 4, 2024 • 24 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we have a special river-themed midweek roundup for you. We’re talking about the troubled history of our container shipping terminal, a nearly 100-year-old fish that may or may not exist, and a new game called four hot takes in four minutes! Joining host Claudia Meza on the show is our very own executive producer, John Notarianni.
Discussed on Today’s Episode:
Herman the Sturgeon [Oregon Department o...
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June 3, 2024 • 18 mins
Now that summer's nearly here, it's river week on City Cast Portland: We're looking at everything that’s special about living next to the Willamette! We’re kicking it all off by revisiting a conversation we had last summer with Noa Rubin, a community organizer for the paddle boarding group, SUP PDX. Noa has been kayaking and paddling vessels on the Willamette for more than 13 years. She’s sharing tips for the best ways to safely en...
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May 31, 2024 • 32 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about all the weird things washing up on our nearby coastal shores, a local outbreak of shellfish poisoning, and winemakers taking aim at PacifiCorp for their ruined harvest during the 2020 wildfires. Joining host Claudia Meza on this week’s Friday news roundup is Geoff Norcross, co-host of OPB’s All Things Considered (and previously, for 15 years, the host of OPB’s Morning Edition), along...
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May 30, 2024 • 27 mins
If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Portland community.
From checking out a mariscos pop-up at one of the city’s buzziest bars to doing some self-care with the year’s weirdest Sasquatch movie, there’s no shortage of things to do this month in Portland. So the City Cast Portland team is here to narrow down your June bucket list to the mus...
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May 29, 2024 • 21 mins
This morning, Portland City Hall is issuing a proclamation for a Vanport Day of Remembrance as part of the Vanport Mosaic Festival. Situated between Portland and Vancouver, Vanport was the largest federal housing project and the second-largest city in Oregon during World War II. It was also home to a thriving multiracial community. But 76 years ago, Vanport was destroyed in a catastrophic flood, and never rebuilt.
So today on City ...
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May 28, 2024 • 26 mins
The amount of illegal graffiti on Portland’s streets has exploded in recent years, but the city is trying to do its part. The Portland Police Bureau has several officers who spend part of their time investigating our city’s most prolific taggers, studying hundreds of tags and graffiti styles to bring down some of the more damaging crews. Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking with Officer Nate Kirby-Glatkowski, a member of the ...
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May 24, 2024 • 34 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking through our local primary election results and the latest report on Portland Police Bureau traffic stops. Joining host Claudia Meza on this Friday news roundup are KBOO news director Althea Billings and our very own executive producer, John Notarianni.
Discussed on Today’s Episode:
Oregon Primary Election Results 2024 [OPB]
Map Shows Where DA Candidates Schmidt and Vasquez Did Best in...
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May 23, 2024 • 25 mins
It’s officially bicycle-riding season in Portland, but buying a new one can lead to a ton of questions: There are so many types of bikes now. How do you choose? How much should you be prepared to spend? And how the heck do you find one that fits? Today on City Cast Portland we’re talking with cycling expert Leah Benson. As the former owner of the dearly-missed Gladys Bikes on Alberta Street, she’s helped hundreds of Portlanders fin...
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May 22, 2024 • 25 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re continuing our neighborhood guide series where we talk with Portlanders about the good, bad, and ugly of where they live. This time we’re talking about Montavilla with Bryan M. Vance, City Cast’s director of digital strategy. He’s lived in Montavilla for about three years, and he’s not only sharing his neighborhood's secret borders; he’s also prepared some fighting words for anyone who thinks thei...
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May 21, 2024 • 26 mins
Today on City Cast Portland we’re talking about the indictment of Jesse Lee Calhoun, the man who has now been charged with the murders of three women in the Portland area. We’ll also look at the recent decrease in Portland shootings and the approval of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s $8.2 billion budget for the next fiscal year. Joining host Claudia Meza on this midweek roundup is our very own producer, Giulia Fiaoni.
Discussed in Today’s Epis...
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May 20, 2024 • 19 mins
Did you know we have nearly 40 farmers markets in the Portland area every week? But where are they? Which are the best for what? And what are the unspoken rules you might be breaking? Today on City Cast Portland, we’re revisiting a conversation host Claudia Meza had with Molly Notarianni — our executive producer John Notarianni’s big sister. As the former executive director of the Oregon Farmers Market Fund, she’s been in the farm-...
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Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about a Philadelphia activist’s lie causing trouble at a local therapy office, all the money coming from who-knows-where in Oregon’s upcoming elections, and the latest audit looking into the city’s affordable housing mandate. Joining host Claudia Meza on this week’s Friday news roundup are Willamette Week City Hall reporter Sophie Peel and our very own producer, John Notarianni.
Discussed ...
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May 16, 2024 • 20 mins
The Columbia River’s millions of salmon sustained Indigenous people throughout the Pacific Northwest for millennia. But between the effects of overfishing and climate change, there’s only a fraction of their historic populations left. Today on City Cast Portland, executive producer John Notarianni talks with OPB investigations editor Tony Schick about OPB’s new podcast “Salmon Wars.” Schick digs deep into the history of the fish, t...
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May 15, 2024 • 26 mins
There’s nothing better than sitting out on the deck of a vineyard, looking out at the beautiful landscape and sipping something special. Lucky for us, the Willamette Valley has over 700 wineries, many of them about an hour’s drive. But the hardest part sometimes is just picking which one to visit! Which has the best food, or the nicest patio? Which do you need to book ahead? And where are the best local urban wineries? Today on Cit...
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May 14, 2024 • 23 mins
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re looking into a new-age spirituality group that’s raising eyebrows in Ashland, and how they fit into Oregon’s strange propensity for attracting religious cults. Plus, we’ll take a look at the worst reviews of some of Portland’s best karaoke spots. Joining executive producer John Notarianni on this midweek news roundup is our very own producer, Giulia Fiaoni.
Discussed in Today’s Episode:
The Twin...
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May 13, 2024 • 18 mins
With the arrival of warmer weather, it’s the perfect time of year to jump from dance club to music bar for a late night out in the city. Producer Giulia Fiaoni has spent a lot of time tracking down the best places to dance in town and joins host, Claudia Meza, with tips on how to make the most out of a night out dancing – whether you’re moshing to live punk, grooving to ABBA, or learning how to two-step, we’ve got you covered.
Thi...
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May 11, 2024 • 2 mins
Hey there! We are excited to share the trailer for a new special limited series from our friends and colleagues at City Cast Denver. If you’re a fan of what we do at City Cast, you’ll want to check it out:
You’ve probably heard a story about Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. Like, how she got kicked out of a production of “Beetlejuice” for vaping and groping her date. Or, that time she heckled President Biden during his State of the U...
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