KLCC 50th Anniversary Road Trip Series

As part of our 50th Anniversary Road Trip series, KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert takes us on a walking tour of Oregon State University in Corvallis. The institution is in the midst of Sesquicentennial celebrations.

Corvallis resident Jennifer Moreland and her husband took a road trip to Los Angeles last year. Moreland was inspired by the murals in the city. She took a photo in front of one with wings.  Then posted it on Facebook. This led to an art project of her own.

It’s hard to find a place to live in Corvallis. The college town with a population of more than 58,000 is in the midst of a housing crunch.

When you think about homelessness in Oregon, you may picture tent cities along Portland’s freeways, or transients gathering in Eugene’s Kesey Square.  But the City of Corvallis is also trying to troubleshoot a steadily growing issue in the area, with the highest level of income inequality among all Oregon cities. As part of our 50th anniversary tour, KLCC’s Brian Bull gives us this snapshot of how the city of 58,000 people is dealing with homelessness.

Oregon State University College of Forestry is constructing its new headquarters entirely out of engineered wood products. It will the first in the U.S. to use a “rocking wall” seismic design so it can survive a major earthquake.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fleet of research vessels travel the globe. In the case of the Fairweather, it’s been charting the waters around Alaska since it left NOAA's Newport facility in May. Before it pushed off, KLCC's Brian Bull got a quick tour with the ship’s commander, Mark VanWaes. 

This audio postcard is part of KLCC’s ongoing 50th Anniversary tour. 

One month from today, more than a million visitors are expected to be in Oregon for the total solar eclipse. Planning has been going on for years and is kicking into high gear. On the coast there are special concerns – and opportunities – for residents and tourists.

The Oregon Legislature approved a bill this session that authorizes ports to operate shipyards. For the Port of Toledo, it is one of many steps in efforts to restore an economic driver for the region. But, some private shipyards in Oregon fear they’ll lose millions of dollars in business.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium has been ranked among the top ten in North America. As part of our 50th Anniversary Road Trip Series, KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert shares the sights and sounds during a private tour of Newport’s 25-year old aquarium.

Highway 20 runs over three thousand miles, from Boston to Newport Oregon—a road Sal Strom and Lynn Moyers have just traversed in entirety. 

We’re all about sound here at KLCC.  And so is the Ocean Acoustics Program at NOAA’s facility in Newport.  Its program manager, Bob Dziak  and his team of nine researchers, analyze underwater recordings which help gauge the health and activity of the waters.  KLCC’s Brian Bull visited Dziak recently as part of our ongoing 50th Anniversary Road Trip. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – or NOAA – has its Pacific Marine Operations 

Center in the coastal city of Newport. 

Author Garth Stein has inspired millions with his book, The Art of Racing in the Rain, about a dog obsessed with car racing and believing he’ll be reincarnated in human form. The book is the focus of this year’s Newport Reads program. Garth Stein will appear at the Newport Performing Arts Center on April 19th, and at the Downtown Eugene Public Library on April 22nd. He speaks with KLCC’s Eric Alan. 

Next in our road trip series, KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert introduces us to some of the notable people who hail from Springfield. (Listen to interviews and watch the slideshow!)

Over the past several years, Springfield has worked to improve its image. Once known for empty storefronts, seedy bars and crime, the city has used art in its efforts to revitalize downtown.  This took a lot of help from the community.

In 2008, KLCC’s Angela Kellner reported on efforts to revitalize downtown Springfield. Business owners cited crime, parking and lighting as a few of the challenges impeding their success. Nine years later, Kellner follows up on efforts to fix those problems. 

In Springfield faith and service organizations continue to help homeless folks find shelter and get in to housing. They also help low income people pay rent. There’s little to no emergency shelter available in the city, and thousands of names are on the wait list for subsidized housing.

After 90 years, the Marcola School District is dropping its mascot, the Mohawk Indians.  While some locals saw it as a point of pride, others deemed it irrelevant and an offensive stereotype of Native Americans. 

While the decision is generally seen as progressive and keeping with changing cultural attitudes, KLCC’s Brian Bull reports there’s still mixed feelings in the Marcola community.  

KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert speaks to Sunshine Kesey, daughter of Ken Kesey, about their family life, Kesey’s wrestling start at Springfield High School and his indelible mark on a generation.

Improvements to Springfield's Glenwood district have been in the works for decades. This spring, the Franklin redevelopment plan breaks ground. While progress is being made, officials say continued momentum depends on conditions beyond their control.  

This week we’re launching a new series, the “KLCC Listening Tour”, which will have our reporters covering stories from across our listening area. 

Among the forthcoming stories is Brian Bull’s report on the Marcola community eliminating its mascot, the Mohawk Indians.  Bull interviewed a Marcola resident, Brandon Mattox, who changed his stance on keeping the mascot.  Bull began by asking Mattox what his mindset was early on in the debate.