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Kristian Foden-Vencil
Kristian Foden-Vencil is a veteran journalist/producer working for Oregon Public Broadcasting. He started as a cub reporter for newspapers in London, England in 1988. Then in 1991 he moved to Oregon and started freelancing. His work has appeared in publications as varied as The Oregonian, the BBC, the Salem Statesman Journal, Willamette Week, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, NPR and the Voice of America. Kristian has won awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. He was embedded with the Oregon National Guard in Iraq in 2004 and now specializes in business, law, health and politics.
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A new program in Oregon lets drivers upload photos of roadkill, which officials say can help them identify dangerous hotspots and reduce the number of animals killed. It's one of several such programs that have sprouted up to protect wildlife from cars.
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Winter storms in Oregon are suspected of causing at least 8 deaths, felling hundreds of trees, damaging homes, and leaving tens of thousands of people without power for multiple days.
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Public pools all over the country are facing lifeguard and staff shortages this summer. It's a problem that's been exacerbated by the pandemic. In Portland, Ore., pools are struggling to keep up.
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The Forest Service is also warning that air quality is likely to deteriorate as wildfires continue to burn.
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Anesthesia revolutionized surgery by vanquishing patients' pain. But many of the chemicals are greenhouse gases. One Oregon doctor who has done the math says some are much less damaging to the planet.
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Clinics in the Pacific Northwest are ordering 10 times the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella as they normally do because some who have avoided vaccines are changing their minds.
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He was injured as a baby and doctors were able to save his life, but not his leg. Now a teenager, he's in Oregon for a second time, hoping for a second prosthesis to replace the one he outgrew.
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Health officials hoped giving more people health insurance would curtail their use of expensive emergency rooms for routine medical care. But data from Oregon suggest their overall ER use didn't drop.
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A judge in Oregon has allowed 52-year-old Jamie Shupe, a retired Army tank mechanic, to identify as "non-binary" instead of male or female. It's widely believed to be the first such case in the U.S.
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Acupuncture and massage haven't been proven to ease pain better than drugs — and may cost more. But Oregon hopes these sorts of alternatives to pills will reduce the societal costs of opioid abuse.