Gemma Dicarlo

"Breakup Season," starring Samantha Isler (left) and Chandler Riggs (right), was entirely filmed in Eastern Oregon. It follows a young couple that plans to spend Christmas together, only to break up on the first night of their vacation. Courtesy Buffalo 8/BMP Beverly Hills

In 2024, Oregonians saw a record-breaking wildfire season, the end of drug decriminalization, the start of a new form of government in Portland and more. We’ll look back on the year’s biggest news stories from the Pacific Northwest with a panel of local commentators. Lisa Bates is professor of Black Studies at Portland State University; Scott Bruun is president and CEO of the Oregon Bankers Association; and Anna Griffin is vice president of news, talk and podcasts at OPB.

We hear about the status of Oregon’s kelp forests and what it could mean for coastal communities and ecosystems.

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An Ashland educator is helping to develop lesson plans about Ukrainian history and current events for American high school students. Paul Huard, an AP U.S. History teacher at Ashland High School, has traveled to Poland and Ukraine in recent summers to do humanitarian relief work as the country continues to resist a Russian invasion. From a colleague there, he learned about the “On Ukraine” project through Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

We'll hear from the study's lead author about how wildfire smoke can affect our brains and body.

We'll hear from a reporter who's been investigating allegations of racism against a contractor with the Port of Coos Bay.

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We'll hear about an aquifer in the Central Oregon Cascades that's three times the size of Nevada's Lake Mead.

We'll hear from Oregon's new attorney general, Dan Rayfield.