The Jefferson Exchange

Jefferson Exchange – April 3, 2013, HOUR 2 Realignment Impacts California's answer for prison overcrowding is the process known as "realignment", which gets less-violent prisoners out of state prisons and sends them to county jails for supervision.  But those jails are often themselves overcrowded, which means putting people on the streets who would otherwise be in custody.  Shasta County chief probation officer Wes Forman and Redding police chief Rob Paoletti will join us to give their take on the effects of realignment.

The Jefferson Exchange: April 2, 2013, Hour 1: Harlow Cabin Restoration Fixing up a sagging home is no particular problem in today's world; a little lumber and drywall can make things as good as new.  The work is just a bit more intricate when it is an older home being restored.  The Harlow Cabin restoration in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest involves recreating building techniques that fell out of favor more than a century ago.+ Goose Timber Project The Forest Service proposal for the Goose Timber Project gained immediate notice... a 2100 acre logging project in the McKenzie Bridge area of Lane County.  Opponents quickly organized and brought the case to court, where a judge ruled that an environmental impact statement is needed.  The ruling cheered opponents, including the group Cascadia Wildlands.

The Jefferson Exchange: April 2, 2013, Hour 2: Dollars & Sex Biology, music and literature tend to be the fields that deal with the subject of love and sex.  But economics?  Canadian economist Marina Adshade applies what she knows about supply and demand, love and sex in a regular blog.  Now she explores the economics behind sex and love between the covers of a book in "Dollars & Sex: How Economics Influence Sex and Love."  

Jefferson Exchange – April 1, 2013, HOUR 1 Non-Profits Collaborating The recession was hard on non-profit organizations, just as much or more than it was on families and businesses.  The improving economy is helping matters a bit, but non-profit managers still need to find funding... and occasionally, compare notes.  The note-comparing will go on later this month at the Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Conference in Medford.  Conference chair Amy Cuddy joins us with the details. Pear Blossom at 60 Medford's Pear Blossom Festival hits a milestone this year: the 60th edition of the festival that now includes a foot race, a parade, a food fair and more.  Most of the events take place next week, so this week is a good time to snag festival president Darcey Mann-Self for an interview about the illustrious history of the Pear Blossom, and where it's going now and in the future. 

Jefferson Exchange – April 1, 2013, HOUR 2 The Drunken Botanist We always look forward to our interviews with Humboldt County author Amy Stewart.  She's regaled us in the past with tales from her books about killer plants and dangerous bugs.  Now she's taking us to the bar, so to speak.  Her latest book is "The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create The World's Great Drinks." 

The Jefferson Exchange: March 29, 2013, Hour 1: Move to Amend on Main Street The "Move to Amend" campaign is about amending the U.S. Constitution to ensure that corporations are not identified as roughly equivalent to breathing human beings; the concept of "corporate personhood" has emerged from a number of court decisions.  The attitudes of small business toward corporations recently emerged in a survey performed by Mark Kellenbeck of the Main Street Alliance.  He'll share the findings with us, along with with Andy Seles of Move to Amend Jackson County.+ Spring at the Oregon Caves As spring blossoms, life returns to the Oregon Caves.  Human life, anyway.  The spring tour season is now underway, with tour groups being led through the caves in Josephine County.  You'll hear about the cave features and attractions, and about the campaign to restore the historic chateau in the national monument outside the caves.

The Jefferson Exchange: March 29, 2013, Hour 2:The Myth of Persecution We all know the stories about the ancient Romans sending early Christians into the arena to be killed and eaten by lions; "sending the Christians to the lions" remains an expression used today.  But how accurate is the story upon which the expression is based?  Christianity expert and Notre Dame professor Candida Moss suggests that accounts of centuries of Christian mistreatment are not accurate.  She presents her research and findings in "The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented A Story Of Martyrdom." 

The Jefferson Exchange: March 28, 2013, Hour 1: Mount Ashland Expansion The long-planned and long-debated expansion of the Mount Ashland Ski Area looked ready for actual work this summer.  But then the Ashland City Council got a look at the plans, and there may be another hitch.  This is in addition to lawsuits and other challenges.  The ski area general manager joins us with the update.  + Farm to Fork In this age of local food, you can't get much more local than the Farm to Fork events held in several locations in Oregon.  Organizers gather farmers, chefs and food lovers in one place, often eating within a few feet of where the evening's food was grown.  You'll hear who benefits from the events... and who shows up to eat.

The Jefferson Exchange: March 28, 2013, Hour 2: Jody Williams Defending her brother from bullies led to bigger and better things for Jody Williams.  Her work as an activist and anti-war protestor led her to start a worldwide campaign against land mines... and ultimately to the Nobel Peace Prize.  She tells her story of struggle and triumph in "My Name Is Jody Williams:A Vermont Girl's Winding Path to the Nobel Peace Prize."  

The Jefferson Exchange: March 27, 2013, Hour 1: Conservation in South Central Oregon The Klamath Lake Land Trust advocates for the conservation, protection and restoration of South Central Oregon's forests, wetlands, deserts, and watersheds. You'll hear from new Executive Director Gordon Lemmel about what they’re working on. + VENTSday No guest, two topics, and all the calls and emails we can fit in half an hour.  That's the general structure of our weekly VENTSday segment, a chance for listeners to vent politely on topics in the news.  Take part by calling 1-800-838-3760 or 541-552-6782 or emailing JX@jeffnet.org THIS WEEK: --Automatic voter registration through driver's licenses or other documents? --Keeping public records public, but charging for them?

The Jefferson Exchange: March 27, 2013, Hour 2: Actually Thinking vs. just Believing Our political system seems hopelessly bound up in constant disagreement and gridlock, and there are some real needs to be addressed, both in our country and around the world.  Author Doug Matheson suggests a new approach to be taken, not just by politicians, in the title of his book:  "Actually THINKING vs. just BELIEVING."  

The Jefferson Exchange: March 26, 2013, Hour 1: Diabetes Alert Day The latest estimate for the yearly cost of diabetes in the United States is nearly a quarter of a trillion (yes, with a T) dollars.  Direct medical costs and lost worker productivity are included in that figure, and the number will probably go up before it goes down, given the increasing incidence of diabetes.  March 26 is Diabetes Alert Day, a day to assess your own risks for diabetes.  You'll hear from a diabetes educator about the assessment process and the signs of risks.+ Oregon Field Trips As you travel around Oregon, you may make use of the signs and markers and rest areas managed by Oregon Travel Experience, a state agency.  OTE recently got a boost in visibilty when it joined forces with Google Field Trip.  Now mobile device users can download an app that will help them find notable places in Oregon.

The Jefferson Exchange: March 26, 2013, Hour 2:Co-housing Explained Slightly smaller living spaces, less lawn to mow, and a chance to be part of a thriving, close-knit community.  Those are among the attractions of co-housing.  Cohousing communities continue to form in both of our states, and they often enlist the aid of co-housing experts Chuck Durrett and Katie McCamant, who themselves live in a co-housing community in Nevada City, CA.  You'll hear about the planning and building of these communities    

Jefferson Exchange – March 25, 2013, HOUR 1 Fire Season Approaches It's barely spring, but fire season could be along in just a few weeks.  So this is a prime time of the year for property owners in rural areas to prepare for the possibility of wildfire.  You'll hear from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection--CalFire--about the process of creating "defensible space" around a rural home.   The Great Shasta Rail Trail The rumbling of the trains is silent and the tracks themselves are gone, but the right-of-way of the McCloud Railway will live again, in a sense.  The Great Shasta Rail Trail Project proposes making a trail out of the old rail bed, all the way from McCloud to Burney.  You'll hear the plans and what it will take to bring them to reality. 

Jefferson Exchange – March 25, 2013, HOUR 2 The Road Out Education is a ticket out of poverty.  Maybe.  Teacher, writer and social advocate Deborah Hicks escaped her own childhood poverty to get an education at Harvard, and she set her sights on helping other girls escape to the right side of the tracks.  Her teaching experience in a poor Appalachian town is detailed in her book "The Road Out: A Teacher's Odyssey in Poor America."