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. -
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. -
The buildings are in the tsunami zone, meaning they'd likely be washed away in the event of a massive earthquake and tsunami. Seismologists say there's a 37 percent chance of a major quake along the West Coast in the next fifty years — the kind of quake that hit Japan in 2011.
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When patient and doctor don't speak the same language, it's not enough to have an ad hoc interpreter. You need an adult fluent in both languages — who can also cut through medical jargon. -
Oregon's health exchange has yet to enroll a single person. Problems with Cover Oregon's website have reduced the state to asking people to submit paper applications for insurance coverage. Then the state has to send them back a form saying how much that insurance will cost. Then a person would send it back to actually enroll. -
How hard can it be to measure the health of a population? Oregon is finding out it's difficult to decide even what to track. But the state received almost $2 billion in federal funds to improve the health of its residents and to cut costs. The state faces substantial fines if it can't prove it has done the job. -
Health insurers are obligated to cover pumps to help moms breast-feed. But there is a variety of equipment. Some nursing mothers prefer faster, electric models that cost more. Insurers may say a less expensive manual pump would do just fine.
