New information has come out this week that could have an impact on the upcoming May twenty-first vote on water fluoridation in Portland.

A lab test of the fluoridation compound proposed for Portland’s water supply found high levels of arsenic in the compound. The test was commissioned by the anti-fluoridation group ‘Clean water Portland’.

In addition, the Oregon Health Authority just released the latest figures on children’s dental health in Multnomah County, showing significant improvements in all categories, and bringing into question the county’s claim that fluoridation of water is necessary to improve dental health.

KBOO’s Jenka Soderberg has more

A new bill proposed in the Oregon House of Representatives would address accessibility of voting materials to citizens who speak primary languages other than English, such as Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Russian.

KBOO's Jenn Chavez has more on this story.

Bill Resnick talks with Bruce Podobnik about climate change activism and his research into where people are engaging in it. He notes that protests are increasing globally, radical, and coordinated. They also talk about local, dispersed energy systems.

Bruce Podobnik is a sociology professor at Lewis and Clark College and author of the book "Global Energy Shifts: fostering sustainability in a turbulent age".