https://www.benbotkinjournalist.comRSS Feed for Ben BotkinenTue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.klcc.org/podcast/oregon-on-the-record/2026-06-16/potholes-and-ipos-roads-that-never-get-fixed-and-a-2-trillion-stockInterview with NPR affiliate station KLCC about my coverage of public roads lacking an agency to maintain them.Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.klcc.org/podcast/oregon-on-the-record/2026-06-16/potholes-and-ipos-roads-that-never-get-fixed-and-a-2-trillion-stockhttps://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/health/2026/06/16/months-before-a-patient-died-alone-at-oregon-state-hospital-agency-boss-was-warned-about-seclusion-practices/When Kenneth Hass was languishing in a seclusion room at Oregon State Hospital in October 2024, a social worker paid him a visit and wrote a report about what he saw.  Among the social worker’s observations: Hass habitually urinated and defecated in his bed. He had never been out of seclusion for more than 48 hours at a time due to his mental health and how it affected his interactions with others. Hospital staff speculated he may have had an unknown brain injury or other undiagnosed condi...Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/health/2026/06/16/months-before-a-patient-died-alone-at-oregon-state-hospital-agency-boss-was-warned-about-seclusion-practices/https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/06/10/along-124-miles-of-lane-county-public-roads-search-for-maintenance-hits-speed-bumps/Along this stretch of public road in Lane County, houses with front yards line the pavement.  Like any other road, cars travel through Fairway Drive, which lies between Horn Lane and West Hilliard Lane, east of the railroad tracks and Northwest Expressway. Joshua Kielas lives here. Like others in scattered blocks throughout Eugene’s urban growth boundary and elsewhere in Lane County, he made a surprising discovery about two years ago after moving into the neighborhood a decade ago.  Nobody...Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/06/10/along-124-miles-of-lane-county-public-roads-search-for-maintenance-hits-speed-bumps/https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/05/14/if-you-build-it-trash-will-come-or-will-it/A few years ago, Lane County officials boldly predicted that construction on a massive, modern recycling facility would start in 2025.  They were so confident they signed off on a $150 million contract for the CleanLane project, with the schedule calling for equipment to be installed in 2026 in a newly built facility.  An outdated entry on the county’s website still promises a 2026 grand opening. For years, Lane County officials have worked toward that goal, planning for the county to c...Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/05/14/if-you-build-it-trash-will-come-or-will-it/https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/04/07/for-laurie-trieger-a-public-criticism-rekindles-a-30-year-old-memory-of-sexual-harassment/Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger had heard enough.  Minutes before, at the commissioners’ Tuesday, April 7, public meeting, Ruben Garcia, a retired Eugene businessman, stepped up to the podium to ask for an apology from Trieger. Garcia said Trieger had asked him not to touch her at a county event recently when he stepped forward to touch her shoulder in a greeting to say hello. “You just blew up at me,” Garcia said as commissioners listened. “You just started screaming at me.” Ga...Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/04/07/for-laurie-trieger-a-public-criticism-rekindles-a-30-year-old-memory-of-sexual-harassment/https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/latest-news/2026/03/22/the-women-of-world-war-ii-reflect-on-their-homefront-service-inspiring-the-next-generation/They climbed up towers, scouting out the skyline for enemy planes on both coasts of the United States. They assembled bombers, drilled airplane wings together and welded in docks. When necessary, they quickly changed out of their school dresses after class, putting on coveralls to start swing shifts in factories and shipyards.  They were the working women of World War II, a hardy breed of homefront soldiers whose contribution freed up more men for military service in the European and South Pa...Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/latest-news/2026/03/22/the-women-of-world-war-ii-reflect-on-their-homefront-service-inspiring-the-next-generation/https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/02/18/officials-investigating-how-lookout-obtained-state-hospital-report/State officials are investigating the disclosure to Lookout Eugene-Springfield of an Oregon State Hospital analysis into the death of a 25-year-old patient at the Salem facility March 18, 2025. That document, called a “root cause analysis,” offered insights into the care and death of Kenneth Hass, who was homeless in Eugene before he entered the hospital.  The report shows Hass spent his final months in a feces-filled seclusion room before dying after falling three times in a single night....Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/government-politics/2026/02/18/officials-investigating-how-lookout-obtained-state-hospital-report/https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/25/think-out-loud-oregon-drug-deflection-addiction-crime-measure-110-law-capital-chronicle/My interview on Oregon Public Broadcasting about my reporting on deflection programs that counties set up to combat opioid addiction.Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/25/think-out-loud-oregon-drug-deflection-addiction-crime-measure-110-law-capital-chronicle/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ci0cuJA2Y&t=119sMy interview about drug addiction and the Oregon Legislature's recriminalization bill on Scripps News' Morning Rush on March 5, 2024.Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ci0cuJA2Y&t=119shttps://www.opb.org/article/2023/03/13/oregon-caregivers-are-reaching-a-breaking-point-want-better-conditions/Interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting about my coverage of state caregivers and workplace concerns.Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://www.opb.org/article/2023/03/13/oregon-caregivers-are-reaching-a-breaking-point-want-better-conditions/https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/27/oregon-state-hospitals-junction-city-campus-faces-threats-of-decertification/2022 interview on Oregon Public Broadcasting about compliance problems at Oregon State Hospital.Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/27/oregon-state-hospitals-junction-city-campus-faces-threats-of-decertification/https://www.opb.org/article/2022/01/26/why-some-oregon-children-on-medicaid-cant-get-the-medical-care-they-need/Interview on OPB about a lack of health care for children enrolled in Medicaid.Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://www.opb.org/article/2022/01/26/why-some-oregon-children-on-medicaid-cant-get-the-medical-care-they-need/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Zi1bG0nXYBen Botkin is a reporter with Oklahoma Watch and he has examined how those protocol's may work and what issues state officials are likely facing in drawing up those new proceedures. This story aired on the ONR on OETA-The Oklahoma Network.Fri, 20 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Zi1bG0nXYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0lub61gucg2014 interview on PBS NewsHour about an armed standoff in Nevada between federal agents and supporters of cattle farmer Cliven Bundy, who refused to pay fees for grazing his animals on public lands for two decades.Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0100https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0lub61gucg