Steve Dunn

1 month ago | katu.com | Steve Dunn

Painters are putting the final touches on a brand-new start. Tim Brunner has fought the battle for a couple of decades. But the fight is over. Brunner owns Axis Design Group, an architecture and engineering firm. You may have seen our previous story, where his business, then located in Southeast Portland, was surrounded by homeless camps. Vandalism was a regular occurrence. Someone even stole his air conditioner. Taxes and fees added up.

2 months ago | katu.com | Steve Dunn |Steve Benham

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said climate change is an existential threat to the state, she told KATU’s Steve Dunn in an exclusive interview. Dunn interviewed the governor earlier this month on numerous topics including her priorities for the environment. On Feb. 10, Kotek wrote on X that she guaranteed climate action will continue in Oregon regardless of the federal landscape. “We have some very clear goals here. We need to be clean electricity by 2040,” she told Dunn.

2 months ago | katu.com | Steve Dunn

When is the last time you checked out a book in the library? Chances are it was nothing like this. We’re talking about an organization called Street Books. Five days a week, they hit the streets, running 13 different library shifts. Their clientele? People who are unhoused. Diana Rempe has been a street librarian for 14 years. She says it's definitely about books and literature, but it's just as much about friendship and connections.

2 months ago | katu.com | Steve Dunn |Steve Benham

KATU got a firsthand report from Oregon’s governor during a recent interview with her on what’s being done to address homelessness and the housing shortage in the state. Steve Dunn asked Gov. Tina Kotek about the action she’s taking to get people housed. She said progress is being made. In her two years in office, she has listed homelessness and housing as a priority. She told Dunn she has many things in her proposed budget lawmakers are considering this year to address the issue.

2 months ago | katu.com | Steve Dunn |Steve Benham

As sweeping layoffs from the Trump administration continue, some federal funding remains in limbo. There’s been a lot of confusion around the administration’s efforts to freeze federal funding for states. Currently, a court order has placed a pause on the freeze. KATU’s Steve Dunn recently interviewed Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and asked her whether there were any Oregon agencies that have been unable to access federal funds right now. “Yes, several.