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Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.

— Sara Roth, Executive Editor, Digital Programming

Prediction markets have exploded. What can they tell us about Oregon’s hottest primary race?

Which Republican challenger will move on to face Gov. Tina Kotek in November is the most intriguing question of Oregon’s primary election. But with ballots headed out in less than three weeks, the state of that race has been hard to parse.

No public polls have emerged, candidates only recently started airing television ads, and there’s an open debate over whether grassroots enthusiasm or cold hard cash will win the day.

What’s an Oregon political obsessive or even just a casually interested voter to do? You could look to gamblers for guidance.

Prediction markets — where bettors can plunk down money on whether an event is likely to occur — leave few corners of life untouched these days. Major sites like Kalshi and Polymarket allow bets on the daily high temperature in Helsinki, the likelihood of Christ’s return and everything in between. (Dirk VanderHart)

Learn more

3 things to know

• The four leading Republicans vying to be Oregon’s next governor will face off in their first debate on Thursday. It could be a rare opportunity to see the candidates share the stage.(Lauren Dake)
• The Portland Fire will pick seventh overall and two other times in tonight’s WNBA Draft, where they’ll have a chance to select from among the best available college and international players. (Kyra Buckley)
• An unseasonably warm winter has led to one of Oregon’s worst snow seasons on record, forcing some ski resorts to close early. (Joni Auden Land)

Renée Watson grew up in Portland, then became a bestselling author

Watson won the prestigious Newbery Medal for her children’s book “All the Blues in the Sky.” Today’s episode looks into how the remarkable writer inspires young Black readers to step into their power. (Mia Estrada and Jenn Chávez)

Northwest headlines

• What you need to know about Trump’s tax breaks for tips and overtime when filing state tax returns (David A. Lieb)
• Portland’s silliest relay event returns for 10th year (Saskia Hatvany)
• Every tire produces a chemical that kills coho salmon. Can Northwest scientists pump the brakes? (Stephen Howie)
• New Amtrak trains coming soon to Pacific Northwest, but not in time for World Cup (Tom Banse)
• Hanford radioactive waste disposal site hits new milestone (Anna King)
• Trail Blazers beat Kings 122-110 to clinch No. 8 seed in play-in (Erik García Gunderson)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation.

Noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Portlander organizes safe soccer tournament for immigrant and refugee girls
• Portland proposal to raise pay for Uber and Lyft drivers draws opposition

A new program unites West Coast readers for stories of Japanese American incarceration

A new program dubbed “the largest book club on the West Coast” is uniting libraries to explore an often erased chapter of the region’s history.

For the first time ever, patrons of over 140 different library systems across Washington, Oregon and California are joining in for the “One Book, One Coast” program.

The club’s first pick, actor and activist George Takei’s graphic memoir “They Called Us Enemy,” follows Takei’s childhood years imprisoned in incarceration camps in Arkansas and California during World War II.

Between now and May, library patrons of participating systems — such as Multnomah County Library, Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries and Seattle Public Library — will have access to unlimited digital copies of “They Called Us Enemy” in both English and Spanish. (Noel Gasca)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/13/oregon-republican-primary-betting-first-look/