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Good morning, Northwest.

Political candidates for decades have donned their best Western shirts and blue jeans to meet with potential voters at the Pendleton Round-up.

Both major candidates for the Oregon governorship, incumbent Tina Kotek and challenger Christine Drazan, visited the rodeo this year. OPB’s Antonio Sierra spoke with them about why Pendleton Round-up is so important.

In other news, tiny digital trackers are helping scientists understand monarch butterfly migration like never before.

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

— Bradley W. Parks

Top story

Oregon governor candidates make political pilgrimage to Pendleton Round-up

Both major candidates for Oregon’s governorship were in Pendleton for the storied Round-up (though neither was ready to jump in the saddle).

The tradition of political candidates and elected officials attending the rodeo, which draws upward of 50,000 people to Pendleton each year, goes back decades.

While Pendleton and Umatilla County may not be the deciding factor in a hotly contested gubernatorial race, all of the governors — whether current, former or aspiring — said the Round-up was still a key moment to connect with rural voters and constituents. (Antonio Sierra)

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3 things to know

• Fantasy bookstore Hidden Worlds’ grand opening drew hundreds of readers to Hillsboro’s Orenco Station neighborhood on Saturday. (Sukhjot Sal)
• After 43 years of helping to solve cold cases and find missing people, Crime Stoppers of Oregon will permanently cease operations at the end of September. (Jireh Deng)
• Amtrak’s sleek, amenity-packed new “Airo” trains will debut on the Cascades intercity route on Sept. 30. (Tom Banse, Washington State Standard)

Beyond the beats: A short history of Portland hip-hop

Portland may not be known as a hub of hip-hop on par with New York or Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a hotbed for sonic experimentation and incredible talent for decades. On this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our story about Portland hip-hop, why it isn’t bigger and what keeps it going. (Mía Estrada and J Jackson)

Listen Here

Northwest headlines

• A bitter battle is brewing in one of Washington state’s last swing districts (Sarah Mizes-Tan, KUOW & KNKX)
• Washington teachers feel strain from budget pressures as fewer staff return (Anna Marie Yanny, KNKX)
• What MINT’s departure means for Grants Pass’ new homeless shelter (Jane Vaughan, JPR)
• Ogwumike becomes 4th player in WNBA history with 8,000 points as the Sparks beat the Fire 105-84 (AP)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Portland hosts annual Olmsted Conference on sustainable landscapes

One more look

Pacific Northwest monarch butterflies are migrating south. You can watch them on an app

In the middle of a grassy meadow at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Portland, University of Washington entomologist David James reaches into one of the boxes and retrieves a small mesh bag, gently pulls out a monarch butterfly, and places it on the tip of a plant.

Between the insect’s wings, a tiny device glints in the sun.This monarch butterfly is one of 15 that were tagged with digital trackers and released in the city in early September.

They are among 200 that will be deployed across Oregon and Idaho this month. It’s the first time that monarch butterflies in the Pacific Northwest will be digitally tracked as they travel south for the winter.

The digital tags on butterflies will update continuously and can be monitored through the free mobile app Project Monarch. (Saskia Hatvany)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/21/pendleton-round-up-governor-first-look/