Prairie High School in the Battle Ground School District is headed to a statewide tournament this weekend. But it's not for a traditional sport like soccer, baseball or football — it's for esports. Esports, like many other sports, have players compete as individuals or in a team in a video game against others. Prairie High School took home first prize in a statewide championship last fall in “Overwatch 2,” a team-based hero shooter game. On Sunday, one of the teams will head to Lynnwood to compete again for another statewide title.

Simeon Redberg is a science teacher at the school and the coach of the team. Cody Sigler is a senior and team captain who was recently awarded an esports scholarship to attend Winthrop University in the fall. They both join us to share more on the world of esports at the high school level.

Some of Oregon’s largest school districts are facing cuts this year, including Portland Public Schools, Eugene 4J School District and the Beaverton School District. However, Oregon’s second-largest school district, Salem-Keizer Public Schools, is looking to spend more. Superintendent Andrea Castañeda shared a proposal last week that aims to increase the budget to invest more in mental health and special education. This comes after last year’s dramatic cuts that led to nearly 100 layoffs. Castañeda joins us to share more about her budget proposal and what the district's budget could look like in the future.

Oregon lawmakers will have roughly $500 million less to work with for the next two-year budget cycle, according to the state’s latest economic and revenues forecast unveiled Wednesday in Salem. The uncertainty sparked by tariffs, slashed federal spending and immigration issues are clouding the state’s economic outlook, according to Oregon Chief Economist Carl Riccadonna. Also on Wednesday, the state released its latest jobs report. It showed that unemployment in Oregon rose to 4.7% in April, which is higher than the national average and marks a gradual increase over the past year.

Oregon Chief Economist Carl Riccadonna joins us for more details about the state’s economic outlook and the challenges ahead.