For the second Friday in a row, a small group protesting racism gathered near the intersection of Southeast High and Bush Streets on Friday, June 12. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

At Salem Reporter, we’re dealing with a Triple Crown of news – the global pandemic, the social upheaval triggered by George Floyd’s death, and the complexity of getting students back into classrooms.

Any one of these news events would be challenging to cover. Each has varied threads. Each one changes by the day. And each one touches just about every life in Salem.

Though small, the news team at Salem Reporter is determined. We focus our resources to seek out fair, accurate coverage. We want to provide context, not just numbers and sounds bites.

On the pandemic, Salem Reporter is chronicling the shifting conditions. We’re trying to remember to report not only the restrictions, but what they mean to you as you go about daily life. We aim to tell you what you can do now that you couldn’t do before. And we’re keeping a close eye on how your government agencies are performing – or not.

Along the way, the team zeroes in on watchdog coverage, such as our deep dive last month into why Marion County had so many cases and, more recently, what happened at a west Salem senior facility that posted one of the worst records in the state for virus-related illnesses and deaths.

As the protests have unfolded, now on a daily basis, Salem Reporter is mindful of a duty to report on what is happening. But we’re trying to get beyond the signs to explain what is motivating those who are taking to the streets. Our team is deeply aware that Salem, the state and the country are being driven to change sought by minorities and reformers but long ignored.

And we are trying to keep the community up to speed as these issues unfold. The move to end school resources officers in schools, for instance, suddenly became a big local issue. We gathered up and published excerpts from community voices on the matter. You can rely on Salem Reporter to help you understand this. We’ll be reporting soon on the background of this program, what it’s accomplished in local schools and what critics see as flaws.

And we’re learning right alongside teachers and school executives what’s ahead for 40,000 or so local students this fall. It appears we’re heading back to the classroom – but not in a way anyone has experienced. Salem Reporter will report carefully and closely as school administrators make key decisions about how many kids can be in a classroom, what to do about vulnerable adults who shouldn’t be in schools, and how to move thousands of kids to school when buses can only run at half capacity.

Every one of these topics comes with costs for the public and for local government. Protests, for instance, require enormous sums for overtime for police officers. We’re tracking that. The new requirements for cleaning at school means more time and supplies – but at what cost and where’s that money going to come from?

Reporters Rachel Alexander, Saphara Harrell and Jake Thomas are engaged in each of these issues. They’d welcome your help if you have information you want to share. They welcome your thoughts about what to cover or questions to pursue. Send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll be sure it gets to the right reporter.

Fortunately for the community, these deeply capable journalists had extra help in recent weeks. Mary Louise VanNatta, a regular columnist who knows every nook of Salem, has been crucial to helping report on the impact of the pandemic on local nonprofits and what help they need. Freelance writer Jean Dion has taken on reporting on topics we’d otherwise have to let slide and so has Cathy Ingalls, a long-time newspaper reporter who has stirred from retirement to give us a hand. Adding to our corps are two fabulous photographers. Ron Cooper, a retired newspaper photographer who spent decades with the Statesman Journal, is providing invaluable help from behind the camera and in editing our photos. Amanda Loman, formerly with the daily newspaper in Corvallis, has responded day and night to developments, producing remarkable images for our readers. And we have a triple threat in Kate McMahon, a national caliber documentary producer who has delivered stories, photos and videos to tell Salem’s stories.

We want to do more. Indeed, we need to do more.

That we have added the outside help is the result of vital support from readers ­– your subscriptions and contributions. There is no better way to sustain and expand our ability to deliver news than to pay for a subscription. (Subscribe HERE.) As the added journalistic muscle demonstrates, Salem Reporter invests nearly every dollar we take in right back into news coverage. Not a dime goes to distant corporate headquarters or to hedge funds.

Simply put, a local dollar spent on a subscription is a local dollar helping Salem stay well informed on these fast-paced developments.

The weeks ahead will be challenging for the community and for Salem Reporter. We’ll help you with constant, steady and fair coverage. We’ll do so without favoring any interest nor fearing any force. Count on us as we count on you.

Les Zaitz is editor of Salem Reporter. You can reach him by email at [email protected].

SUPPORT SALEM REPORTER’S JOURNALISM – A monthly subscription starts at $5. Go HERE. Or contribute to keep our reporters and photographers on duty. Go HERE. Checks can be sent: Salem Reporter, 2925 River Rd S #280 Salem OR 97302. Your support matters.

By Salem Reporter