Good morning…..
At Salem Reporter, our journalists go beyond routine reporting to give you richer, deeper accounts of what’s going on in town.
Reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian delivered such work this week, doubling back on a big national story out of Salem. You may recall that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi not long ago went public with what she said was a major cartel drug case – based out of Salem.
We reported on the arrest of Heriberto Salazar Amaya and then we tackled the question: How does Salem become the HQ for a West Coast drug smuggling operation?
After careful investigation, Tabrizian shared what he found in his story: Mystery surrounds accused drug kingpin’s ties to Salem. Give it a read if you missed it last week.
And our newsroom in downtown Salem will be a bit more crowded on Monday morning.
Our reporting interns go on deck to join the team in covering Salem.
Hailey Cook, a native of Anchorage, will graduate in June from Oregon State University with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. She minored in journalism.
Cook will be putting her photo skills to work for you. But she’s also tasked to help us deepen coverage on public health issues in the community. With uncertain funding for government services at the state and federal level, we consider this essential.
Our other intern is Mirandah Davis-Powell, a native of Ashland. She’s on track for graduating in June 2026 from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Davis-Powell is going to key in on food-related issues from agriculture to food banks to government programs. She’s going to help readers understand how our farming industry is working and surviving. She’s going to dig into who’s going hungry in Salem and why.
If you have story ideas or suggestions of people they should talk to on these topics, please send an email to Managing Editor Rachel Alexander ([email protected]).
Meantime, Salem has been a busy town in recent days. Here’s some of what you might have missed:
In our city government reporting….
• Ethics investigators have the green light to dig deeper into what happened behind the scenes to rid City Hall of Keith Stahley, the city manager. As reporter Joe Siess detailed, Mayor Julie Hoy and the seven city councilors may have violated public meetings laws, a state investigator concluded.
• The public voted to give Salem officials more money to run city government. The Salem City Council is looking for citizens to keep an eye on how that money is spent.
• Concerns over safety in downtown Salem increased after the recent mass stabbing. City officials are considering beefing up downtown patrols.
• This isn’t exactly fixing New York’s Brooklyn Bridge but crews are tackling work to strengthen four local bridges that carry city traffic. That means some traffic is going to be diverted from time to time.
In our public safety reporting…
• Life in one section of West Salem was dramatically disrupted after a shooting brought a heavy police response. A teen was eventually tracked and arrested.
• Fire crews arrived quickly to quell a house fire near Parrish Middle School.
• Authorities are releasing few details after finding a man dead in the Marion County Jail. State police are investigating.
• Morning commuting traffic downtown was disrupted Monday after a railroad trestle fire sent up a towering plume of smoke.
In our community news reporting…
• Salem residents showed up downtown to celebrate Juneteenth on Thursday. Local leaders talked about the importance of the holiday.
• Every spring, the area’s top athletes are honored for their success in local high schools. The Beacons are eagerly anticipated every year.
• Determination built back swimming programs in Salem.
• Thousands showed up at the Capitol Mall for the “No Kings” demonstration.
HAVE A COMMENT? SUGGESTION?
Have thoughts about our reporting? A story we should do? A person we should profile? Or do you have questions about how we do our work? You’re welcome to send me an email – I read every one of them. Email: [email protected].
–Les Zaitz, Editor and co-founder
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