Good morning, Salem.
Editor Les Zaitz is wrapping up a vacation, so Managing Editor Rachel Alexander is here with your weekly roundup of local news.
A lawsuit filed by Marion County over federal immigration requests for information about people under parole supervision is getting a lot of attention across the state, as we reported Monday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month subpoenaed the county Sheriff’s Office for information about several people who have been convicted of serious crimes, including rape and kidnapping. They have served their sentences but remain on parole.
Now, county officials say they want to provide the information but are concerned any response opens them up to legal trouble. That’s because of Oregon’s sanctuary law, which prohibits them from providing information unless ordered by a judge or required by law.
“Obviously we want to keep dangerous people out of our community and off of our streets,” said Marion County Commission Chair Danielle Bethell in a county statement. “We also want to make sure the state won’t come after our community and sue us if we provide the requested records to the federal administration.”
Bethell is seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
The county wants a judge to resolve what it describes as conflicts between state sanctuary law, state public records laws and federal laws.
The issue has quickly become a political fight, with the Marion County Democrats organizing a letter-writing campaign to the Board of Commissioners.
Several immigrant rights groups and leaders have called the lawsuit an effort to undermine Oregon’s sanctuary law.
Here’s what else was going on in Salem in recent days:
In our government reporting:
•Discussions about downtown public safety continued at a city forum Wednesday, where some city councilors expressed skepticism over calls for more bathrooms and trash cans. Meantime, city money is going toward beautifying some downtown sidewalks.
• City councilors aren’t sold on spending more to subsidize another airline after Avelo left town, as city hall reporter Joe Siess details.
• Salem’s Center 50+ is getting a big boost from a local philanthropist. “A big piece of this grant is how do we engage more seniors to help more seniors?” Director Marilyn Daily-Blair said.
In our community news reporting:
• A grieving community remembers West Salem student Elijah Jung, 17, who died in a car crash.
• Chemeketa Community College fielded a dedicated team in this weekend’s Hood to Coast race
• Salem’s downtown Grocery Outlet is closing and moving to South Commercial Street. The building’s owner is hoping for a new tenant.
In our public safety reporting:
• Fire investigators found a recent blaze at a shuttered Shari’s restaurant was likely caused by people living in RVs nearby. They couldn’t determine if the fire was accidental or intentionally set.
• A new clinic gives people with criminal convictions a second chance by helping them expunge their records.
EVENTS IN SALEM
Looking for something to do? A show? A class to take? Get the latest details on what’s happening with our Events Calendar. You can find this link at the top of our news site every day.
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