Good morning and thanks for dropping by.
One of our reporters is heading to Washington, D.C., next week for advanced training on how to better report on Salem.
Abbey McDonald was selected for a prestigious fellowship provided by the National Press Foundation, joining nearly 30 other journalists for intense learning. As the foundation explains, McDonald and her colleagues will learn “from a roster of top experts, insiders and veteran journalists about how to follow the massive shifts happening at the federal level and what that means for their own communities.”
This matters to you.
The upheaval at the federal level is touching nearly every aspect of life in Salem. Sorting out what’s true is a big challenge. And explaining clearly what those changes mean is no easy task.
Even though we’re a small team, we value opportunities for our journalists to sharpen their skills. They put those skills to use for you with meaningful local journalism.
While Abbey is back east, two other journalists at the same time are taking virtual classes from one of the premier journalism organizations in the country. Joe Siess, who covers city government, and Madeleine Moore, who leads our public safety reporting, will be attending the special conference of Investigative Reporters and Editors. They get access to veteran journalists and their sessions. We’re still sorting out the topics but the agenda is a menu of possibilities. Among the sessions: “Shining a light on immigration enforcement at the state and local level,” “Investigating for-profit health care” and “50 free government data sets in 50 minutes.”
For you, this means better reporting and more understanding about what’s happening in Salem.
Here’s what your Salem Reporter team reported on in recent days:
In local government news:
•Mayor Julie Hoy caught political fire for branching out on her own to oppose the state transportation funding package.
•Marion County released key documents to Salem Reporter that it resisted giving to federal immigration officials.
•In case you missed it, we explored in depth the operations of the Cherriots and what’s behind the drive for a new payroll tax.
•Results of a survey show those considered homeless face discrimination in the community. As Joe Siess reported, “The survey found that 68% of homeless people surveyed would be unlikely to go to police to report being the victim of a bias crime or incident.”
In public safety reporting:
•A Salem businessman gets arrested, accused of exposing himself to women in a car.
•A former top wrestler for Corban University faces criminal charges in northwest Oregon.
•Four people died in a crash in east Salem and a police affidavit details information the driver was intoxicated.
In community news reporting:
•A local group envisions a new life for the Dome Building, once part of the state hospital complex and former headquarters for the Oregon Department of Corrections.
•A navigation device made here in Salem is considered one of the “coolest things” produced in Oregon.
•A local high school graduate takes on a role as movie executive director, bringing a show to Salem.
•Photographer Laura Tesler joined many from the community at Urban Art Fest, capturing the scenes for our photo gallery.
•If you rely on Medicare, you know it’s that time of year for planning. Our columnist Jim Sellers helps navigate the choices.
Bonus:
•Read Managing Editor Rachel Alexander’s column about our initiative to provide every student in the Salem-Keizer School District free access to Salem Reporter.
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 owner
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