Good morning and thanks for dropping by.
Your opinions matter to us at Salem Reporter.
I invite you to take a few moments for this year’s survey.
We’re asking you to rate the importance to you of key Salem topics – from government to business to the arts.
We’re asking what local topics you would like to read more about.
And we want your candid advice: What would make Salem Reporter better, more useful?
More than 700 readers responded the last time we did this, in 2024. The results were helpful. And we listened. We made changes in our news coverage to expand or add reporting on issues such as health care and schools.
If you participate, you get a chance at a $50 local gift certificate.
The certificate can be used in any business operating at The Forge. That’s the downtown complex that’s undergone a transformation. Drop your name in the bucket, so to speak, and we’ll randomly pick eight people. The certificate can be used at any of these businesses: *Clink, *Dreamies Creamery, *Noira Wine Bar, *Jade Dumpling & Noodle House, *Bonsai Coffee & Teabar, *Escape the Day, *The Hot Loft, *Ivory Hair Co, *Ivory Bull & Co, *Satin & Stone, *A Wonderful World, *Halo Hair Studio, *Lashes by Chelsea, *Opan Hair Studio, *Radiance by Rae, *Diosa Hair Lounge, *Studio Roux, *Built Vibrant, *The Esthetic Gallery
Ready to participate? Here you go:
TAKE IT: SALEM REPORTER SURVEY
And speaking of listening, I had a wonderful time sitting down for coffee with a dozen readers last week. They shared their thoughts about the press, trust in the media and how Salem Reporter fits into the news ecosphere. I am thankful to those who spent an hour with me in a room provided courtesy of the great folks at Ike Box. I plan to do it again soon so let me know if you are interested in joining in.
Now, onto the news of recent days.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission on Friday concluded that Mayor Julie Hoy and five councilors broke state ethics laws earlier this year. Reporter Joe Siess reports in detail on the proceedings. Hoy and Council President Linda Nishioka had widely contrasting accounts of their conversations that led to the resignation of City Manager Keith Stahley.
In other local government reporting:
•The Salem City Council is expected to vote Monday to hire Krishna Namburi as city manager. She has been performing in an interim role since Stahley’s departure.
•Marion County wants to be told by a federal judge to release county records to immigration officials that it already believes are public records. Several Oregon counties are backing Marion County’s effort to settle the conflict between federal and state laws.
•The state’s school testing data can be mind numbing. We have key takeaways about what those numbers say about students in the Salem-Keizer School District.
•Public defenders working in Marion County say the state is asking too much of them in a strained system.
In public safety reporting:
•One of the most closely read stories of the week was our account of a former Death Row inmate, wrongfully convicted, who is suing Salem detectives. He’s also pursuing state compensation for years spent in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
•A deadly shooting in east Salem resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for what was a road rage incident.
•Firefighters handled two house fires that left one family homeless and injured a resident.
In community news:
•Salem is the hub of international roller derby this weekend and you have time to catch the championship match, scheduled for Sunday night.
•A former employee at a Salem factory gets a win in a labor dispute.
•Come along for a virtual visit to a local farm’s harvest fest through our photos.
CORRECTION: Last week, I mistakenly referred to a local company as Don Poncho. It is, course, Salem’s very own Don Pancho. Sorry for the error.
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
SUBSCRIBE – HELP US EXPAND
We rely almost entirely on the support of subscribers to provide Salem news no one else covers.
A subscription to Salem Reporter is easy to set up in a secure setting. It’s affordable. The cost is $12 a month. Click HERE and in moments you’ll be a Salem Reporter subscriber. (You can take us for a test spin for just $12 – get three months for the price of one.)
Copyright © 2025 Salem Reporter. All rights reserved. |
Our mailing address is: 494 State St., #410 • Salem, Oregon 97301 |
You are receiving this email because you signed up through our website or participated in a promotion. |