Good morning!
At Salem Reporter, we’re grateful for the community support.
And we truly appreciate hearing from you and other readers.
We do our best to acknowledge every phone call, every email.
And in recent days, we’ve been going over the findings from our most recent reader survey. More than 600 of you shared your thoughts about our work – and what more you would like to see from Salem Reporter.
Trust me. Our ambition to do more is restrained only by our ability to attract more subscribers. We pour every dollar we can into delivering fair and accurate news.
I’ll be outlining soon what the survey results told us and how we’ll respond.
But allow me to share just a sampling of some of the generous and encouraging comments from Salem Reporter readers that came with the survey:
•“Salem Reporter is a dependable and trustworthy source — I always know I’m getting the facts.”
•“You make a real difference. Local journalism like this keeps democracy alive.”
•“I love and respect what Salem Reporter does for our community.”
•“Your coverage is professional, fair, and detailed – a true local asset.”
•“You’ve built something meaningful that connects people and strengthens our city.”
One of the most important topics for our community is what’s happening in local schools. That so many students can’t read at their grade level is not good – for the students, for families, for employers and for our civic future.
You can expect Salem Reporter to deepen its reporting on local schools in the year ahead.
The urgency of such work was underscored by a new set of numbers this week – school attendance.
Managing Editor Rachel Alexander poured through columns of numbers and talked to authorities for an eye-opening story about student attendance. Roughly 4 out of 10 students are absent from enough school last year to no longer be considered regular attenders. Of course, it doesn’t take an expert to conclude that you can’t learn if you’re not in class.
In local government reporting:
•A federal judge has decided that Marion County has to turn over to federal agents certain local jail records that Salem Reporter was able to obtain with a public records request.
•Property owners facing liens for not clearing up messes are getting a break from the city.
•City leaders are looking to the future – they’re at work on a strategic plan to guide city services in the coming years.
In community reporting:
•The controversial plan to draw down Detroit Lake has a new twist.
•Cuts by the Trump administration may make it more challenging for the community to address homelessness.
•On the Salem entertainment front, Pentacle Theatre opens a new play for the season.
In public safety reporting:
•McKinley Elementary School reports a student brought a BB gun to school.
•A joint police operation between the Salem Police Department and federal agencies disrupted an illegal gun-selling enterprise.
Listen to a podcast: Enjoy the weekly “Coffee Time” with Rachel Alexander and Jacob Espinoza running through recent news in Salem.
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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