Your Tuesday evening update on Salem news

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Good evening, Salem.

The endorsements continue to stack up in Salem’s mayoral race.

Today, farmworker union PCUN announced it would endorse Councilor Vanessa Nordyke’d bid for mayor. It’s the Woodburn-based union’s first endorsement in a Salem City Council race and is based on Nordyke’s willingness to advocate for immigrants and farmworkers, a news release said.

Nordyke was among the councilors who voted in December to declare a state of emergency over immigration enforcement. Councilors passed that declaration 6-3, with Mayor Julie Hoy voting against it.

Nordyke also urged the council to set aside social services funding to help people affected by immigration arrests and other vulnerable people in Salem. Councilors ultimately passed that funding 7-2, with Hoy in support.

Here’s some of today’s news. Head to our website anytime for the latest in Salem.

www.salemreporter.com

Kalapuya weaver demonstrates traditional basketry in Salem talk

Stephanie Craig said Indigenous basket-weaving is a form of ecological knowledge in addition to artistry, during a recent standing-room-only talk at the Salem Public Library. To comment on this story,…

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Providence Health Plans, one of Oregon’s largest insurers, is looking for a buyer

Providence Health Plans insures about 440,000 people across four western states, with the vast majority in Oregon. Company executives said they’re “early” in the process of exploring a sale. To…

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Behind the scenes of a Salem Reporter investigation

EDITOR’S NOTE: Patience and time to understand complex public records are keys to effective investigative reporting. Here’s how we did the recent project on Salem’s empty downtown property – Block…

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5 things to do in Salem this week: Nighttime cherry blossoms, Pentacle Theatre musical, Salem Center egg hunt

Events in Salem this week include the annual nighttime viewing of the Oregon Capitol cherry blossoms, showings of Pentacle Theatre’s Something Rotten! musical and an Easter egg hunt and market…

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Salem Reporter Town Hall graphic - March 2026

SALEM REPORTER TOWN HALL: CITY ELECTIONS

Meet the people who want to run Salem city government. Our special live program will include all eight candidates for Salem City Council and the challenger who wants to become mayor. The event is Tuesday, March 31, at the Elsinore Theatre and your tickets are free in advance. Doors open at 5 p.m. so you can meet the candidates and the program begins at 6 p.m. The show will be broadcast by Capital Community Media in a collaboration to deliver this important community service. TOWN HALL TICKETS: FREE

SEE LOCAL EVENTS: Our new events calendar lets you browse what’s happening in Salem – completely free. Want to submit an upcoming event? You can do that here.

TIP US TO NEWS: We welcome your tips about possible Salem stories – a community event, a local resident doing something extraordinary, a government action that needs investigating. Send your information, ideas or questions to our editor, Les Zaitz, at [email protected].

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