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Good morning…….

The odds are good that you know someone serving on the city’s new Revenue Task Force.

The 25 people appointed will start their work on Tuesday, Jan. 30. They are asked to consider where the city of Salem might get more money.

More than 150 people applied to sit on the volunteer task force. That’s a healthy sign citizens want a say in local government.

Reporter Abbey McDonald introduces you to all the members and explains what’s ahead.

The work comes as city government is winnowing its operations for budget reasons.

One service now gone? A program running for 50 years that delivered books to seniors in Salem.

While we’re on city news, the Salem City Council acted to fix a troublesome intersection in south Salem – and to limit testimony in future council sessions.

School officials saw mixed results in the annual report on graduation rates in high schools. The overall graduation rate in the Salem-Keizer School District dipped a bit. But as Managing Editor Rachel Alexander reports, more Black and Pacific Islander students graduated after pandemic setbacks.

And once again Operation School Bell rolled into action, delivering snacks to feed hungry local students. The program involving 49 schools is run by the Assistance League of Salem-Keizer.

In downtown Salem, a local art gallery is teaming up with an artist co-op. The partnership provides new display space for the nonprofit.

Columnist Pam Ferrara, who writes on Salem economic issues, looks at the future of the community’s labor force. She shares calculations that employers will need another 30,000 workers in the next decade.

We rolled out a new feature recently called “Building Salem.” This gives you the inside scoop on new buildings or remodels that might catch your attention. We invite you to suggest projects for us to look at.

TOWN HALL BACK ON

Once again, gun violence has struck in Salem.

Police found a 23-year-old man shot to death in his car.

The murder happened as Salem Reporter gets back on track to host its Town Hall on Gun Violence.

This was postponed during the ice storm, and we’re set now for this timely community event.

The new time and date: 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15.

The need to inform and involve you and others is more vital than ever.

At the Town Hall, experts will share the facts about surging gun violence in the community. This powerful program will pull back the curtains on this safety threat – and share how you can make a difference. This is a place for you as a citizen to help solve a community challenge.

This is free and open to the public. I invite you to join us for an extraordinary evening.

LOCATION: Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St. S.E.

FREE TICKETS: Available online

NOTE ON TICKETS: You will need a new ticket even if you had one from the January event. This allows the Elsinore crew to plan for the audience size.

LEARN MORE: Editor’s note

QUESTIONS: Email Editor Les Zaitz – [email protected].

BOOST YOUR SUPPORT FOR LOCAL NEWS

The news business had a sobering few days.

The Los Angeles Times cut 20% of its news staff. This is after significant layoffs at the Washington Post.

News organizations from Time magazine to Business Insider handed out pink slips. Sports Illustrated, for all intents, is gone.

We’re bucking the trend at Salem Reporter and you are a big reason. But we want to do more for you. Here’s how you can help that happen.

If you are a monthly subscriber to Salem Reporter, a modest increase in your rate would help Salem Reporter grow.

To do so is easy.

Send an email to [email protected]:

*YES – add $5 a month to my account.

Or

*YES – add $10 a month to my account.

This will be automatic each month until you say otherwise and a great and affordable way to support the local news you can trust as fair and accurate.

Please say YES to more Salem information from the team that delivers local news that matters.

DON’T SUBSCRIBE? If you aren’t yet a subscriber, become one today. That gives you full access to all the news on our website.  You also get our popular morning and evening newsletters, delivered to your email during the week. The cost is $10 a month, $100 for the year. Sign up HERE.

As always, thank you for reading and feel free to reach out to me anytime at [email protected] with ideas, questions or concerns.

–Les Zaitz, CEO and editor