Dec 7 2020 thru Dec 13 2020

Hospital administrators have quarantined ill patients, worked to trace the source of the outbreak and tried to address the similar rise in coronavirus cases among staff. But many employees say they are exhausted from the strain and increased responsibility stemming from staff shortages tied to COVID-19.

People were punched, kicked and shoved to the ground as a rally against Covid restrictions turned violent. Mostly Black victims have been left wondering why their assailants have not been prosecuted. Police say they investigated and the matter is now with prosecutors.

Salem resident Sean Nikas is one of Oregon’s seven electors in the Electoral College. Nikas said it's exciting to serve as an elector and it's been a kick for his friends and family. But he thinks it's time for the institution to go.

The partnership between the San Francisco Giants and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes came to an end Wednesday when the Giants announced that the Eugene Emeralds would become their new Single-A affiliate.

Holly Collier has been volunteering with Willamette Valley Hospice for more than a decade and was able to quickly pivot to seeing the good as she donned protective gear to visit patients nearing the end of their lives.

Six months after activists called for district leaders to remove police from schools, Salem-Keizer leaders are planning another round of community discussions - this time with an outside facilitator - to look at police, school discipline, threat assessments and other safety programs.

The closure of restaurants has had a ripple effect on Oregon's vineyards and wineries. While some have been able to pivot, new pandemic restrictions came during a "make or break" moment for many wineries.

A state economist will give a talk on the Oregon economy. Lively Station to open up. Regulators have struck a deal with insurance companies over rebuilding timeline.

Salem’s Climate Action Plan Task Force will next consider how the city is vulnerable to climate change as the state released a report this week noting that communities of color will be most impacted by hotter temperatures, drought and wildfires.

Board chair Satya Chandragiri compared being on the receiving end of sometimes vitriolic public comments to “walking into a domestic violence relationship” and said the board’s goal is to urge those with dissenting viewpoints to be civil.

The pandemic-induced downturn has had a larger effect on women than men. There are two reasons for that.

Local leaders in the Bend area cite 'learning loss' in pressing Gov. Kate Brown to relax restrictions to get young students back in school.

Fall sports will start in February on a condensed six-week schedule with spring and winter activities to follow. Athletic directors are preparing for a return to practice and hoping athletes will be able to compete in.

Services for the well-known Salem resident long active in the community will be held Saturday at Salem First Christian Church. The service will be streamed online.

Jim Moore, 72, a volunteer with FamilySearch, tracks his progress reviewing scans of Census records and marriage licenses with color-coded spreadsheets. He's so prolific he can sometimes recognize a century-old county clerk signature on sight.

Patients scheduled for procedures requiring an overnight hospital stay, like hip or knee replacements, may need to wait. The hospital currently has 73 patients with Covid, up from a daily average of about 20 in early November.

For years, residents of the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Reservation had to wait for an ambulance to travel over 70 miles after calling 911. Now, a tribal emergency medical service can respond instead.

Marion County Fire District 1 says response times will suffer when staffing cuts and closures take hold next year as a result of voters rejecting two levies that would have raised millions for the district.

A strong music program with nationally-recognized bands and choirs has long been a point of pride for the Salem-Keizer School District. Music teachers are still teaching online and finding bright spots in solo work and new technology, but students and teachers alike miss the energy of playing and singing together.

The state and national economy are in uncertain territory as the pandemic drags on. But business owners keep moving forward on projects. Numbers show that Oregonians, many of whom have had their livelihoods disrupted, continue to start new companies.