Abbey McDonald
Senior Reporter Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022, where she covers homelessness and housing. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
Northwest Human Services CEO retires after helping thousands get health care in Salem
For nearly three decades, Paul Logan worked to make medical, dental and behavioral health more accessible and cohesive at Northwest Human Services. He retires at the end of a tenure that included a major pivot from birthing babies to doing outreach on Salem’s streets.
Hundreds will gather for community meal at Riverfront Park on Saturday
The inaugural One Table Salem event will serve neighbors personal steak dinners while offering winter clothing and connections to medical, dental and navigational resources.
What’s showing at Salem galleries, museums in October
Exhibits in Salem this month will celebrate Indigenous artists, showcase rarely seen ceramics and look at the world through antique camera lenses.
Five key takeaways about the state of downtown Salem
Vacancy rates are low and developers are investing millions in downtown, but inflation, safety and parking remain challenges for business owners and customers alike.
What to know about voting in Marion, Polk counties this November
A guide to Salem’s voter registration options, ballot boxes and clerk’s offices.
The problems and promise of downtown Salem
Many downtown businesses report fewer people coming into their stores as a Covid push to support small businesses fades and inflation hits people hard. But downtown remains flush with new developments and businesses eager to invest and expand.
What Salem is doing to fight homelessness
A city town hall on Tuesday discussed the reasons people can become homeless and highlighted ongoing efforts by local organizations to shelter people.
Salem plans to give housing developers more options, faster process
The Salem City Council will vote Monday on a set of housing code changes which would allow for more accessory dwelling units, more apartments over retail spaces and would speed up the permitting process.
Salem town hall to discuss ways to address homelessness
The Salem Human Rights Commission is hosting a town hall on Tuesday, Sept. 24, with city, Marion County and community providers sharing challenges and progress in addressing homelessness. They will answer written questions submitted by the community.
Salem librarians report patrons trashing, hiding LGBTQ+ books in past year
Books in Oregon libraries saw a record number of challenges and censorship efforts this year, according to a report from the Oregon State Library. In multiple Salem libraries, books about LGBTQ+ people and people of color were hidden on far away shelves and thrown in the trash.