Ardeshir Tabrizian
Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered the justice system and public safety for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
Raw sewage spills near Claggett Creek
The city of Salem said a blocked sewer line caused a spill of about 1,350 gallons of sewage Thursday.
Marion County fire district seeks $20.5 million, 5-year levy to keep fire crew
A proposed tax would keep nine firefighters hired under a 2021 federal grant on duty, at a cost of about $83 more per year in property taxes for east Salem homeowners.
Advocates against death penalty to receive Salem Peacemaker Award at Wednesday lecture
A Salem activist and a former prison superintendent who advocated against Oregon’s death penalty will share the 2023 Peacemaker Award.
Driver fatally strikes Aurora man crossing I-5 on foot
Police say a pedestrian, 52-year-old Arnulfo A. Chavez of Aurora, was crossing Interstate 5 when the driver of a Honda CRV traveling south struck and killed him.
UPDATE: Marion County commissioners call for repeal of Oregon’s drug decriminalization law
Approved by Oregon voters in 2020, Ballot Measure 110 was intended to take drug users out of jails and get them into treatment. Police, prosecutors and service providers in Marion County say the measure has instead disincentivized people from seeking treatment and worsened violent crime.
Town Hall digs into heart of city payroll tax disagreement
At Salem Reporter’s Town Hall Wednesday, Salem City Council President Virginia Stapleton argued a wage tax is the best way to fund needed city services, while Preston Mann with Oregon Business & Industry said the city should consider the state or a levy to raise money.
LIVE BLOG: Follow the Town Hall on city payroll tax
Salem Reporter’s Town Hall on Taxes on Wednesday at the Elsinore Theatre digs into a single question on the November ballot: should the city impose a new income tax on wage-earners and those self-employed to fund “community safety services?”
Driver fatally strikes Salem man walking across NE Lancaster Drive
Police say that Ronald Olbekson, 64, was walking east across Lancaster Drive outside the marked crosswalk Monday night when he was struck by the driver of a sedan, which was traveling north.
Salem teen arrested for online threats of shooting at Claggett Middle School
Police say they worked for two days to identify and find a 13-year-old boy who posted threats on social media of a shooting at Claggett Middle School.
Salem man killed, another injured after driving off Highway 22 into embankment
David L. Nelson, 55, was killed and David J. Nelson, 23, was hospitalized after a crash just outside west Salem. Police say both Salem residents were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the car.