Salem clinic combines medication and counseling to treat opioid addiction

Relatively new to Salem, national treatment provider Community Medical Services uses medication to help people dependent on opioids. September is officially recognized as National Recovery Month.
Salem Art Fair avoids summer heat as it celebrates 75-year anniversary, adds new activities

Salem Art Fair returns to Bush’s Pasture Park this week, for its 75th anniversary, running Friday through Sunday. It adds local vineyards and a new drone light show.
City plans insecticide injections for ash trees to combat invasive insect found in Marion County

Emerald ash borers, an invasive insect, were detected in Marion County, prompting Salem to plan insecticide treatments. The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced a permanent quarantine for four counties in Oregon barring them from moving wood products that could be infested.
Salem events from Sept. 5-11: Boot Scoot & Brew, Xicha Fest

Salem events this week include a night of country music, dancing and delicious food, drag bingo night to support charities and the 15th anniversary of f/STOP Fitzgerald’s.
Salem Shark Tank event names two winning companies, promotes local entrepreneurs

A regional entrepreneurial event, modeled after the reality television show Shark Tank, brought businesses together for a pitching competition on Wednesday, Aug. 21. The two winners, Revino and Stiira, will use the award money to build equipment and strengthen their services.
Polk County’s new program to keep drug users out of jail launches Sept. 1

Polk County will start a new program on Sunday focused on diverting drug users away from the justice system. With a smaller population and budget than Marion County, Polk County officials focused on tailoring the program to its communities.
Salem events from Aug. 29-Sept. 4: State fair, Urban Art Fest, gardening classes

Events in Salem this week include a fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society, Urban Art Fest and new movies showing at the Salem Cinema.
Inmate walks away from work crew in southeast Salem

T.J. H. Bennett, 44, is serving a sentence at Santiam Correctional Institution and was part of a city work crew when he walked away Monday afternoon.
Local nonprofit for blind, low-vision community celebrates 6 years of weekly meetings

At Capitol Coffee on Wednesday mornings, a group of people experiencing sight loss meet to swap stories, grievances and support. Blindskills, a Salem nonprofit for people losing their vision or those who already have, has organized the group’s meetings for six years and is working to expand its outreach.
Teenager given 7 years in youth correctional facility for beating to death a Salem homeless man

Over a year after Joshua D. Upton Jr. beat Russell Mikolas, a Salem homeless man, he pleaded guilty to the murder and received a seven-year sentence. At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Aug. 22, the victim’s relatives described Mikolas as a kind and generous man.


