By Salem Reporter
Salem police will have body cameras by summer, publish more crime data and policies
(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem Police Department leaders are going to supply officers with body-worn cameras, want to track data on the department’s crime response and crashes, and offer more thorough training dedicated to building trust, use of force and de-escalation.…
Data digest: Covid by the numbers for Feb. 9, 2022
Empty beds in the hallway of the emergency room at Salem Hospital on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) As Covid hospitalizations remain high due to the omicron variant, Salem Reporter is again publishing case and hospitalization information daily.…
Health insurance coverage in Oregon increases slightly during pandemic
(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) About 4 million people in Oregon are covered by health insurance, marking an increase of nearly 60,000 people in two years. That’s according to the state Department of Consumer and Business Services, which regulates the insurance industry.…
Volunteers help Salem educators de-stress with personal pies
Irma Dowd, left, an Auburn Elementary parent and city of Salem worker, delivers pies to the school’s community outreach coordinator, Yuri Coronado, on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Elisa Evert thought some fresh cookies might help her coworkers…
Foster families needed for Salem cats and dogs
Vickie Clark-Ellis of Salem cuddles Neptune and Saturn, two kittens she fostered for the Willamette Valley Humane Society. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Love animals? Willamette Valley Humane Society is seeking foster families to care for local dogs, puppies, cats and kittens.…
Oregon lawmakers looking to make child care more affordable, available
Preschool students play in a Salem-Keizer classroom (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) As Portland resident Jasmine Casanova-Dean spoke to legislators at a hearing about child care last week, her 67-year-old grandmother watched her 2-year-old daughter in another room. Casanova-Dean can only afford…
Data digest: Covid by the numbers for Feb. 8, 2022
The Oregon Health Authority’s Covid hospitalization dashboard for the mid-Willamette region on Feb. 8, 2022. As Covid hospitalizations remain high due to the omicron variant, Salem Reporter is again publishing case and hospitalization information daily. Here’s our report for Tuesday,…
Salem man sentenced for ramming police car before being shot by detective
(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A Salem man was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to ramming a police car just before a Salem police detective shot and wounded him in July. Erfinson Bossy, 22, pleaded guilty on Jan.…
Sobriety at Simonka: The redemption story of Laura Hammack
Laura Hammack works the front desk of Simonka Place on Jan. 28 as part of the New Life Fellowship program (Joey Cappelletti/Keizertimes). It wasn’t Laura Hammack’s first time in the hospital. A decades-long drinking problem had resulted in four hospital…
Marion County will stop notifying people who test positive for Covid in schools, care homes
Katrina Rothenberger, Marion County’s health division director, holds up an activity log at the county’s Covid incident command on Monday, July 13, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) If you test positive for Covid, don’t expect a letter or call from a…