DEQ fines Port of Morrow $1.3 million for ‘reckless’ pumping of nitrate-laced water on farms

The Port of Morrow was fined $1.3 million on Monday, Jan. 10, for repeatedly pumping too much nitrate-laced water onto farmland. (Port of Morrow) State officials said Tuesday that the Port of Morrow in northeast Oregon for years has spread…
Salem-Keizer cancels classes Friday due to staffing shortage

High rates of illness in Salem schools have led to consolidated bus routes and a canceled day of school on Jan. 14 (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Oregon’s second-largest school district is canceling all classes Friday because of staffing shortages. Christy Perry,…
Data digest: Covid by the numbers for Jan. 11, 2022

A health care worker wheels out a gurney in the emergency room at Salem Hospital on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) As Covid hospitalizations continue to rise again due to the omicron variant, Salem Reporter will begin publishing…
Chemeketa seeks to renew college accreditation

Officials from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities will visit Chemeketa Community College this spring to evaluate the college’s compliance with academic standards and reaffirm its accreditation. Colleges in the U.S. are typically accredited by an independent agency which…
Third man arrested for role in September northeast Salem shooting

(Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The Marion County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 5 arrested a third man indicted on charges stemming from a September shooting that injured two people in northeast Salem. A Marion County grand jury indicted Gabriel Herrera, 20, Sept.…
State issued guidelines on rationing care, but hospitals have their own standards

Hospitals are preparing to ration care as already overrun facilities see an increase in Covid patients (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Oregon hospitals and health care specialists are shoring up resources and adopting surge plans in preparation for an overload of Covid-19…
AGENDA: Marion County commissioners consider selling timber recovered from wildfire

The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to consider selling timber recovered from the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire and a $2.5 million contract to interconnect traffic signals on some Salem roads. AGENDA Commissioners will consider two contracts with TK…
Salem City Council delays vote on proposed subdivision on historic Meyer Farm

The proposed subdivision is on a 29-acre property at 4540 Pringle Rd. S.E. (Ardeshir Tabrizian/Salem Reporter) The Salem City Council on Monday delayed a vote on a proposed subdivision on an historic farm in south Salem. The delay is intended…
Data digest: Covid by the numbers for Jan. 10, 2022

A screengrab of the Covid hospitalizations in region two, which includes Benton, Lincoln, Linn, Yamhill, Marion and Polk counties. As Covid hospitalizations continue to rise again due to the omicron variant, Salem Reporter is again publishing hospitalization and case information…
Committees will be virtual for 2022 legislative session due to recent Covid surge

(Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) All committee meetings will be held virtually for the 2022 Legislative session, Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek announced Monday, but the Oregon Capitol will remain open to the public. The move came after…
