Police trace Salem drug case to supplier in Mexico

(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Rico Rigutto arrived in the parking lot of Walgreens on Northwest Wallace Road Tuesday night in a Chevy Tahoe with 3,000 fake Oxycodone pills and an automatic pistol. As watching detectives later recounted in an affidavit, Rigutto…
Salem Harvest hits goal to get second truck

Salem Harvest’s existing truck, Sunflower, carries a load of apples. (Courtesy/Salem Harvest) Sunflower, a hardworking truck that’s hauled thousands of pounds of local produce, will soon be getting some help. Salem Harvest recently met their fundraising goal to purchase a…
Watch lights synchronized to music, donate to Center for Hope and Safety

Lights on holiday displays during the 26th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Riverfront Park on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A house in west Salem is spreading winter cheer and helping gather needed items for the city’s…
Thousands of fake pills, 28 pounds of meth seized by Salem police

(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem police seized 28 pounds of methamphetamine, thousands of fake oxycodone pills, guns and cash from a man they arrested Tuesday. Rico Anthony Russell Rigutto, 25 of Salem, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint. A search…
SALEM HISTORY: Two Oregon governors and a mystery man ring the bell for Salvation Army

(WHC Collections 1998.024.0002) Editor’s note: This column is part of an effort from Salem Reporter to highlight local history in collaboration with area historians and historical organizations. Former Governors Charles Arthur Sprague and Douglas McKay (left and center) get into…
A prominent treaty rights organization welcomes its first woman executive director

Aja DeCoteau at CRITFC’s offices in northeast Portland. (Leah Nash) This story originally appeared on Underscore.news. Aja DeCoteau grew up on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington, and she fondly remembers fishing in the Columbia River Basin and hunting with…
Oregon adopts new carbon emission caps on fuel suppliers, major polluters

Under new clean trucks rules passed on Thursday, Dec. 16, freight trucks will need to begin reducing emissions by 90% by 2027. (Salem Reporter) Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission voted Thursday for new regulations that require the state’s fuel companies to…
Albany man takes plea deal, sentenced to 30 days in jail for role in violent Oregon Capitol protest

Demonstrators break the glass on a door to the Oregon State Capitol during a special legislative session in December 2020. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) An Albany man accused of attacking journalists during a violent protest last December at the Oregon Capitol…
Long hours without overtime pay for farmworkers lead to health problems, less family time, OHSU report says

An irrigation system in an agricultural field off of 76th Avenue Northeast on Friday, March 12, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) An Oregon Health & Science University report released Wednesday found Oregon farmworkers are often made to work overtime without additional…
Salem high school athletes won’t compete in Bend starting in 2022-23 school year

(Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Salem high schoolers won’t have to take the bus across a mountain range to play sports starting next fall. The Oregon School Activities Association this week released new athletic classifications which put McNary, North Salem, South Salem,…
