Oregon senators want closer scrutiny of Chemawa Indian School

Freddie Lane, a citizen of the Lummi Nation and Chemawa Indian School graduate, bows his head in prayer during a ceremony paying respects to children buried at Chemawa Cemetery on Friday, May 14, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) It’s been six…
Cherriots seeks two members for its budget committee

Cherriots buses at the Del Webb Operations Facility on April 6, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Cherriots is looking for people to serve on its budget committee. The transit service is seeking two Salem or Keizer residents to fill openings in…
Salem police reported more murders, weapon offenses since last year as most other crimes are down

The Salem Police Department reported an increase in murders and weapon offenses from last year as the agency prioritized responding to a recent uptick in shootings. Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 26, the department reported six murders this year compared…
AGENDA: Marion County commissioners consider wildfire housing, contracts for storm debris removal

The Marion County building in downtown Salem (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to consider leasing property to provide short-term housing for people displaced by the Santiam Canyon Wildfires, purchasing opioid treatment medications…
Celebrity llama Caesar stars in new children’s book about finding community

Caesar nuzzles owner Larry McCool at a July 2019 event. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Bee Dugan had never met Marion County’s most famous llama when she began idly sketching him on a TriMet ride in 2019. Dugan, a music teacher from…
UPDATE: Power restored at library, City Hall

Salem City Hall UPDATE 1:30 p.m.: Power has been restored. Original post below. Salem City Hall and the Salem Public Library have been without power since 10:35 a.m. The outage impacts about 2,500 people, according to a city of Salem…
Oregonians who buy their own health insurance can start shopping for 2022

OregonHealthCare.gov is the state’s website for buying health insurance coverage. Oregonians buying their own health insurance for 2022 can now see which providers and facilities are covered under various plans as they search for options. The state’s OregonHealthCare.gov website is…
Gray-Belle Building wins Oregon Main Street award

The Gray Belle building which houses Fork Forty at 440 State Street won an award for historic preservation. (Courtesy/Fork Forty) The historic Gray-Belle Building, which houses Fork Forty Food Hall, won an award for its benefit to downtown through the…
Boo Bash shares happy tails of pet adoption

Susan Knight, Nikki Markese, and Sandy Harris with kittens at WHS Boo Bash (Mary Louise VanNatta/Special to Salem Reporter) Willamette Humane Society Executive Director B.J. Andersen said that the pandemic changed the animal welfare industry in remarkable ways. The human-animal…
Two lawsuits challenge Oregon’s new legislative boundaries

A former Republican state representative on Monday asked the Oregon Supreme Court to throw out all newly drawn state House and Senate districts and replace them with more competitive maps. The lawsuit from former Rep. Patrick Sheehan, R-Portland, and Clackamas…
