By Salem Reporter
COLUMN: Recession brings minimum wage into focus
The federal government has taken a different approach to minimum wage than the state of Oregon. (Graph courtesy of Pamela Ferrara) The Salem economy is improving. The unemployment rate has come down from nearly 14% in April to 7.3% in…
AGENDA: City’s Urban Renewal Agency to consider $10 million in spending for downtown
People shop in downtown Salem in the winter. (Caleb Wolfe/Special to Salem Reporter) Salem’s Urban Renewal Agency will meet Monday evening to consider borrowing $10 million to pay for construction projects, bike infrastructure, improvements to streets and alley lighting, as…
BEHIND THE SCENES: Veterans helping Salem Reporter serve the community
Journalists Cathy Ingalls and Ron Cooper stepped up to help Salem Reporter provide deeper coverage of the community. They each have significant track records in Oregon journalism. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Restoring trust in the media is a major objective for…
BUSINESS ROUNDUP: Canned memories, trade’s impact on Oregon, specialty grants and CAT tax
Chris Sarles, president and CEO of the Oregon Fruit Products LLC, shows labels for products sold by the company decades ago. Sarles says that the company has a long story that he hopes to carry on. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) There’s…
VOTE 2020: With ballots about to hit mailboxes, the U.S. Postal Service seeks to reassure Oregon voters
Connie Cruz, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, checks addresses while delivering mail in West Salem on Thursday, Oct. 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Covid pandemic is still ongoing, hundreds of Oregonians have been displaced by wildfires and concerns…
Oregon State Correctional Institution sees Covid outbreak
Oregon State Correctional Institution. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A medium-security prison located just outside of Salem has reported an outbreak of Covid a month after the prison was evacuated due to nearby wildfires. Fifty-nine inmates and six employees at Oregon…
VOTE 2020: Al Davidson helped pioneer mail-in voting. But other states’ plans to vote by mail this election worry him
Al Davidson, former Marion County clerk, helped pioneer Oregon’s vote-by-mail system. With more states using vote-by-mail in the 2020 elections, Davidson said it’s been “like being rediscovered.” (Salem Reporter/Jake Thomas) Al Davidson hasn’t overseen a local election in Oregon since…
Additional outdoor seating provided restaurants a lifeline this summer. But the rain is coming
Larry Alexander, of Salem, places an order with server Jessica Strong at Wild Pear Restaurant on Wednesday, September 30. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) For restaurant owners like Riley Vannoy, one of the co-owners of Noble Wave in downtown, 2020 has been…
After over a quarter-century, new owner takes over at Salem Art Department
Jessica Ramey (left), the new owner of the Art Department, with Katy and Jim Vigeland who sold the business to her. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) After spending decades working jobs to pay the bills, Jessica Ramey has found her happy ending.…
AROUND OREGON: Farmworker study shows difficulties of avoiding Covid at work
Workers unload potatoes for storage at Threemile Canyon Farms outside of Boardman on Wednesday, Sept. 30 (Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian) UMATILLA COUNTY — A survey of Oregon farmworkers indicates a majority of farms are taking precautions for COVID-19, but conditions in…