By Salem Reporter
Fewer than 20% of eligible Marion County voters cast ballots a day out from primary
A ballot box in Marion County. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Fewer than 20% of registered voters in Marion County have cast ballots one day out from the 2022 primary election. Marion County residents have returned 40,621 ballots, or 18.6% of 217,877 total registered…
USPS reopens orders for free at-home Covid tests
U.S. residents can now order at-home Covid rapid tests through the U.S. Postal Service (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The U.S. Postal Service is again mailing free rapid Covid tests to households that request them. The agency has opened a third round…
Defense attorney nonprofit asks state leaders to condemn Clarkson’s political mailer
Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson (Courtesy/Paige Clarkson) Nearly two dozen past presidents of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Saturday asked Gov. Kate Brown, Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to put out…
Let city councilors hear your thoughts on Salem infrastructure bond
(Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem city councilors want your input as they consider what to include in a $300 million infrastructure package they’ll seek voter approval for in the fall. Councilors meet Monday evening for a work session on the proposed…
Oregon’s Agriculture Department Director Alexis Taylor nominated by White House to serve in USDA
Oregon’s top agriculture official is leaving to return to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Malheur Enterprise) Alexis Taylor, Oregon’s Agriculture Department director, has been nominated by the Biden White House to serve in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An announcement…
Fewer than 15% of eligible Marion County voters cast ballots ahead of May 17 primary
A ballot box in Marion County. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Fewer than 15% of registered voters in Marion County have cast ballots four days out from the May 17 primary election. Marion County residents have returned 31,364 ballots, or 14.4% of…
Governor declares market disruption, allowing state regulators to investigate baby formula price gouging
A scoop of baby formula (Ajay Suresh/Wikimedia Commons) Oregon regulators can act against baby formula price gouging following a Friday declaration by Gov. Kate Brown. Brown on Friday declared an “abnormal market disruption” for baby formula amid a nationwide shortage.…
Learn about local Pacific Islanders through school district event
Kathleen Jonathan, the Salem-Keizer School District’s only Marshallese-speaking school outreach worker, meets with a family at their home in the fall of 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem-Keizer School District leaders will host a virtual community event Monday evening to share…
Salem weekly Covid report for May 13: Local hospitalizations, cases continue to rise
Used masks fill a garbage can at Salem Hospital on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Covid cases continue to tick up in the Salem area and statewide, while average hospitalizations are up slightly at Salem Hospital. Here’s our…
DEA finds 2,000 fentanyl-laced pills in Salem drug trafficking investigation
Seized pills containing fentanyl, unrelated to the Salem investigation. (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) Drug Enforcement Agency agents in Salem watched Jose D. Chavez Jr. through surveillance video as he walked down a staircase leading to a house at 1668 Madras…