By Salem Reporter
View the cherry blossoms illuminated by lanterns Saturday night
Cherry trees bloom near the Oregon State Capitol on Thursday, April 1, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The cherry blossoms are in bloom. On Saturday night, state parks staff will illuminate the trees at the Oregon State Capitol State Park…
Salem area’s January unemployment rate stayed flat, state data shows
(Oregon Employment Department) The Salem area’s unemployment rate in January remained at 4% for the second month in a row, according to recent state data. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, which doesn’t include impacts from seasonal patterns, steadily declined from…
Weigh in on Willamette National Forest fire plans
Fire continues to smolder in the Santiam Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) The U.S. Forest Service wants to hear from the public as the agency retools plans to reopen portions of Willamette National Forest damaged in…
Land use policy, cautious investments could help Oregon weather economic uncertainty
Conservative investments and decades of policies aimed at reducing dependency on cars could insulate Oregon from the worst effects of an economic crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but state leaders and their advisers say much is still uncertain. …
Judge halts farmworker overtime appeal until new state law takes effect
An irrigation system in an agricultural field off of 76th Avenue Northeast on Friday, March 12, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A recent legal challenge to state rules excluding agricultural workers from getting overtime pay is paused until June 2, the…
Man charged with manslaughter, DUI in fatal crash Monday
(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A Waldport man was charged Monday with manslaughter and driving under the influence after a crash in south Salem that killed one person and seriously injured two others. Jose de Jesus Briones, 39, was charged with second-degree…
AGENDA: Marion County commissioners consider funds for down payment assistance
The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to consider adding funds to the county budget, and cutting an affordable housing development project to fund down payment assistance. AGENDA Commissioners will consider approving proclamations declaring March as Intellectual and Developmental…
Oregon State Hospital on a hiring spree with $10 million appropriation
The Oregon State Hospital in Salem (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The beleaguered Oregon State Hospital plans to hire more nurses to relieve overworked staff and improve care thanks to another $10 million appropriation by the Legislature. The money will enable the…
Better vet care, cost savings ahead as Willamette Humane Society merges
Rapunzel, a three-year-old domestic shorthair, at the Willamette Humane Society shelter in Salem. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) If a dog at Willamette Humane Society’s Salem shelter needs an x-ray, it’s not always easy to come by. BJ Andersen, the nonprofit’s executive…
Salem City Council chooses Micki Varney to fill west Salem vacancy
Micki Varney was appointed to fill the Ward 8 vacancy on March 21. West Salem has a new representative on the Salem City Council. On Monday, councilors unanimously chose Micki Varney to fill the Ward 8 vacancy left by…