Saphara Harrell - Salem Reporter
A black sheep in the Salem restaurant scene, café requires proof of vaccination for dine-in
Black Sheep Cafe and Catering started requiring its dine-in customers be vaccinated against Covid starting Sept. 7, 2021. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Jen Mignano said it was a difficult decision to require that customers in her café be vaccinated against Covid…
Salem’s JCPenney building sold, will be turned into smaller retail spaces
Nick Williams, commercial real estate adviser, stands in a back storeroom at the vacant JCPenney store in downtown Salem on Monday, Nov. 23. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) For the first time since the early 1900s, the JCPenney building in downtown Salem…
Oregonians are pessimistic about solving climate change, survey finds
People sat in Oregon State Capitol State Park while the cherry trees were blooming on March 17, 2020. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Oregonians are pessimistic about solving the worsening homelessness crisis and climate change, according to a recent statewide survey by…
Why Salem Hospital might need a refrigerated truck for bodies
An empty casket sits in the Johnson Funeral Home on April 16, 2020.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) As the latest Covid surge has increased the strain on Salem hospitals, local morgues are also being stretched to capacity. In early September, Cheryl Wolf…
Salem welcomes its first Afghan refugee family
Volunteers with Salem for Refugees welcomed an Afghan family at the Portland International Airport on Tuesday. (Courtesy/ Salem for Refugees) Salem welcomed its first refugee family from Afghanistan on Tuesday. The family of ten, a mother, father and their children…
“I felt like my ribs were going to break”: a Marion County woman’s experience with Covid
Laura Oss said she felt like her ribs were going to break when she contracted Covid and ended up visiting the emergency room. (Courtesy/ Laura Oss) Laura Oss doesn’t remember the pain of being in the intensive care unit for…
Marion County employees feeling unsafe at work without Covid protocols
(Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) When Trish Straw got Covid she couldn’t get out of bed for three days. She’s vaccinated, but said she still got sick. She could hardly perform as the primary caregiver for her father or, as…
Salem nonprofit serving houseless veterans looks to expand with VA grant
Ken Samples poses for a photo at VETcare, a Salem nonprofit which offers transitional housing for veterans. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Ken Samples is looking forward to a better night’s sleep. The Vietnam veteran has been staying at VETcare for the…
City seeks to throw out lawsuit, saying Salem woman was injured by fellow protesters, not police
Demonstrators gather outside the state Capitol on Sunday, May 31, to protest police violence. The protests in Salem were among those that occurred across the country in response to the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who died while…
From beard oil to botanicals, Salem business owner expands into clothing
Aaron Naden stands in front of button-down shirts in his new store Capitol Menswear. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) When Aaron Naden got married last year, three guys showed up to his wedding in the same Hawaiian shirt from Target. “That’s the…