Carol Adelman. (Courtesy/Carol Adelman) When Carol Adelman was a preschooler, her father would take her across the street to visit Reverend Hartwig’s garden in Salem, where he had 300 varieties of peonies. Those early trips spawned a lifelong love of the flower for Adelman. Years later, her father would tell[Read More…]

A mural on the side of the building where Valley Roofing and Exteriors is located. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Following an indignant Facebook post and a petition that garnered thousands of signatures, city of Salem officials this week went on the offensive saying they haven’t leveraged a fine against a local[Read More…]

A Pallet shelter with the door decorated. (Courtesy/Hazel Patton) When Hazel Patton and fellow volunteers Ron Steiner and Emil Graziani set out to raise money for micro shelters, they thought they’d be lucky to sponsor 25. “We almost had that many the first week,” she said. Micro shelters are 64-square-foot[Read More…]

Jenny Meisel, native and invasive plant specialist with the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District, in eastern Washington among balsamroot and phlox. (Courtesy/ Jenny Meisel) Sometimes when Jenny Meisel drives down the highway, she’ll do a double take if she sees a plant she thinks might be invasive. The native[Read More…]

Students at Howard Street Charter School. (Courtesy/Robert Salberg) Students at Howard Street Charter School are embarking on an art project to make life brighter for people living in micro shelter villages in Salem that are intended to serve as a transition out of homelessness. In January, the middle school students[Read More…]

Dave Newman, left, and Mayor Chuck Bennett pose for a photo. (Courtesy/city of Salem) Dave Newman has picked up a lot of trash. In the last decade, he’s collected 18,350 pounds of garbage from Salem’s streets. It’s more trash than all the city’s 96 Adopt-A-Highway groups collect in a year.[Read More…]