City Manager Steve Powers responds to questions from the a crowd of neighbors in January at Pringle Community Hall. The city later scrubbed plans to turn the hall into an emergency homeless shelter through the end of March. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) The pressure to deal with downtown homeless camps in[Read More…]
Troy Brynelson - Salem Reporter
Race and political ideology could end a Salem council race before it starts
Jose Gonzalez is running for Salem City Council to represent northeast neighborhoods in Ward 5. (Courtesy/Jose Gonzalez) Over cups of coffee in recent months, Matt Ausec and Jose Gonzalez have discussed an idea that may be a little bit of a curveball for Salem voters. Ausec is a first-term Salem[Read More…]
Why Salem leaders, weeks into a search for homeless shelters, walked away from new beds
Councilor Tom Andersen responds to questions from the a crowd of neighbors at Pringle Community Hall. Salem City Council on Tuesday walked away from plans to turn the hall into an emergency homeless shelter. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) For the past six weeks, Salem officials and nonprofit leaders have had one[Read More…]
Salem declares state of emergency on homelessness, but scraps shelter plan
City Manager Steve Powers responds to questions from the a crowd of neighbors at Pringle Community Hall. Plans to turn the hall into an emergency shelter were scrapped Tuesday night. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Salem City Council officially declared a state of emergency around homelessness Tuesday night but at the same[Read More…]
Uncategorized AGENDA: Marion County to discuss second mobile crisis unit for mental health
Marion County building in downtown Salem (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Marion County added a second mobile crisis team to its ranks last summer and, on Wednesday, will discuss retroactively approving the contract. Crisis units take calls from 9-1-1 dispatch that involve mental health components, according to the Marion County[Read More…]
State of the City 2020: What local leaders think
Mayor Chuck Bennett responds to questions from the a crowd of neighbors at Pringle Community Hall. The city plans to turn the hall into an emergency homeless shelter through the end of March. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Salem’s homeless residents, the city’s budget and infrastructure will likely headline this year’s State[Read More…]
Uncategorized Marion County prepares a Plan B for handling local garbage
A Covanta Marion worker operates the claw that hoists trash into the incinerator. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Garbage truck after garbage truck wheels into a nondescript industrial area in Brooks every day, bringing heaps of trash to the Covanta Marion waste incinerator. Last year, trucks hauled in 168,343 tons of garbage[Read More…]
Uncategorized AGENDA: Sheriff’s Office contracts heading before Marion County Commissioners
Marion County Courthouse (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) A couple of contracts involving the Marion County Sheriff’s Office will headline the Marion County Board of Commissioners’ regular meeting Wednesday. First up is whether to accept a contract that would pay the law enforcement agency $250,000 over a multi-year contract to[Read More…]
Salem officials considering turning Pringle Hall into temporary homeless shelter
People sleep on mats at a warming shelter at First Presbyterian Church during a cold snap in 2019. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Update Jan. 14, 2:45 p.m.: The city of Salem announced in a press release Salem City Council will discuss declaring the emergency at a Jan. 21 meeting. Salem City[Read More…]
Uncategorized Salem eyes Eugene’s car camping program, with some differences
Doug Pendleton, a former resident of Cascades Gateway Park, pictured in September, shows the inside of the van he lives in. Pendleton said he’d use a car camping program if Salem enacts one. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Doug Pendleton was woken Monday at 7 a.m. and drove to the Walmart parking[Read More…]