Category Business
Salem will have another big, empty building in downtown after JCPenney announces departure
Downtown Salem. (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) The city of Salem is now pondering what to do with a big empty space in downtown after JCPenney announced Thursday that it would end its run in the city as part of a nationwide closure of 154…
A dime here, a dime there – bottle recycling centers in Salem staying busy
Patience and social distancing are two requirements for cashing in bottles and cans at Salem’s BottleDrop centers. Customers cash in at the center on Northeast Commercial Street on Friday, May 1. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) During the virus outbreak, recycling bottles and cans has become an…
Coronavirus outbreak could affect Oregon’s economy, including exports
An image of the coronavirus from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The emergence of the coronavirus could put a damper on the unprecedented expansion of the Oregon economy. A full-blown recession could be on the horizon if the virus disrupts supply chains,…
Salem Health builds financial muscle, anticipating future growth
Salem Hospital (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Salem Health’s latest expansion sounds ambitious: building a $235 million, seven-story, 150-bed tower at its centerpiece facility, Salem Hospital. A decade or two ago, such a project would have seemed gargantuan for the nonprofit Salem-based health system formally…
Housing affordability worsened in Oregon in last decade with low construction rates
Capital Manor’s original tower stands in the distance while construction crews build 17 new duplexes to the west. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Despite Oregon’s widespread housing shortage, the amount of housing built in the state during the last decade reached a record low. That was one…
Salem economy strong heading into the holidays, despite recent shakeup
People shop in downtown Salem. (File/Caleb Wolfe/Special to Salem Reporter) Oregon’s economy is strong heading into the holiday season, and Salem is no exception. Unemployment is at historic lows, wages are growing, and people have money to spend, a reversal from the recession a decade…
Oregon’s economy remains strong heading into the holiday season
Jim Whitbeck, right, discusses a display Friday with Carolyn Brandt and Eric Lincolnat his business Blue Mountain Outfitters in La Grande. The business is going on 5 1/2 years of growth. (Ronald Bond/La Grande Observer) It’s a good time to be a holiday shopper in…
Salem’s economy takes a jolt as 1,000 jobs disappear with NORPAC collapse
A NORPAC-branded truck transports frozen vegetables in Oregon. (Courtesy/Oregon Department of Agriculture) The impending closure of a century-old food processing company will have wide impacts on Salem’s economy as nearly 1,000 workers seek new jobs over the holidays and Willamette Valley farmers scramble for a…
On Salem Reporter’s anniversary, thoughts of more local news coverage to come
Les Zaitz, editor and CEO, Salem Reporter (Photo by David Zaitz) In its first year, Salem Reporter delivered on its promise to the community. That’s my assessment as I pause to reflect on our anniversary. We promised in-depth news coverage. Salem Reporter delivered. You got…