Category City News
End of sit-lie ban will bring little change to camping, city officials say
Salem leaders say a rule against sitting or lying on sidewalks during the day was never enforced because the city needed to first expand daytime shelter. Officials and service providers expect to see little change to public camping with the ban now lifted.
City kept in close touch with DEA following fatal cyclist collision, records show
Salem officials refuse to explain why they tried to keep secret records about a March fatal collision after Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson found the documents contained nothing that would harm an investigation.
Fire chief seeks payroll tax to fund 14 firefighters, cut response times
Last year, around a third of Salemites who called 911 had to wait more than five and a half
minutes for help to come. The Salem Fire Department, facing an increasing number of calls, hopes to add staff to improve response times.
COLUMN: Salem is adding jobs, but unemployment is rising. Why?
Columnist Pamela Ferrara explains how two different surveys are used to give a snapshot of the Salem economy and available jobs.
Salem’s carousel to be renamed for founder Hazel Patton at Saturday ceremony
When Riverfront Carousel opened in 2001, Hazel Patton didn’t want her name on the building because she thought the structure should belong to the community. Now, as she nears her 90th birthday, her friends got her to reconsider.
COLUMN: HMOs, PPOs and other acronyms in the world of Medicare
Jim Sellers, former Oregon journalist and state agency employee, writes a regular column to help thousands in Salem deal with the confusing world of Medicare and federal benefits. This month: understanding acronyms in Medicare Advantage plan options.
State employee union warns of staffing ‘crisis’ as contract nears end
As the union representing about half of Oregon's state workforce negotiates its contract, union leaders say vacant positions and mandatory overtime are hampering services to Oregonians
YOUR GOVERNMENT: Cherriots looks to restart Shop-and-Ride service
The board of the Salem Area Mass Transit District meets Thursday, May 25, to consider applying to a federal grant to support its accessible shop-and-ride service, which takes people with disabilities to Fred Meyer and Walmart.
Police identify farm workers killed in Marion County crash
The seven people killed and four injured were farm workers heading to homes in the Salem and Woodburn area.