Category City News
State hospital embroiled in contempt proceedings for not admitting mentally ill people court-ordered to get treatment
Attorneys have brought nearly a dozen contempt of court proceedings against Oregon State Hospital in the last three years, arguing hospital officials didn’t admit people with mental illnesses to get treatment ordered by judges. In four instances, judges found the hospital and Oregon Health Authority,…
Safer roads for Marion County, more sidewalks in the city possible with new federal cash
Sidewalk damage on Pearl Street Northeast on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Marion and Polk county residents may soon find it easier to walk on neighborhood streets or safer to cross the road as millions of dollars in federal funding earmarked for infrastructure…
Shorter bus rides for Salem residents, less pollution among transit plans for infrastructure dollars
Riders board through the rear of Cherriots bus at the downtown Salem transit center(Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) It’s a 10 minute drive from Salem’s South Gateway neighborhood to the sprawling Amazon fulfillment center off Highway 22 that employs hundreds of local residents. But the same trip…
Here’s how Salem’s wards would change under proposed new maps
Salem city council chambers on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salemites could soon find themselves represented by a new city councilor. The Salem City Council on Monday will consider three new maps to determine which councilor represents which residents. They will select a…
Keizer councilor Ross Day resigns following outburst at Nov. 1 council meeting
Councilor Ross Day expresses his frustration during the Nov. 1 Keizer City Council meeting. (Keizertimes/Matt Rawlings) Councilor Ross Day has resigned from his position on the Keizer City Council following a Nov. 1 meeting that left Council President Elizabeth Smith “shocked and speechless” and Keizer…
A former property manager now helps low-income Salem families find rentals
Salem Housing Authority. Nikki Burdette-Morris’ job can often be like putting the pieces of a puzzle together, trying to make sure the right person finds the right apartment. The landlord navigator for the Salem Housing Authority knows how much each client can spend on rent…
Salem’s wait list for housing vouchers dwindles, but years-long pause on new applications still stands
More than three years after Salem stopped taking waiting list applications for public assistance to get into housing, residents will still have to wait up to four years for an affordable place to live. As of Oct. 28, 7,578 people from 3,207 households are on…
Long-planned affordable housing project could break ground early next year
The Oregon State Hospital North Campus property, pictured in 2019. A piece of the project would give the city of Salem a former residence hall for nurses to be turned into 52 units of affordable housing. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) After years of delays, a much-needed…
Salem sobering center stalled by lack of funding
Ashley Hamilton, program director of the ARCHES Project, shows Jimmy Jones, executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, recently donated supplies that are currently stored in the building’s unused sobering center on May 7, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A downtown Salem facility built…