Category City News
Weigh in on future skate park in Geer Park
A rendering of the location of a future skate park in Geer Park. (Courtesy/city of Salem) In a few years Salem could have a new skate park in southeast Salem and the city wants residents to weigh in. A survey released Tuesday asks people to…
Downtown parking fees, support for energy efficiency among possible Salem climate strategies
Gary Weaver, a transit operator with Cherriots, steps off of a freshly cleaned bus on Friday, May 22. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem could begin charging for on-street parking downtown, supporting energy efficiency and weatherization for lower-income households (including renters) and small business owners, and adding…
Salem would open more business areas to housing development under draft zoning plan
A construction crew works on the street outside of the Nishioka building site in downtown Salem on May 12, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem city councilors and planning commission members got a glimpse into how the city is planning for its future Monday evening. The…
Salem’s Public Works Department wins award for wetland work
Salem’s Public Works Department won an award for its work on the Mill Creek Corporate Center wetland. (Courtesy/Diego G Díaz at Otak) For years, Salem Public Works Department has worked to create new wetlands on land being developed for commercial use. The Mill Creek Corporate…
As Roth’s Fresh Markets goes corporate, leaders say focus will remain on customer service
Mitch Teal has one piece of advice for the new owners of Roth’s Fresh Markets: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Teal, a Salem commercial real estate broker who has worked with the Roth family since the 1990s, is among many locals with decades…
Staffers at Oregon State Hospital endure violence, long hours despite promises of improvements
Raph can’t remember how many times the patient punched him in the head. It was just before 1 a.m. on July 5 when the patient, who had been in seclusion earlier that day, came to the medication window on his unit at Oregon State…
COLUMN: Pandemic aid helped thousands of Salem residents out of poverty
Poverty rates in the U.S. over time (Pamela Ferrara/Special to Salem Reporter) Government stimulus programs including expanded unemployment benefits and food stamps and payments to businesses and the self-employed helped bring some 70,000 Oregonians and 11 million people across the U.S. above the poverty line…
With interest from low-cost airlines, optimism grows about commercial service at Salem Airport
Empty seats at Salem Municipal Airport. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Brent DeHart believes the Salem Municipal Airport is close to having commercial air service. DeHart is a leader in a contingent of local business owners and residents called Fly Salem that have been seeking to restore…
West Salem could soon have managed homeless camp after council approval
A row of pallet shelters under construction on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A vacant lot along Wallace Road in west Salem could soon be the site of temporary shelters for seniors experiencing homelessness. On Monday night, the Salem City Council unanimously approved…