Category City News
City provides additional $1.2 million to find new shelter locations, add water to homeless camps
Salem installed portable bathrooms at Wallace Marine Park after closing the permanent restroom and shutting off the water to the drinking fountains because of concerns about virus spread. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) The Salem City Council on Monday approved $1.2 million in funding to go toward…
Salem leaders want civilians, not police, to respond to personal crises. They just have to find a way to pay for it
Brenton Gicker, left, prepares to pull CAHOOTS van toward a 911 call at Eugene Public Library on Nov. 10, 2019. SOURCE: (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Salem is a step closer to joining the growing number of communities across the country dealing with mental health emergencies with…
Cara Kaser steps off Salem City Council two months before end of term
Councilor Cara Kaser announced she planned to resign from city council on Nov. 2. (Courtesy/City of Salem) Councilor Cara Kaser, who represents Salem’s downtown ward and a portion of west Salem, has announced her intent to resign from the Salem City Council two months before…
Salem, you have a new police chief, moving from California
SALEM – The city has a new police chief in December – Trevor Womack of Stockton. Salem City Manager Steve Powers announced his choice in a news release Saturday, just hours after Womack and another finalist answered community questions about becoming the chief. Womack is…
Salem area adding back jobs at a slower pace
A closed sign at American Eagle at Salem Center. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) The Salem area’s unemployment barely budged last month, according to numbers from the Oregon Employment Department released Tuesday. In September, the unemployment rate for the Salem area was 7.8%, slightly down from…
Concern about homelessness grows and many think Salem is headed in the wrong direction, survey shows
Tent sites at Wallace Marine Park on Wednesday, May 27. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A growing share of Salem residents consider homelessness the most-pressing issue facing the city, and most aren’t happy with how the city is serving the needs of unsheltered people, according to an…
After over a quarter-century, new owner takes over at Salem Art Department
Jessica Ramey (left), the new owner of the Art Department, with Katy and Jim Vigeland who sold the business to her. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) After spending decades working jobs to pay the bills, Jessica Ramey has found her happy ending. On Sept. 30, Katy and…
Salem sets goals for walkable neighborhoods, zoning changes in long-range planning document
Jost Rist, left, of Salem, and Noah Grunberg, of Keizer, chat at Riverfront Park on Thursday, April 9. “It’s my first time out in two weeks, we’re all just trying to find some human connection,” said Grunberg. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) After receiving 1,600 survey responses,…
Salem man seeks to retire city’s obscure, “ugly” flag
Brian McKinley holds up the flag for the city of Salem in city council chambers on Wednesday, September 30. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) You probably didn’t know Salem had a flag. Or that its design is so bad by certain standards that someone is hosting a…