Category City News
For 50 years, police have patrolled schools in Salem. Now, some say it’s time for a new approach.
A 50-year-old program of police in Salem-Keizer schools has become a flashpoint in local discussions about racial justice as activists who have long pushed for changes to school discipline say people in power can no longer ignore them. A petition organized by youth group Latinos…
To increase seating capacity Salem will close a portion of State Street to allow for outdoor dining
A couple sits outside of Ritter’s Housemade Foods during the first phase of Salem’s reopening on Friday, May 22. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) One Salem street may resemble something closer to a European café Saturday when the city launches a pilot program intended to expand restaurants’…
Nearly 100 apply as the city extends aid to Salem businesses left out of relief efforts
Cindy Gerkman prunes geranium planters outside of Ritter’s Housemade Foods on May 12, 2020. Ritter’s Housemade Foods reopened for business on Friday for take-out and delivery after being temporarily closed. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Small Salem businesses left out by other programs intended to provide help…
Blue collar working families were struggling before COVID-19 hit. Without help, advocates fear a wave of evictions.
Farm to Families food boxes are distributed from the St. Vincent De Paul food bank on Friday, May 22 . (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Working-class families in Oregon were struggling to afford necessities before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a trend advocates worry could fuel a homelessness…
Salem businesses in need have a new place to turn – City Hall
A sign in the window of Coin Jam on March 17, 2020 announcing a closure during the COVID-19 pandemic (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem businesses that could use a cash infusion and haven’t received other pandemic financial aid can apply for thousands of dollars in city…
COLUMN: Unemployment figures for Salem can be tricky to translate
A graph from the Oregon Employment Department, released May 19, illustrates job losses during previous recessions and how they compare to the current economic downturn. (Courtesy/Oregon Employment Department) The Salem area unemployment rate took an unprecedented one-month jump from March to April of more than…
Councilors call for review of Salem police protest actions and bias training
Salem City Hall. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Salem City Council wants a to review of a widely circulated video in which a Salem police officer was recorded last week helping a group of armed people outside a downtown salon avoid running afoul of a city-imposed…
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…
City to make nearly $400,000 available to small businesses in Salem
A view of Liberty Street in downtown Salem on Thursday, April 2. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Hoping to lend a hand to struggling businesses that have been unable to get federal funding to help pay for payroll or rent, Salem has allocated money to help around…