Category City News
WEIGH IN: How should Salem handle its budget deficit?
Salem Reporter wants your input on which cuts or other strategies city leaders should consider if voters don't approve a payroll tax in November.
‘A smorgasbord of awful:’ council begins discussions of budget cuts
Salem councilors discussed alternatives to deep cuts should voters reject a wage tax, hoping to preserve the west Salem library, city jobs and maintain parks.
Aumsville hired police sergeant after learning Salem fired him for misconduct
Aumsville police ran a background check on Jeffrey Keniston in February and learned he was under a state investigation after being fired from Salem police. The Aumsville agency hired Keniston three months later.
Cause of Vitae Springs Fire ruled ‘undetermined’ a year later
Residents in the area of the 2022 Vitae Springs Fire said at the time that evacuation alerts left them confused and uncertain about conditions. City officials say now they have improved their emergency messaging system since the southwest Salem fire to provide quicker and clearer public information.
West Salem library, homeless shelters could be cut if payroll tax fails
City leaders released a plan outlining the next several years of proposed cuts to keep the city budget balanced if the payroll tax fails in November. The cuts would reduce programs at the Salem Public Library, limit park maintenance and increase wait times for emergency response.
Police officer said to have preyed on domestic violence victim in Salem faces loss of license
The state Board on Public Safety Standards and Training proposed revoking the police certification of Jeffrey Keniston on Aug. 31 after finding he used his authority to gain a sexual relationship with a domestic violence victim. He was a Salem Police Department sergeant until last December and remains employed in Aumsville
DEA agent jailed, released on charge for Salem cyclist’s death
An agent of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration turned himself in to jail on Sept. 6, the same day he was charged with killing a Salem cyclist in March while he was on duty driving near downtown Salem.
Salem artifact of the month: Burnett’s hair Cocoaine
Salem's city archaeologist, Kimberli Fitzgerald, delves into the history of a century-old bottle of hair tonic found during a downtown sidewalk repair in Salem.
UPDATE: Councilors approve Northeast Silverton Road sewer rehabilitation
During their meeting on Monday, Sept. 11, the Salem City Council will hear the findings of the annual community belonging survey and consider a sewer rehabilitation project on Northeast Silverton Road.