Category City News
CITY MEETING: Council moves forward on downtown ambassador program
Salem city councilors voted to consider an ambassador program for downtown to help address homelessness during the council meeting on Monday, April 27.
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VOTE 2026: Councilor Vanessa Nordyke says she has the people on her side in mayoral bid
Vanessa Nordyke says she will be a more transparent and ethical mayor than incumbent Julie Hoy. Her supporters view her as a hardworking champion positioned to fight for the common good, while detractors say she’s too progressive for Salem.
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VOTE 2026: In her reelection bid, Mayor Julie Hoy ducks the spotlight
Salem Mayor Julie Hoy is asking Salem voters for another two years in the city council’s top position as she fends off a challenge from Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke in the May 19 election. She didn’t agree to an interview but has said in speeches that she brings steady fiscal leadership and a focus on core services.
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Hoy, Nordyke usually vote together. Here’s where they’ve been at odds on the Salem council.
Mayor Julie Hoy and Councilor Vanessa Nordyke are in the midst of a contentious mayoral race after three years together on the Salem City Council. Salem Reporter reviewed three years of city council and budget committee meeting records to see where the contenders for mayor have stood apart.
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CITY MEETING: Council considers Salem’s strategic plan, downtown programs
Salem city councilors are taking up plans to improve downtown, a new strategic plan and another federal grant to subsidize air travel at their Monday, April 27 meeting.
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Small Oregon businesses are skeptical of Trump’s tariff reimbursements
Three McMinnville businesses on Friday, April 24, met with U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat representing Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, to discuss trade.
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Nishioka proposes downtown ambassador team to help businesses address homelessness
Salem City Council President Linda Nishioka on Monday, April 27, will pitch a new ambassador team for downtown that would help area businesses address some of their lingering issues related to homelessness without having to make 911 calls. Nishioka said that like many things, the trick to getting such a team would be figuring out how to fund it.
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Updates on park playground renovations, Ruby Bridges shirt lawsuit
The Crooked House Playground at Bush's Pasture Park reopened early, while construction is expected to go through July at Riverfront Park's playground.
Salem Reporter is returning to that and other past stories this month to provide brief updates.
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Marion County officials suggest unsolved murders, buried victims mar Wallace Marine Park
Marion County officials pushed to shut down homeless camping in Wallace Marine Park by spooling out graphic accounts of crime. They cited an unknown witness to claim murder victims were buried in the park soil. A Salem Reporter investigation established the county can’t back up that claim.
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