City Manager Steve Powers. (Courtesy/ Tami Carpenter) Steve Powers sees himself as an orchestra conductor, guiding the flow of Salem’s work while keeping the spotlight on the music, not himself. It’s an apt metaphor for a city manager who’s often quiet at council meetings, preferring to let city employees present[Read More…]

Solar panels on the Library roof will be generating energy in the renovated building. (Courtesy/City of Salem) An effort from city leaders to implement Salem’s Climate Action Plan in phases is causing consternation from climate activists on and off the Salem City Council. Dozens of community and city leaders spent[Read More…]

A rendering of the proposed Siletz casino in Salem near I-5. Officials with the city of Salem and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde want more time to review plans for a proposed tribal casino in north Salem as the Siletz tribe seeks federal approval for the project. The Confederated Tribes[Read More…]

Peace Plaza, between Salem City Hall and the Salem Public Library, is among the city sites under consideration for a new micro shelter camp. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) About a dozen people gathered for a forum at Broadway Commons Thursday night to learn more about a few proposed micro shelter locations[Read More…]

Tent sites at Wallace Marine Park on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Homeless people could soon be a protected class in Salem under city law. The proposed change would prohibit employers, landlords and businesses from denying service or discriminating against people solely because they don’t have housing. It[Read More…]

The proposed subdivision is on a 29-acre property at 4540 Pringle Rd. S.E. (Ardeshir Tabrizian/Salem Reporter) A proposed subdivision on a historic farm in south Salem has drawn stiff opposition from community members concerned about the degradation of open space in a largely built-out neighborhood. The Salem City Council on[Read More…]

Salem City Councilor Chris Hoy. (Courtesy/ Chris Hoy) Chris Hoy, a Salem city councilor and recently appointed representative of House District 21, is running for mayor. Hoy, 56, announced his candidacy Tuesday morning on community radio show “Willamette Wake Up.” When reached Tuesday, Hoy said he chose to run because[Read More…]

Quail chicks. (Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons) Salem residents could soon keep quail and similar birds, be limited in the size of trees they can cut down and see more duplexes and triplexes in their neighborhoods once the Salem City Council passes a slate of amendments to the city’s Unified Development Code. The[Read More…]

The Oregon State Capitol. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Salem is one of 14 Oregon cities slated to receive $1 million for housing and homeless services following the state Legislature’s Monday special session, but city officials say it could take months for money to get out the door. Funding would first go[Read More…]

The site of the future Salem Public Works building. Construction is set to start in January on the $39 million project. (Courtesy/ City of Salem) A fence will go up next week at 1457 23rd St. as construction is slated to begin in January on a new $39 million Salem[Read More…]