A row of Lime-branded e-scooters at a recent safety event hosted by the Portland Bureau of Transportation in September 2018. (Courtesy/Portland Bureau of Transportation) E-scooters may soon zip around the streets of Salem, but city staffers must first figure out how they’re going to regulate the electric devices. Companies like[Read More…]

Salem city hall (Salem Reporter) The federal government wants to know: How do you feel about your access to housing in Salem, and the laws in place to protect that access? A pair of surveys announced by city officials Friday morning ask residents how they feel about everything from construction[Read More…]

Inmate workers help the city of Salem Parks and Recreation Department install bollards and place boulders at Cascades Gateway Park on Wednesday morning. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Following a spate of clear-outs of homeless camps in Salem, the city has followed through to ensure at least one park stays free of[Read More…]

Salem city hall (Salem Reporter) If you’re one of about 40,000 homeowners in Salem, you may soon see an $8 fee on your monthly utility bill. It will be the city’s newest way to help pay for firefighters, police and other services. Salem City Council on Monday approved the fee[Read More…]

Tammy Hudson holds her dog Shadow at Cascades Gateway Park, where police have recently cleared out campers, on Sept. 12. Hudson said she often has to fight people away from the motor home she lives in. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Ken Houghton doesn’t have to look very hard to find Salem’s[Read More…]

Salem city hall (Salem Reporter) Sally Cook plans to resign her seat on Salem City Council soon, she informed City Manager Steve Powers on Thursday. The 39-year-old councilor said the sudden death of her husband three months ago and reality of being a single mother of two led to her[Read More…]

The Oregon State Hospital North Campus, pictured in April, where Mountain West Investment Corp. aims to build more than 40 homes and a 246-unit apartment. It could also be where the city of Salem uses its new incentive for affordable apartments. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) It may not electrify the housing[Read More…]

Kelly Teves, 48, voices her opposition to an idea to ban sitting or lying on city public rights-of-way for most hours of the day. Teves spoke during the first community forum held to discuss the proposal. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) The first public talks about a divisive proposal to ban sitting[Read More…]

Robert Stone, of Cheyenne, Wyo., sits outside near a coffee shop in downtown Salem. The homeless Salem resident said he would “probably” be impacted by a proposed ban on sitting or lying down on public rights of way. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Those who provide safety nets for Salem’s homeless residents are[Read More…]

A former grant writer at Salem Housing Authority called out the agency in her resignation letter, calling it “very toxic,” at a time when the agency’s flagship homeless assistance program is in flux. Pamala Garrick wrote that the agency hired “unqualified” managers and that her supervisors lied to her in[Read More…]