Category Columns
Salem history moment: a mystery parade in 1886
As the city of Salem goes through its historic Ben Maxwell photo collection, Kimberli Fitzgerald, Salem's historic preservation officer, is reviewing the text accompanying photos and sharing her findings with readers.
COLUMN: Test your Medicare knowledge with a true-or-false quiz
Jim Sellers, former Oregon journalist and state agency employee, writes a regular column to help thousands in Salem deal with the confusing world of Medicare and federal benefits. He's available to answer your questions.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The importance of writing for ordinary Oregonians
Journalists regularly cover government programs, but too often don't reach out to the people most affected to hear their concerns and questions, Managing Editor Rachel Alexander writes.
COLUMN: The beauty of a banquet shared in a sketchy Salem motel room
Columnist Lynelle WIlcox describes the care two homeless friends took to create a small feast while sharing a motel room.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A month of talking to Salem’s graduating seniors
Managing Editor Rachel Alexander explains how she worked to capture a cross-section of high school graduates with Salem Reporter’s Class of 2023 series.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Looking back at 50 years as an Oregon journalist – and what’s ahead
COMMENTARY: Starting as a reporter just days after graduating from McNary High School, Les Zaitz has been a journalist in Oregon for 50 years. His thoughts about those years and the future of news.
COLUMN: Salem is adding jobs, but unemployment is rising. Why?
Columnist Pamela Ferrara explains how two different surveys are used to give a snapshot of the Salem economy and available jobs.
COLUMN: HMOs, PPOs and other acronyms in the world of Medicare
Jim Sellers, former Oregon journalist and state agency employee, writes a regular column to help thousands in Salem deal with the confusing world of Medicare and federal benefits. This month: understanding acronyms in Medicare Advantage plan options.
COLUMN: An extraordinary bird, unpredictably among the ordinary
Local birder Harry Fuller describes a rare bird sighting while awaiting an oil change in the urban wildland of Capitol Lake.