Category COMMUNITY
Salem extends helping hand to an overlooked community disproportionately affected by the pandemic
Jerron Love helps load a produce box into a car on Friday, Sept. 4. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Jackie Leung and Sandra Wells stood outside Peoples Church in northeast Salem Friday morning, helping distribute food to community members in need, specifically those from Salem’s Pacific Islander…
Share your opinion about what kids are getting from Salem schools
As the new school year approaches, Salem Reporter wants to know what parents are thinking about their children’s education. The pandemic has upended education since March, when Oregon schools were shut down. The Salem-Keizer School District switched to distance learning, an effort to keep schooling…
Salem postal workers rally against funding cuts, service delays
Letter carrier Valerie Castillo, right, joins a small group holds up signs during a Save the Post Office rally outside of Pringle Park on Tuesday, August 25.(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Longtime letter carriers, union workers and concerned citizens gathered outside Salem’s Pringle Park Plaza Post Office…
City officials revoke permit for church program in park – and say go ahead anyway
David and Amanda Vital of Salem Awakening 2020 at Riverfront Park on Thursday, August 6. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When churches closed in March under pandemic orders from Gov. Kate Brown, David and Amanda Vital felt like the world was hurting and people needed some hope.…
First executive director will guide deeper research, online museum for Oregon Black Pioneers
Zachary Stocks, the first executive director of Oregon Black Pioneers (Courtesy/Oregon Black Pioneers) For more than 20 years, a small group of volunteers has worked to find historical records of Black Oregonians scattered across the state. They’ve documented hundreds of lawyers, distance runners, miners and…
Need groceries delivered? A Salem high schooler wants to help.
Neel Jain, PDX Concierge founder, shops at Trader Joe’s for people at high risk during the pandemic. (Courtesy/Neel Jain) Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Luke Clifton, 17, hasn’t been able to visit his grandparents in Coos Bay. His family hasn’t taken their usual trip to…
Nearly 72% of Salem residents have experienced discrimination, city survey shows
Salem’s Human Rights Commission conducted a survey in January that found 72% of respondents have experienced discrimination. Salem has work to do around discrimination, a new city-sponsored survey has found. A sampling of Salem residents gave the city a “C” grade for discrimination, according to…
In the wake of Salem protests, a new community leader emerges
Gregg Simpson stands in Lee Park near to where he grew up on Thursday, July 16. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Gregg Simpson was stunned as he looked over a crowd of thousands of people gathered for the March for Floyd on June 6, an event he…
The Marion County Fair is still on for this year, but will be virtual
Hailey McKenzie, 15, left, and sister Madilyn, 12, pose for a photo with their 4-H sheep on Wednesday, May 27, outside of Jefferson, at the farm of a family friend where they house their animals. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Marion County Fair has gone virtual…