Category COMMUNITY
Salem warming centers work to boost volunteer roster before winter
Lead volunteer Russ Lipetsky directs warming center volunteers before opening at First Presbyterian Church on Feb. 27, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) It will likely be months before Salem temperatures drop below freezing at night, but local churches and social workers are already planning how best…
Salem residents gather in protest of immigration detention centers along the border
Ben Dinsdale, Leda Dinsdale (8 months) and Anne Conners participate in Friday’s protest in downtown Salem against immigration detention centers. (Sonia Boeger/Special to Salem Reporter) An estimated 200 people from around Oregon gathered Friday, July 12, at the Salem Transit Center in downtown Salem for…
In Salem, Sidewalk Talk volunteers listen with no strings attached
Kelly Ward holds a Sidewalk Talk sign at the group’s first event on May 18, 2019 in Riverfront Park. (Courtesy/Kelly Ward) As nurses, Kelly Ward and Lindsey Cretella spend a lot of their time listening to people. Now, they’re taking those skills to the streets…
PHOTOS: 700 graduate from Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College graduates wave to audience members as the 2019 ceremony begins (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Winemakers, adult high school graduates, formerly homeless students and military veterans were among the 700 students who walked across the stage at Chemeketa Community College’s graduation on June 18…
Here’s where kids can get free summer meals in Salem
Veronica Diaz squirts mayonnaise on her son Victor’s sandwich during a free summer lunch at Washington Elementary School on June 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Veronica Diaz remembers eating summer lunches at Four Corners Elementary School when she was a kid in Salem. It was…
Chemeketa breaks ground on $12 million agriculture complex, with hopes to grow programs
Duane van Dyke hand plows the future site of the Chemeketa Community College Agriculture Complex with work horses Clare and Sophie at a groundbreaking event June 11, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) A bare grass field on the east end of Chemeketa Community College’s Salem campus…
Art Witkowski, Diane Watson face off in Chemeketa board race
Art Wiktowski, left, and Diane Watson, are running for Chemeketa Community College board. (Photos courtesy of candidates) For the first time in six years, a Chemeketa Community College board race has drawn a challenger. Art Witkowski, a former Chemeketa instructor who now works in health…
Jessica Howard is “all in” as Chemeketa’s next president
Jessica Howard in her office at Portland Community College (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Most college students start their academic careers with an associate’s degree before moving on to more advanced education. But Jessica Howard isn’t most college students. The college administrator, who will become Chemeketa Community…
Following tuition increase, Chemeketa looks to layoffs to balance 2019-20 budget
Responding to declining enrollment and revenue, Chemeketa Community College is planning to cut 33 positions, including laying off seven employees for the 2019-20 school year. The announcement comes after the college’s board voted to raise tuition and fees by $10 per credit in February, the…