Category Community
Need a Christmas ornament? Head into the forest.
Ornaments are hidden on trails throughout the Willamette National Forest until Jan. 1. (Courtesy Willamette Valley Visitors Association) Want to join a scavenger hunt? Look no further than Salem’s backyard. Until the new year, hikers will have a chance to find droplet-shaped glass ornaments hidden…
PHOTOS: YMCA demolition and Salem Peace Mosaic preservation
Staton demolition workers bring down the remaining pieces of the Salem YMCA on Dec. 11, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Field superintendent Jayson Valech paused as a piece of concrete crashed down, the force of the impact reverberating down Northeast Court Street. “It never gets old,”…
EVENTS: Area’s biggest holiday parade features bands, floats and more
Keizer Holiday Lights Parade is on Saturday at 7 p.m. (Courtesy Keizer Police Department) Wednesday A joyful tribute to the holiday season, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas follows the wild adventures of a mouse, an elf and a spunky little girl on their quest to…
Salem seniors rescued from loneliness as volunteers drop in to chat
Connie Hayworth, right, plays cards with Emma Langford, center, and Julie Nibler, left. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Connie Hayworth is thankful for her infectious personality, which has helped get other residents at Salem Transitional Care out of their rooms and social again. At 79, Hayworth looks…
Caesar the Llama promoting blood drives in memory of teenage friend who died of cancer
AvaLynn Hosmer, left, and Caesar, meet at an October 2019 event for Hosmer’s homecoming. (Courtesy/Kimberly Hosmer) Salem’s celebrity llama wants your blood. Caesar, the four-year-old therapy llama who regularly makes public appearances at events around western Oregon, is expanding his community service efforts into local…
Did you have a good year? Help those who didn’t…
The Christmas tree at the Oregon State Capitol (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) It’s cold, days are short and holiday lights are going up around Salem. If you’re looking to make the darkest part of the year a little brighter for local families in need,…
Five years ago, this Salem mom lost her son to the state. Now, they’re buying a home.
Ellisha Pepper and her children celebrate the wall raising on their Habitat for Humanity home, under construction in south Salem in 2019. (Courtesy/Salem Habitat for Humanity) When Ellisha Pepper got her son back from the state, she made a promise. “I told him, ‘In five…
PHOTOS: Christmas tree lighting at the Capitol
Jeremiah Gonzalez points to the train display at the Oregon State Capitol Tuesday. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Cheers filled the Oregon State Capitol Tuesday as the 30-foot-tall Noble fir lit up in front of the crowd’s eyes. When the Christmas tree lighting was over, families hung…
For years she’s been trying to get on Jeopardy! Her episode airs Wednesday.
Davita Curtis with Alex Trebek on Jeopardy! (Courtesy/ Kelly Thomas) When Davita Curtis walked across the polished floors of the Jeopardy! stage in Culver City, California, she kept thinking: “Don’t slip.” Curtis, 56, had spent years trying to get on the game show and had…