The Gray Belle building which houses Fork Forty at 440 State Street won an award for historic preservation. (Courtesy/Fork Forty) When Charles Weathers looked at the vacant building at 440 State Street four years ago, he saw potential. He wasn’t aware at the time that the building has been awarded[Read More…]
COMMUNITY
Salem nurse delivers gift baskets to beleaguered health care workers
Kelsie Powell delivered gift baskets to nurses at Salem Hospital in September to lift their spirits. (Courtesy/ Kelsie Powell) Kelsie Powell wanted a way to lift the spirits of nurses like herself. She teaches nursing at Chemeketa Community College and said, “things have gotten really overwhelming and hard.” Powell said[Read More…]
A black sheep in the Salem restaurant scene, café requires proof of vaccination for dine-in
Black Sheep Cafe and Catering started requiring its dine-in customers be vaccinated against Covid starting Sept. 7, 2021. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Jen Mignano said it was a difficult decision to require that customers in her café be vaccinated against Covid to dine inside the small space. The co-owner of Black[Read More…]
Salem’s JCPenney building sold, will be turned into smaller retail spaces
Nick Williams, commercial real estate adviser, stands in a back storeroom at the vacant JCPenney store in downtown Salem on Monday, Nov. 23. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) For the first time since the early 1900s, the JCPenney building in downtown Salem is changing hands. Lindquist Development Company bought the building, which[Read More…]
Salem welcomes its first Afghan refugee family
Volunteers with Salem for Refugees welcomed an Afghan family at the Portland International Airport on Tuesday. (Courtesy/ Salem for Refugees) Salem welcomed its first refugee family from Afghanistan on Tuesday. The family of ten, a mother, father and their children ages five to 20, will be resettling in the city[Read More…]
“I felt like my ribs were going to break”: a Marion County woman’s experience with Covid
Laura Oss said she felt like her ribs were going to break when she contracted Covid and ended up visiting the emergency room. (Courtesy/ Laura Oss) Laura Oss doesn’t remember the pain of being in the intensive care unit for a week with double pneumonia because she was in a[Read More…]
Salem nonprofit serving houseless veterans looks to expand with VA grant
Ken Samples poses for a photo at VETcare, a Salem nonprofit which offers transitional housing for veterans. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Ken Samples is looking forward to a better night’s sleep. The Vietnam veteran has been staying at VETcare for the past four months, a Salem nonprofit that opened in 2017[Read More…]
From beard oil to botanicals, Salem business owner expands into clothing
Aaron Naden stands in front of button-down shirts in his new store Capitol Menswear. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) When Aaron Naden got married last year, three guys showed up to his wedding in the same Hawaiian shirt from Target. “That’s the struggle in Salem,” Naden said, referring to the dearth of[Read More…]
Generous contractors celebrated at Santiam Rebuild Coalition appreciation event
Royle Johnson and Bonique Hollinrake promote a Santiam Fire Memorial that will be at the Oregon State Fair. (Mary Louise VanNatta – Special to Salem Reporter) One day before Oregon’s outdoor mask mandate went into place, Green Acres Landscape invited contractors, who donated time and materials to construct a community[Read More…]
From security to t-shirt designs, Shawntay Negrete wants to make the Salem community safer
Shawntay Negrete, her husband, Joseph, and two children, Isys and Zion, at Pride in the Park. (Courtesy/Tera Rue) If you see a t-shirt in Salem that gives the patriarchy one-star or reads “anti-racist social club” you could be seeing Shawntay Negrete’s handiwork. For years, Negrete toyed around with the idea[Read More…]
