Category COMMUNITY
Expansion of free libraries for kids proves popular in east Salem
Ken Morin, East Salem Rotary member, setting up the Little Free Library he built for the Oregon Department of Human Services Self Sufficiency Office in east Salem. (East Salem Rotary) When Maureen Casey got the idea to help East Salem Rotary Club plant a series…
Homegrown stages Steel Magnolias in March
Steel Magnolias will be performed at the Keizer Homegrown Theater until March 27. Two years ago, Keizer Homegrown Theater was all set to proudly put on the play “Steel Magnolias,” by Robert Harling. The six-person, all-women cast had prepared for weeks, memorized their lines, decided…
A central Salem warehouse offers hope – and groceries – to families
Member Cindy Lanoy sorts donated produce at Hope Station on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Cindy Lanoy struggled after her husband left her several years ago. The Salem mother of three said her income as a caregiver was about $100 per month too…
Salem family in Ukraine en route to Germany as civilian attacks soar
Kim Johnson announced in a video filmed at 6 a.m. Saturday that her family would be leaving Ukraine for Germany. (Wide Awake International) Seven and a half hours after an explosion set off the Johnsons’ car alarms and left their kids screaming and crying, they…
Salem family in Ukraine takes in dozens as refugees flee from Russian invasion
The Johnson family and residents living at their homes for children and adults with disabilities in Ukraine. (Courtesy/Johnson Family) Jed Johnson on Thursday felt his family’s house shake after hearing the first missile hit an airfield 20 minutes away from their home two hours west…
Once at risk of fading away, Salem’s oldest neighborhood association celebrates 50th birthday
A woman walks through Northgate Park on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem’s oldest neighborhood association was at risk of fading away without enough members to keep it going in 2020. Then Bayard Mentrum and his wife, Kaethe, decided to step up. Bayard…
Salem restaurant owner semifinalist for James Beard “Best Chef: Northwest” award
Jonathan Jones, co-owner of Epilogue Kitchen and Cocktails on Jan. 18, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When the Instagram account for Salem’s Epilogue Kitchen and Cocktails got a congratulatory direct message on Feb. 23, owner Jonathan Jones didn’t know what it was for. Jones was soon…
City park reservations point to a more exciting summer in Salem
People gathered in Riverfront Park to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Salem residents and event organizers are booking reservations at city parks at the highest rates since the pandemic began. Those include both commercial events and smaller gatherings…
With tow yards full, Salem could see more abandoned RVs on its streets
A trailer with a towing warning on it in the Mega Foods parking lot on Devonshire Avenue on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When Suzanne Reynolds recently saw an RV parked by South Salem High School, she thought, “I’m going to get 100…