A recent bankruptcy filing by the parent company of Aha! airlines won’t change the timeline for potential Salem air service, city and business leaders said, as other larger airlines are also in talks about beginning flights in 2023.
ECONOMY
COLUMN: American women still doing the bulk of household work, latest Census finds
Columnist Pamela Ferrara dives into the relatively low labor force participation of U.S. women compared to women in other industrialized countries.
City moves forward with demolition of former UGM block
Salem’s Urban Renewal Agency seeks to have the downtown block demolished by the end of the year to make way for redevelopment.
Low wages drive resignations in Salem area, poll finds
About one quarter of WIllamette Valley residents have quit a job in the past two years, most frequently because of low wages. The data comes from a sample of 260 people in the valley as part of a larger survey given by Oregon Values and Beliefs Center–a nonpartisan organization that[Read More…]
Salem lands federal grant to help attract commercial air service
The $850,000 from the Department of Transportation can be used for revenue guarantees for airlines and marketing of local flights, but leaves unresolved the issue of how the city would pay for major terminal upgrades and ongoing staffing needed to support flights.
Southeast Commercial site chosen as potential south Salem transit center
Salem’s transit agency is hoping a largely vacant piece of land on Southeast Commercial Street will be the city’s next transit hub. The Salem Area Mass Transit District’s Board of Directors last week voted to move forward with an environmental study of the site at the northeast corner of Wiltsey[Read More…]
Salem councilors want air service back, but who pays remains unclear
One commercial airline, Aha!, wrote a letter to the TSA in March expressing interest in serving Salem with a 50-seat plane. But a recent assessment by the agency found that would require a minimum $3.9 million in renovations.
Salem’s next pilots, truck drivers to benefit from workforce grants
A Chemeketa truck driving student gets pointers on inspecting a trailer. The college’s program is set to expand with free slots for 30 students thanks to a state workforce training grant. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When an influx of Afghan refugees began arriving in Salem last year, Luke Glaze saw an[Read More…]
Rising costs, supply chain problems plague construction projects in Salem
For Pence Construction, a Salem commercial contractor, this year marked the first time a construction project hinged on dimmer switches. All other supplies are in, but Brent Pence, owner and senior project manager, said they can’t have dimmable light switches in hand until August. “My whole project ties into this[Read More…]
COLUMN: Low-wage workers who kept society running during pandemic reaped few rewards
About half of local openings for high-demand jobs pay lower wages (Graphic by Pamela Ferrara) In April of 2020, the Salem area unemployment rate climbed in one month’s time from 3.9 percent to 11.3 percent, due to business shutdowns to control the pandemic. The high unemployment rate put a glaring[Read More…]
