Category Government
State hospital shifts managers to nursing work to get through holiday weekend
The Oregon State Hospital on Friday, May 28, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A staffing crisis at the Oregon State Hospital means 24 managers will spend Memorial Day weekend covering the jobs of nurses who normally care for the 500 patients on the Salem campus. Superintendent…
Here are the requests from Salem area lawmakers on how to spend federal stimulus dollars
A rendering of the YMCA’s new gym and headquarters in downtown Salem by CBTWO Architects(Courtesy/YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties) Rural Polk County will get broadband internet. The local YMCA will be able to offer childcare after upgrading its building. Towns outside of Salem will…
With thin staff and others working double shifts, state hospital calls for National Guard help
The Oregon State Hospital this week took the unprecedented step of calling for the National Guard to help care for hundreds of Oregon’s most severely mentally ill people. It’s the final step in a five-stage plan the hospital created to deal with a worsening staffing…
On-street dining will become permanent in downtown under new program
The Kitchen on Court Street installed a platform for outdoor dining ahead of a city program that will start in September. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) When grabbing a bite to eat in downtown Salem, you may have noticed tables in spaces where there were once cars.…
‘Cottage cluster’ housing for low-income Salem seniors moves forward after city agrees to land sale
A rendering of a planned cottage cluster on Market Street to serve low-income seniors. (Courtesy/ United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley) A planned tiny home project that expects to offer low-income seniors affordable rent cleared a big hurdle Monday night when the Salem City Council voted…
Bill seeks to protect Oregon workers from employer retaliation
Oregon Legislature. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Speaking before a legislative committee earlier this month, Juliana Valencia told lawmakers how the temperatures rose to 100 degrees while she and other farmworkers labored in hazelnut orchard in August last year. Valencia, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, said…
Parks board to weigh in on park usage as permitting resumes in a few weeks
People enjoy the nice weather while keeping their distance in Riverfront Park on Thursday, April 9. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Salem City Council wants the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to provide policy recommendations on parks usage and permitting following a controversial right-wing event…
PHOTOS: Geren Island ozone treatment upgrades
John Kennedy, consultant project manager, explains the process of combining aquifer water with surface water at the Geren Island water treatment facility on Monday, May 10, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem is constructing $46 million in upgrades at the Geren Island water treatment facility to…
To increase diversity in the city’s workforce, Salem will create new position, committee
The city of Salem wants its workforce to look more like the city’s population. Salem is taking a two-pronged approach to accomplishing this task. Internally, a staff committee is looking at diversity, equity and inclusion in its hiring and contracting practices. Last week, the Salem…