Category State

The Oregon State Fairgrounds in September 2020 as hundreds of families gathered after wildfire evacuations in the Santiam Canyon area. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Santiam Canyon residents will have an easier time rebuilding from last fall’s historic wildfires under legislation moving through the Oregon Legislature. On…

An irrigation system in an agricultural field off of 76th Avenue Northeast. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Much of the work at Blue Heron Farm happens in bursts.  Willy Dinsdale, co-owner of the farm located just outside Salem, described how on days when the spring rains let…

Visitors make s’mores during a July 2019 camping trip at Silver Falls State Park (Courtesy/Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation) The campground at Detroit Lake State Park could reopen this summer following extensive repairs as Oregon’s state parks system hopes to return to a more…

Smoke creeps over Silverton on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Winds pushed smoke from wildfires in the Cascades into the Willamette Valley, creating a sense closer to dusk that daylight. (Leslie Harvey/Special to Salem Reporter) Prisoners who helped fight last year’s historic wildfires could have up to…

Oregon Employment Department. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Oregon Employment Department experienced a tenfold increase in identity theft issues in 2020 as new jobless claims poured in during the pandemic, mirroring a spike in claims that took place across the country. Cyberthieves capitalized on the huge…

A sign informs visitors of the Oregon State Capitol’s closure to the public on Wednesday, Feb. 24. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) An impromptu five-minute conversation can be politically effective in the halls of the Oregon Capitol. Such encounters have long been crucial for the army of…

Salem’s Mill Creek Correctional Facility opened in 1929. Now, the minimum-security facility is scheduled to close July 2021. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) With state officials aiming to cut Oregon’s prison population, Gov. Kate Brown is moving forward with closing three prisons including Salem’s Mill Creek Correctional…

Passage through the Capitol rotunda is restricted to one-way to maintain social distancing requirements during the 2021 session of the Oregon State Legislature.( Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) If local legislators have their way, it’ll be easier to buy cold medicine, the state’s emergency management system will…