Category Public Safety
Oregon House passes bill to tax oral nicotine products, direct funds to wildfire mitigation
A tax on nicotine pouches would pay for fuel reduction on public and private lands and other work intended to reduce wildfire risk in Oregon.
Salem man, 19, accused of sexually assaulting two people in SE Salem
Jonathan Muhire faces accusations including sexual abuse, kidnapping and strangulation. Police arrested him Friday morning.
Morning house fire near Parrish Middle School quickly extinguished
A residential fire was reported this morning at 8:25 a.m. across the street from Parrish Middle School. Firefighters extinguished it within five minutes after arriving on scene and no injuries have been reported.
Beaverton man dies in Marion County Jail
Jose Soto-Araujo, 54, was found unresponsive in a Marion County Jail cell Thursday afternoon, according to the sheriff's office. It's the second reported jail death this year.
Salem Juneteenth block party celebrates ‘a moment of Black joy’
A crowd gathered Thursday afternoon on Southeast Cottage Street in song, dance and prayer to celebrate Juneteenth, honoring the day enslaved people in Galveston Bay, Texas, were freed in 1865.
Responding to business owners, council to discuss expanding police, medical service downtown
Salem city councilors will consider a new downtown public safety report on June 23 centered around plans to increase police and fire services to deal with crime and cleanliness issues downtown. The report comes after downtown business owners called for more policing in the city’s core, citing a perception of Salem’s downtown being unsafe and overrun by homelessness.
Shooting at West Salem apartment leaves 1 injured, suspect arrested
A disturbance among a group of teenagers on Northwest Orchard Heights Road erupted into gunfire Wednesday evening, according to Salem police. The agency said a victim was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Kotek proposes using $160 million from ‘rainy day fund’ for wildfires
The governor wants to tap Oregon's savings account to cover expected wildfire costs over the next two years, saying lawmakers likely don't have the votes needed to dig into the "kicker" refund.
Salem police searching for suspect in two sexual assaults in SE Salem
Salem police are asking for the public’s help in finding a man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman and a teenager on separate occasions in the last two days. Both attacks occurred in the area of Southeast Commercial Street and Southeast Barnes Avenue.