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Michael Wolfe admits he killed Karissa Fretwell and their son
Karissa Fretwell, 25, and her 3-year-old son William. A Gaston man pleaded guilty Friday to murdering Karissa Fretwell and her 3-year-old son three years ago, giving up on years of legal fights to fend off the charges. Michael J. Wolfe, 55, pleaded guilty to aggravated…
Salem weekly Covid report for June 17: Local hospitalizations, cases falling
Empty beds in the hallway of the emergency room at Salem Hospital (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) New Covid cases reported locally continued to fall this week and decreased statewide after spiking last week. Hospitalizations are also down locally and regionally. HOSPITAL CAPACITY The average number of…
LOCAL HISTORY: A chronicle of Oregon’s famous strawberries
Alice Faist picking first Oregon strawberries in 1956 (Oregon Historical Society) This column was originally published in the Willamette Valley Genealogical Society’s Beaver Briefs, May 2022, in a slightly different form and is shared here with permission. The Salem bumble, honey and Mason bees had…
South senior known for uplifting student voices seeks to be role model
Dara Elkanah, South Salem High School Class of 2022, with her senior year backpack (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) This article is part of a series of profiles of Class of 2022 graduates. In her four years at South Salem High School, Dara Elkanah has starred in…
Salem man indicted for transporting explosive
A federal grand jury in Portland Tuesday indicted a Salem man on charges alleging he transported explosives and possessed meth with intent to sell it. Damien S. Hensley, 42, is charged with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance…
Five Oregon men awaiting trials for involvement in Jan. 6 attack at US Capitol
A man the FBI identified as Reed Christensen pushes a police officer outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Body camera still included in a federal affidavit) Five Oregon men face charges for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol…
McNary senior went from fighting to being an anchor for classmates
RonniLynn Anderson, 18, a Class of 2022 McNary High School graduate (Courtesy/RonniLynn Anderson) This article is part of a series of profiles of Class of 2022 graduates. RonniLynn Anderson started high school at Roberts, Salem’s alternative school which had about two dozen students in her…
Public Works Day returns Friday at Riverfront Park
The city of Salem’s Public Works Day is a free event where families can learn about the department’s work. (Salem Public Works Department) Salem kids can take a walk inside a giant, inflatable orca or repair a leaking pipe when the city’s Public Works Day…
Marion County’s top judge presses lawyers to take up public defense work
(Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Marion County’s presiding judge said the state’s public defense office must more rapidly appoint attorneys to represent indigent defendants or face being held in contempt. In a letter to Stephen Singer, executive director of the state Office of Public Defense…