What’s making news in Salem you might have missed
Good morning…
Put this in the category of “One Person Can Make a Difference.”
For 20 years, Amador Aguilar has worked to shape connections and life in northeast Salem.
Managing Editor Rachel Alexander recently spent some time with him as he walked the neighborhood and tended the community garden.
This sort of involvement is seen as key to turning around Salem’s gun violence.
The city of Salem on Friday evening held another community session on that violence. This time, the event was conduct in Spanish. Watch for our report on Monday.
Meantime, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office is launching research into gun violence, mirroring earlier work done by the Salem Police Department. Reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian explains what the agency wants to learn.
There was more news on the government budget front in Salem.
Some is good. Library patrons have been vocal in speaking against deeper cuts in library services. City officials listened, apparently. Reporter Abbey McDonald details where the city will turn to find money to keep from cutting library staff.
But the work on city cuts to balance the next budget is far from over. Abbey pulled together a guide for you on how you can make your voice heard.
On the school front, the Salem-Keizer School Board approved laying off hundreds of employees. The school district has run out of one-time money, forcing the cuts.
In police news, authorities announced another arrest related to mail thefts in Salem. These thefts have bedeviled residents for months. The thieves get into those street stands containing mail for several addresses, clearing them out. We share how you can check for whether your stolen mail has been recovered.
A Salem barber has been charged with new crimes of abusing minors as police continue to investigate his actions. And a lengthy probe into an overdose death in the Marion County Jail has resulted in a suspect being charged with smuggling the deadly drugs.
One of the most read stories in recent days was our account of veterans settling in at the new Courtney Place. One veteran describes what a life changer the new Salem housing complex will be for him.
But as veterans move in, others are having to move out of their Lancaster Drive home. The seniors have just a few days left to gather their belongings and find a new home.
And open your calendar and mark down the dates for some of Salem’s premier events. We pulled together the list for you.
One event to note is the Salem mayor debate. Salem Reporter has teamed up with the Salem City Club for this program on Tuesday, April 30. Julie Hoy and Chris Hoy – who are not related – will take our questions in an hour-long forum at the Elsinore Theatre. Tickets are free but you need to reserve them online so theater staff can anticipate numbers.
We invite you to submit questions you would ask if you were conducting the debate. Send them along to me at [email protected].
And our team is pouring over results from the Salem Reporter News Survey. More than 700 of you responded, a remarkable number. We’re sifting through the findings about your interests in local news and what more Salem Reporter can do to serve those interests.
One finding is clear: Salem citizens want us to hold public officials accountable for their actions and decisions. And you want us to combat government secrecy. You’re talking our language.
I’ll share more about what the numbers are telling us and how we’ll fine tune the coverage we provide to you. For the moment, though, please accept my personal thanks if you were among the hundreds to complete the survey.
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That’s not to be a nuisance. It’s to let you know how much we depend on local subscribers to provide the type of news I’ve described in this email.
News organizations everywhere are cutting back what they give to their communities.
Not Salem Reporter.
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As always, thank you for reading and feel free to reach out to me anytime at [email protected] with ideas, questions or concerns.
–Les Zaitz, CEO and editor
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