Good morning….

One of the joys of journalism is writing about interesting people in the community.

Not everything in news has to be government, politics or crime.

And such was the case in recent days at Salem Reporter.

Reporter Abbey McDonald, for instance, spent time with two men who tutor each other in languages.

“We’ve got kind of a language institute, just the two of us,” said one.

They bring interesting life stories to their coffeehouse gatherings.

The woodshop at Salem’s Capital Manor is also a truck factory, as Jean Dion reports. Gene Derfler, best known locally for his time as an effective legislator, describes how a team of woodworkers produces 900 wooden trucks for children. Note: Derfler will be 100 in May.

Abbey also tells of a delightful new project at the Willamette Heritage Center, teaching railroad history to kids. Helping with the lesson is a dog named Penny. “The stuffed dog represents a real-life Penny, who lived with the Martinez family in Southern Pacific railroad housing through the early 1950s.”

In the world of government and politics, Managing Editor Rachel Alexander reports on the surprise resignation of a school board member. At City Hall, Salem city councilors consider a recommendation to drop 33 empty jobs, saving millions.

In our latest edition of BUILDING SALEM, reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian shares plans for a new living complex planned in east Salem to serve as home for those being treated for mental illness. The $8 million project is scheduled to be done next year.

Meantime, two Salem enterprises announced shutdowns. Sparrow Furniture employs refugees settling in Salem and produces wonderful wood products. Its operation will close in March. And the community will have less entertainment this year as Enlightened Theatrics pulls the plug on its 2024 season.

Our team shared the most detailed account yet of what happened when cyclist Marganne Allen was killed last year while heading home from work. Documents regarding the criminal case against a DEA agent that have been sealed from public view were disclosed in federal court recently.

As reported by Ardeshir, the documents show a truck driven by the agent, Samuel Landis, rolled through a Salem stop sign and into Allen’s path. He was in a hurry to catch up with agents following a drug courier – nearly a mile away from where Landis was.

The team produced a timeline to track events since the collision.

Meantime, legal arguing goes on, with the state Justice Department asserting Landis doesn’t deserve immunity and his attorneys saying his actions on duty mean he can’t be prosecuted.

Salem Reporter will continue to track a case that has concerned many in the community.

A WORD ABOUT OUR SUPPORTERS

All of us at Salem Reporter are heartened by the words of encouragement and the financial support we get from the community. Our little team works hard to deliver top-notch journalism.

We were especially energized by the response to a recent note we sent to those with monthly subscriptions. We wondered if they might be willing to voluntarily boost their monthly payment to help us fund a new reporter.

For days, the responses came in: Yes.

“Civic engagement and participation in local activities is what makes a community strong and adds to livability.  I appreciate the work you do,” wrote one.

“Thanks for all you do to provide Salem with facts and for digging in when the facts are not readily available to the public,” wrote another.

And a couple joined in to tell us, “Please know that two of us enjoy reading the Salem Reporter articles and hope it can continue to bring us a variety of local news.”

Here’s what we asked them:

Send an email to [email protected] or to me ([email protected]) with a simple message – take your pick:

*YES – add $5 a month to my account.

*YES – add $10 a month to my account.

This will be automatic each month until you say otherwise and a great and affordable way to support the local news you can trust as fair and accurate.

Our sincere thanks go out to Janet T., John H., Kurt R., Rebeka G., Randy F., Cathy J., and the many others who said yes. You, too, can still join in.

One last item – just a reminder that the Town Hall on Gun Violence will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Elsinore Theatre. Your crew at Salem Reporter is conducting the event – part of our effort to not only report the news, but help find solutions to challenging community issues.

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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