At Salem Reporter, we serve the community in a lot of ways.
We tell you about events and developments in Salem, of course.
And we make sure you know the facts about what public officials are doing.
On occasion, we convene Town Halls, gathering citizens to discuss vital local matters.
And now we’ve added a new service: Saving you money.
Salem Reporter recently started a service providing public notices. These are required of government and private parties to alert you to public hearings, local budgets and foreclosure sales.
Among the first to use the service was the city of Salem. And city officials made sure the community knew of the change and why.
In a press release, the city noted that it spend more than $50,000 on such notices in the last budget cycle. With Salem Reporter’s service, the city will spend a fraction of that and will, according to the city, “yield thousands of dollars in savings over the course of each year.” 
That means a few more dollars are free to support other city services.
And, as I explained in announcing the service, readers like you will have a better chance to actually see the notice.
We hope other local governments follow the city’s lead. This is good for them, good for taxpayers and good for Salem Reporter. What’s not to like?
Meantime, here’s a look at the news that made headlines in recent days.
Managing Editor Rachel Alexander has a first look at an idea being explored by leaders at the Salem-Keizer School District to improve funding. You may get to vote on boosting property taxes to help local schools.
More immediately, the district has announced which schools in Salem and Keizer are getting new leaders. This word about principals is important to a lot of parents ­– and students.
And nearly every teacher who was cut from the staff for budget reasons is coming back. Rachel Alexander explains how that happened in an exclusive report.
This morning, wildfires continue to sweep Oregon, and evacuation notices are in place in several locations, including down in the Eugene area and in Douglas County. Our colleagues at Oregon Capital Chronicle report we’re headed for a record-breaking season with weeks of fire risk still ahead.
A reminder of the dangers of fighting these fires came home last week. A fire rig from Marion County Fire District No. 1 rolled while on duty in far eastern Oregon, a wreck that injured two firefighters.
On the development front, reporter Abbey McDonald has a story about how the former Evergreen Church and its adjacent parsonage is being turned into 17 affordable apartments for veterans. The project is not far from downtown, in the Grant neighborhood. This was one of most popular stories in recent days.
Reporter Joe Siess reports on plans for a multimillion-dollar solar project in Polk County. The Zena project is among the largest Rural Energy for America Program projects in the state, according to the story.
The Oregon State Fair will start its run soon and reporter Abbey McDonald lays out how you can save a few bucks on admission.
Finally, there’s a new and unusual exhibit in Salem – a museum of sorts about buildings that once stood in Salem. The Willamette Heritage Center is hosting “History in Rubble.”