Good morning…..
Keep cool, Salem.
That’s your top job the next two days in light of the extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service.
High pressure parked over the Willamette Valley means temperatures are forecast to climb above 100.
Let the weather service explain: “Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures as high as 97 to 105 degrees expected, coupled with mild overnight low temperatures of 62 to 70 degrees.”
The extreme heat warning – the first for 2025 – kicks in at noon Sunday and continues through 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The weather service and emergency management officials urge people to avoid too much physical exertion in the heat of the day. They want you to make good use of air conditioning and stay hydrated.
Just as important, authorities urge us all to be good neighbors. Seniors and others especially vulnerable to ill health due to such heat need someone watching out for them. Knock on a door, make a call – check up on anyone in your orbit who might otherwise be in trouble.
Of course, we get hot weather. It’s summer. But these warnings go out for a reason. According to the weather service, “Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer.”
On the weather service’s HeatRisk forecast, people in Salem face a “major” risk as the heat “affects anyone without cooling/hydration.”
Since we’ve given you good justification not to mow the lawn or wash that pickup, take some time to catch up on news in Salem. Your team at Salem Reporter has been busy in recent days.
Reporter Joe Siess for months probed behind the scenes to learn why the city of Salem was so set on taking over the ambulance service.
Last month, the city started running medics while at the same time suing the private company that had been running the service. Our watchdog report examines some of the claims in the lawsuit and how they match with up with city records and interviews.
In the coming days, you’ll see the results of another watchdog effort by our team. Reporter Madeleine Moore has been digging into the local transit district’s plan to start a new payroll tax. Watch for her stories soon.
Meantime, the community discussion about downtown Salem continues. Reporter Abbey McDonald tells about one group’s new idea to clean up downtown.
“The organization’s leaders have pitched a new program to the city, called Clean Start, which would hire homeless people part-time to clean up litter in public spaces, including the downtown core,” she reported.
In other government coverage:
•The Salem-Keizer School District is rolling out a practice for students to stow cell phones while at school, as Managing Editor Rachel Alexander reports.
•He ran and ran and ran – and students at Chemeketa Community College will benefit. As our story shared, “Tim Cook, the president of Clackamas Community College, hung up his running shoes Thursday after completing a 52-day odyssey visiting every community college in Oregon on foot.”
•U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas heard lots of concerns about getting people fed in the face of federal budget cuts. Reporter Mirandah Davis-Powell sat in on a local round table to listen in.
•A new study shows our community remains far short of the child care services needed to help Salem families.
In public safety reporting:
•An 11-year-old girl is safe and the man suspected of kidnapping her is under state charges in Marion County.
•Two men from Salem who escaped from MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility last year are going back into state care, this time in prison.
•The commercial fire out on Lancaster Drive last month destroyed a building, disrupted work by several organizations and drew massive attention around the city. Now, the report is out on what caused this million-dollar blaze.
In community news:
•The first season for Salem’s new ball team was a winner. Playoffs are ahead.
•One of our most popular stories of the week was the account of a performer at Enchanted Forest Theatre hitting a new mark. The story about Bentley Michaels was picked up around the state.
EVENTS IN SALEM
Looking for something to do? A show? A class to take? Get the latest details on what’s happening with our Events Calendar. You can find this link at the top of our news site every day.
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