Good morning…..
Summer’s on in Salem and it’s going to get hot.
That’s not exactly a news flash but planning for triple-digit weather is sensible.
The National Weather Service is forecasting what you might consider a practice day of heat for Sunday. A heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. today until 10 p.m. with the temperature hitting between 93 and 98.
But the real heat comes on Tuesday, and that has triggered an “extreme heat watch” from the weather forecasters.
“Dangerously hot conditions” with temperatures near 100 degrees are expected Tuesday into Wednesday. For Salem, the low temperature Tuesday night is forecast to be about 65.
Drink lots of fluids. Don’t overdo it in the direct sun. And remember to never leave animals in vehicles even if windows are down.
Speaking of heat, Salem had plenty of another kind last week with two major fires.
In both instances, firefighters from the Salem Fire Department and neighboring agencies managed to contain blazes already going strong when they arrived.
First, there was the grass fire southeast of Salem that sent up a smoke plume seen from all over the mid valley. Salem Reporter’s team got on the scene quickly on Wednesday to keep the community aware of the fast-spreading fire. Fire crews were still on the scene the next day, checking for hot spots that could flare.
Then Friday morning brought a destructive fire in a commercial complex on Northeast Lancaster Drive. Firefighters managed to check the fire from spreading after encountering a building ablaze when they arrived. Several businesses and county operations have been disrupted as a result.
In other public safety news in recent days:
•A teacher from Sprague High School was struck while bicycle riding and died of his injuries. A driver has been accused of striking him while driving under the influence.
•Another driving tragedy took a new twist. A man already facing criminals charges relating to a fatal crash now faces sex abuse. The suspect is accused of the March 23 crash that killed 16-year-old Zolayha Johnson, a junior at McNary High School.
•Salem officials are seeking help from citizens to find the arsonist who set a fire that damaged a downtown railroad trestle.
In city government news:
•Salem officials had hardly started running ambulance services in town when they took the previous operator to court. The city claims Falck Northwest so badly ran the service that it owes the city $7 million.
•The state awarded the Salem Police Department a grant to chase after shoplifters. A recent mission to catch “boosters” resulted in 11 arrests for people taking items from retailers.
In community news:
•Two brothers explain their dream of a live music hub in downtown Salem.
•Teachers and the Salem-Keizer School District have struck a new pay deal that avoids the strife of last year. Managing Editor Rachel Alexander reports teachers will vote on the new contract this week..
•The local agency that orchestrates homeless services in the Salem area has a new leader with big ambitions.
•Construction is underway on a new apartment complex in the Highland neighborhood designed to provide homes for Islanders in Salem. As we reported, “Each floor of the complex will include paintings or a motif that represents a different Micronesian culture, and that the building will be decorated with artwork commissioned from different Micronesian islands.”
In enterprise reporting:
•Reporter Hailey Cook provides a clear account of how Salem-area hospitals will be affected by cuts in Medicaid spending. The result for Salem Health would be “overwhelmed emergency departments, more untreated conditions, and a wider gap in health equity.”
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