There was last week's advent of paid street parking.
New developments are in the works, including a local owner for the long-vacant JC Penney building.
And there's a growing push from many business leaders to clean up streets and address public safety - with unsheltered homelessness increasingly part of that discussion.
Our reporters took a deeper look at what's driving those concerns. We hit the streets and talked to business owners. We asked homeless service providers for their perspective. We got data from police and fire departments. And we wrote informed by our perspective as downtown workers who spend much of our days (and sometimes evenings) in the city's core.
Our in-depth report below comes a week before the Salem City Council is set to have a longer discussion on downtown public safety. We'll keep a close eye on any proposals that move forward, as well as private efforts to clean streets.
Here's some of today's news. Catch our latest reporting anytime on our website.
In the wake of a mass stabbing at Salem’s largest homeless shelter, discussions over public safety downtown have transformed into complaints about the visible impacts of unsheltered homelessness and mental…
State Rep. Kevin Mannix, a Republican who represents north Salem, supports a special session to address transportation needs after a large package pushed forward by Democrats collapsed.
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TIP US TO NEWS: We welcome your tips about possible Salem stories – a community event, a local resident doing something extraordinary, a government action that needs investigating. Send your information, ideas or questions by email to our editor, Les Zaitz, at [email protected].
