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Good morning, Salem.

Today is Chief Trevor Womack’s last day leading the Salem Police Department. He’s retiring after five years working in Salem which capped off a three-decade career in law enforcement.

In March, Womack sat down with Salem Reporter’s Madeleine Moore to reflect on his career, which started “with nothing but a high school diploma.”

Assistant Police Chief Brandon Ditto will lead the department as interim chief for at least six months.

Read more about Womack’s career, and legacy in Salem, in the story below.

On another note, we made an error in yesterday morning’s newsletter, which stated that election results showed Polk County Commissioner Jeremy Gordon would retain his seat.

The race remains too close to call. Because it is a primary race, unless Gordon earns more than half of the total vote, he will be heading to the November ballot against the runner-up. As of Thursday afternoon’s count, he has netted around 46% of the vote.

Here’s some of today’s news. Head to our website anytime for the latest in local news.  

www.salemreporter.com

Salem police chief to retire in May

Chief Trevor Womack led the Salem Police Department for five years, overseeing a recent drop in shootings and more use of data to guide policing decisions and inform the public.…

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17-year-old victim in stable condition after shooting near downtown transit center 

A shooting on Wednesday evening near the Cherriots transit center put a 17-year-old boy in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to Salem police. Despite a multiagency search for…

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Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejecting hikes to gas tax and vehicle fees

More than 80% of Oregon voters were opposing Measure 120, according to initial 2026 primary election results. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the…

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5 things to do in Salem this week: Free rooftop yoga, planetarium show, surf rock concert

Events in Salem this week include free rooftop yoga at the downtown YMCA, a Planetarium tour of the moon and a surf rock show at the Grand Theatre.  To comment…

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New vote results released for Salem mayor, city council races

With more ballots released Wednesday, Mayor Julie Hoy has conceded the race while Councilor Linda Nishioka and challengers Dave Inbody and Betsy Vega have leading margins.The Ward 8 race between…

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READERS REACT: “This is an excellent display of pictures! Thank you,” one reader wrote on photographer Hailey Cook’s collection of photos from Awesome 3000.

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