The Latest Stories For You From Salem Reporter

Good morning, Salem.
Votes are still being counted in Polk County and the race for West Salem’s city council seat remains undecided in what appears to be another neck-and-neck race.
As of Wednesday evening, incumbent Micki Varney is leading second-time Ward 8 candidate and business owner, Chris Cummings, by just three dozen votes. Cummings went out for the seat in 2022 and lost to Varney by only 181 votes.
Votes from Polk County are some of the last left to be counted from Tuesday’s primary election.
Two commissioner seats were also on Polk residents’ ballots. Results still show Jeremy Gordon will retain his seat on the board, while legislative staffer John Swanson is slated to take over for Craig Pope, who is retiring. See more results from the Board of Commissioner races here and the council races here.
Here’s some of today’s news. Head to our website anytime for the latest in local news.
Mayor Julie Hoy released a statement Wednesday afternoon conceding the race to challenger Vanessa Nordyke. The latest results show Nordyke holding around 56% of the votes. To comment on this…
Despite hundreds of thousands of dollars going to conservative candidates, anti-progressive messaging failed to sway voters. While Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke defeated Salem Mayor Julie Hoy and several other…
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…
Salem Reporter’s photographers captured the excitement and disappointment at two election night parties Tuesday night, where candidates learned the outcomes of initial ballot counts. The results showed councilor Vanessa Nordyke…
As of initial ballot counts Tuesday night, John Swanson is leading the race for Polk County Commissioner, Position 2, earning 61% of the vote so far. Incumbent Jeremy Gordon hasu0026hellip;
State Sen. Christine Drazan is leading the race to be the Republican candidate in the gubernatorial race against incumbent Gov. Tina Kotek in November. To comment on this story, useu0026hellip;
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.
Join the conversation by filing out the form at the bottom of any of our articles.
SEND US NEWS TIPS: Email Editor Les Zaitz – [email protected] with ideas, questions and information.
Copyright © 2025 Salem Reporter. All rights reserved. |
Our mailing address is: 494 State St., #410 • Salem, Oregon 97301 |
You are receiving this email because you signed up through our website or participated in a promotion. |









