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Your Friday evening update on Salem news

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Good evening, Salem.

Our owner and editor, Les Zaitz, will be on KMUZ’s Word Up this Saturday at 6 p.m. discussing local journalism. You can catch the show on 88.5 FM or 100.7 FM, or stream it on KMUZ.org.

In other weekend news, the annual People’s Urban Art Festival is right around the corner. It runs Sunday, Sept. 21, from 3-8 p.m. at the amphitheater at Riverfront Park with live music, food and of course art from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Western University of Health Sciences Lebanon Oregon

The free event is put on by Latinos Unidos Siempre, a youth-led Salem-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the educational, cultural and political development of youth. 

This year the festival will include community resources from local organizations and community radio. There will also be vendors, businesses, local artists, lowriders, live art exhibitions and performers and cultural groups. 

Some of the performers on Sunday include local artist Rich McCloud, Cody Nash, Collar de Lunas, Danza de los Diablos, Tierra Mixteca. San Diego-based hip-hop group The Neighborhood Kids will also perform. 

An artist uses a picture on their phone as a guide to reproduce a mural at the Urban Art Fest held at Riverfront Park on Aug. 31, 2024. (LAURA TESLER/Special to Salem Reporter)

“We are young people who come from historically marginalized communities. Together we work for the educational, cultural and political development of youth,” the group said in a news release. “We, as youth, empower each other to decolonize leadership roles in the community and make leadership accessible to directly impacted youth. Leadership development supports our work to combat racism and all other forms of institutional and systemic oppression and discrimination through grassroots organizing.”

The event’s organizers said that in the midst of attacks on the immigrant community it has one message: ‘Aquí estamos, y no nos vamos!’, which in English translates to ‘We are here to stay!’ 

We’ll have photos of Urban Art Fest and Salem’s Saturday Pride in the Park rolling out in the coming days.

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

www.salemreporter.com

Former North student seeks $2.4 million from Salem-Keizer School District over wood shop injury

A student whose finger was amputated while cutting wood in 2022 claims he was injured because of inadequate training and supervision in a class at North Salem High School.

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www.salemreporter.com

How Cherriots got its plan to expand services with proposed payroll tax

Cherriots leaders say they’ll decide in November whether to tax a tax on business payrolls to a public vote.

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www.salemreporter.com

Rapidly growing scam siphons nearly $200,000 in 2 weeks from Oregon’s poorest families

More than 400 low-income Oregonians lost food or welfare benefits to scammers so far in September – a rapid increase.

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www.salemreporter.com

Woodburn man sentenced to 15 years for killing woman found in Salem hotel in 2023

Raul S. Martinez, 25, of Woodburn, was sentenced to 15 years in state prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting a Gresham woman in a Salem hotel two years ago.…

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www.salemreporter.com

What to do in Salem from Sept. 18-24: Pride in the Park, Urban Art Fest, Kroc Family Fair

Events in Salem this week include the return of the free Kroc Family Fair, the annual grape stomping competition at Willamette Valley Vineyards and the 47th year of Pride in…

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SEE LOCAL EVENTS: Our new events calendar lets you browse what’s happening in Salem – completely free. Want to submit an upcoming event? You can do that here.

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 to our editor, Les Zaitz, at [email protected].

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