Situated on an island in the middle of the North Santiam River near Stayton, the Geren Island Water Treatment Facility faces unprecedented challenges in providing clean water to Salem users. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) At 1 a.m. on Sept. 8, Tim Sherman, his wife, daughter, and a daughter’s friend loaded into[Read More…]
Latest News
Local nonprofits invite the public to share the experience of hungry people
A Farm to Families food box at the Marion Polk Food Share on May 22. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A group of Salem nonprofits wants you to know what it’s like to tighten your belt. Starting next week, 14 area nonprofits will kick off the first-ever Willamette Valley Hunger Challenge, an[Read More…]
Businesses warn of closures as they prepare for new Covid restrictions
Downtown Salem’s usually busy streets were nearly empty during the lunch hour on March 17, 2020, the first day of a statewide restaurant closure. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Business groups warned on Friday that expansive new restrictions from Gov. Kate Brown intended to slow the spread of Covid could cause already[Read More…]
Uncategorized As Covid spreads rapidly across Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown orders state to “freeze”
Gov. Kate Brown listens in during a phone call with Vice President Mike Pence and other governors on Monday, April 20. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Gov. Kate Brown moved to blunt the rapid spread of Covid in Oregon using some of her sharpest language since the pandemic started, ordering new business[Read More…]
Uncategorized Gov. Brown orders restaurants, bars, gyms to close as Covid hospitalizations surge in Oregon
Many restaurants in Salem were offering takeout orders after a ban on dining in at eateries went into effect on Tuesday, March 17. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Oregon restaurants and bars can provide only takeout service, gyms and other fitness outlets must close and grocers and retailers have to limit the[Read More…]
Uncategorized A Black man was killed in a bias crime in Salem, but prosecutors are quiet about details
A Salem police car. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A Marion County grand jury on Thursday indicted Manuel Elisha North, 46, on murder and bias crime charges for the death of Herman Graham III, but Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson is withholding information on the circumstances of the death. Police arrested[Read More…]
Uncategorized Facing surging Covid cases and hospitalizations, Oregon urges limited travel, quarantines
Gov. Kate Brown announces new state restrictions in a news conference in Portland on Thursday, March 12. (Jonathan House/Pamplin Media) Gov. Kate Brown is asking Oregonians to avoid certain out-of-state travel to stop the surge of new coronavirus infections as Oregon recorded its first day with more than 1,000 new[Read More…]
Uncategorized Oregon voters – you have until Nov. 17 to fix signature issues and make sure your ballot counts
Pam Panther unfolds and stacks ballots at the Marion County Elections Office on Tuesday, May 19. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Oregon voters have just days to correct signature issues with mail-in ballots to ensure their votes are counted in the Nov. 3 election – and the outcome of a Salem state[Read More…]
Uncategorized Salem’s new police chief will focus on relationships and numbers
Trevor Womack and his wife, Christina. (Courtesy/ Trevor Womack) As Trevor Womack prepares to take over as Salem’s next police chief on Dec. 7, he said the first thing he’ll do is listen. Womack was hired to replace retiring Police Chief Jerry Moore following an interview on Oct. 30 by[Read More…]
Salem’s unemployment rate has followed state and nation trends. But the numbers tell a deeper story
Employment in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area has stayed close to trends in Oregon and the U.S. (Pam Ferrara) Salem’s unemployment rate declined in September to 7.8%, closely tracking Oregon and U.S. unemployment rates (see graph). These rates track closely because the mix of industries locally is similar to that[Read More…]
