Chemeketa Community College on Thursday, April 16. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Within the first hour of accepting submissions, the Grocery Grant received 201 applications – enough to eat up the grant’s entire $10,000 budget. After that hour, Grecia Garcia Perez, Chemeketa Community College’s student services coordinator, had to shut down the[Read More…]
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Another event shutters because of coronavirus: Oregon State Fair
The 2020 edition of the Oregon State Fair has been canceled. (Oregon State Fair photo) SALEM – There will be no Oregon State Fair this year, another victim of the coronavirus. The fair, a major end-of-summer event in Salem for exhibitors and visitors from across the state, was scheduled for[Read More…]
Salem church joins legal effort to overturn governor’s COVID-19 orders
(Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons) Salem-based Peoples Church and nine other churches across Oregon have sued Gov. Kate Brown to force her to remove state restrictions on religious services and other activities. The complaint was filed in Baker County Circuit Court on Wednesday by the Pacific Justice Institute, a California-based legal group focused[Read More…]
Schools may be closed, but large construction projects still on schedule
Ongoing construction at North Salem High School on May 6, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Major construction projects have recently started at three Salem-Keizer schools, and crews are on track to finish expansions at four others this summer. Though nearly every other piece of schooling has been disrupted by the coronavirus[Read More…]
Uncategorized COUNTY ELECTIONS: Polk County commissioner candidates list rural broadband and safer roads as priorities
Polk County Courthouse (Courtesy of Jolene Guzman/Polk Itemizer-Observer) Salem Reporter wanted to know what issues were top of mind for the candidates seeking a position as Polk County commissioner. We provided each candidate written questions intended to elicit their understanding of challenges the county faces and how they would overcome[Read More…]
After a decline, claims for unemployment benefits rise locally
Bath and Body Works in the Willamette Town Center was closed. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Unemployment claims from Marion and Polk counties increased slightly last week after seeing weeks of decline. Weekly numbers released by the Oregon Employment Department show that 2,073 people in Marion County filed initial claims for unemployment[Read More…]
Lawsuit accuses Chemeketa Community College of violating students’ free-speech rights
Chemeketa Community College (File/Salem Reporter) Chemeketa Community College violated the constitutional rights of a pro-life student group by only allowing its members to distribute pamphlets, flyers and other materials in small “speech zones,” a lawsuit alleges. The complaint was filed on March 5 in U.S. District Court in Eugene on[Read More…]
Uncategorized State issues detailed guidelines for sectors as parts of Oregon prepare to open
The playground is closed at Wallace Marine Park in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) State officials on Thursday released new guidance for steps needs to ensure the coronavirus outbreak doesn’t get out of control while reducing restrictions. Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health[Read More…]
Governor eases restrictions – you can buy furniture – but major events are likely gone until at least September
Bath and Body Works in the Willamette Town Center closed after state restrictions were put in place. Gov. Kate Brown said retailers could open again on May 15 with social distancing in mind. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) The clamp on Oregon activities will ease up next week as Gov. Kate Brown[Read More…]
Uncategorized With highest COVID-19 rate in the state, Marion County wants to start reopening businesses
Center 50+, a city-run senior center, closed on Monday, March 16 . (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Marion County says it is ready to start lifting restrictions intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. But the county’s plan, released Wednesday, will face its first test when it’s sent to the governor’s office[Read More…]
