Paradise of Samoa performs at the World Beat Festival on Friday and Saturday (Courtesy/Tasi Keener) Tasi Keener remembers thinking, “I need to represent my island,” while watching performers at Salem’s World Beat Festival 20 years ago. The Samoan native had just moved to the area with her husband and kids.[Read More…]
Latest News
Emotions run high after climate bill is declared dead
Gov. Kate Brown speaks to climate activists rallying outside of the Capitol on Tuesday after the Senate President announced their landmark climate legislation was dead. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) SALEM — Seven minutes. That’s all it took for Senate President Peter Courtney to thrust the already-tense Capitol into sheer chaos[Read More…]
Rep. Boles appointed to Sen. Winters’ seat
(State of Oregon) Rep. Denyc Boles, R-Salem, will soon switch chambers at the state capitol after she was named on Tuesday to take the Senate seat vacated by Jackie Winters. Commissioners from Marion and Polk counties named Boles, on her second stint as a state representative, during a special meeting[Read More…]
VIDEO: Senate Democrats vow to keep fighting for cap and trade
Demonstrators advocate for cap and trade legislation outside the Oregon Capitol Tuesday, June 25, 2019 (Claire Withycombe/Salem Reporter) Oregon Democratic Senators said Tuesday they’d keep fighting for a cap and trade plan after Democratic leaders said they didn’t have enough votes to pass the proposal. Sen. Michael Dembrow (D –[Read More…]
By the numbers: what Salem City Hall is doing with your money
Salem City Hall pictured summer 2018 (Salem Reporter files) The city of Salem finalized its budget Monday night, but financial discussions aren’t over for Salem City Council. The budget approves more than $630 million in spending, and largely passed unchanged from what City Manager Steve Powers proposed in April. However,[Read More…]
UPDATE: Senate Democrats respond to Courtney’s speech saying cap and trade doesn’t have the votes
(Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) SALEM — A controversial climate bill that caused a standoff between Democrats and Republicans, prompting Republicans to flee the state, could maybe have been resolved with a simple floor vote. House Bill 2020 doesn’t have enough support among Democrats to pass, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said[Read More…]
‘No deal’ so far, Senate Republicans report as Oregon Legislature stalls
SALEM — There was still no sign Monday that Republican senators boycotting the Capitol are ready to return. Republicans have avoided the Senate since Thursday, preventing a vote on legislation to cap the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and blocking scores of pending bills. Several Republican senators have told the Oregon[Read More…]
In Salem, Sidewalk Talk volunteers listen with no strings attached
Kelly Ward holds a Sidewalk Talk sign at the group’s first event on May 18, 2019 in Riverfront Park. (Courtesy/Kelly Ward) As nurses, Kelly Ward and Lindsey Cretella spend a lot of their time listening to people. Now, they’re taking those skills to the streets with a Salem chapter of[Read More…]
Stalemate continues in Oregon Senate, threatening budget and other bills
SALEM — The stalemate between Republicans and Democrats in the Oregon Senate continued Monday morning. No resolution was publicly apparent, as Republicans continue their protest of House Bill 2020, which would establish a market system to cap the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. They contend the bill could economically harm the[Read More…]
Fears build that Amazon could vacuum up employees
The 1-million-square-foot fulfillment center in southeast Salem, pictured on June 21. The Seattle-based online retailer is expected to hire 1,000 people soon to staff it. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) If business is a jungle, Dean Craig sees a coming shakeup in Salem’s food chain. One of the biggest companies in the[Read More…]