Covanta Marion, a trash incinerator in Brooks, burns roughly 170,000 tons of garbage every year. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Special legislation Marion County says it needs to keep the Brooks waste-incineration facility operating and garbage rates from rising has stalled. House Bill 4049 would have made a waste-to-energy facility eligible for[Read More…]
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Uncategorized After losing close friend to suicide, Willamette senior works to get young men to seek help
Willamette University senior Brendan McGonigle wants to encourage more young men to talk about mental health (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When Brendan McGonigle was a freshman at Willamette University, he lost a childhood friend to suicide. The event spurred McGonigle, now a senior exercise and health science major, to do more[Read More…]
Salem-Keizer raising pay for bus drivers, transportation workers
School buses parked in the Salem-Keizer School District lot on Hawthorne Avenue (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Hoping to curb a persistent bus driver shortage, the Salem-Keizer School District is raising pay for drivers and other transportation workers. Starting bus drivers will now earn $17.47 hourly, up from a previous wage of[Read More…]
Uncategorized Salem man arrested for murder in connection to northeast Salem shooting last month
A Salem man has been charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed a Woodburn man in late January. Eduardo Flores-Rodriguez, 21, was found dead from a gunshot wound in a car on Northeast Snoopy Lane and Linus Court on Jan. 21, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. Six[Read More…]
A key bill would give cities a lifeline on homelessness. But one provision has some worried
People camp downtown, along the former home of Nordstrom. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Oregon cities struggling with homelessness are expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries under legislation sponsored by House Speaker Tina Kotek. But not every city official fully supports the idea, some worrying it could limit local governments’[Read More…]
Salem Cinema shines a light on homelessness with documentary screening and discussion
Salem photographer Diane Beals has been making portraits of homeless residents around the city (Courtesy/Diane Beals) When tents pop up downtown with homeless occupants, some people look down as they walk past and others cross to the other side of the street. But Salem Cinema owner Loretta Miles wants Salem[Read More…]
Apartment development to become easier under city code changes
Salem wants to make it easier to build apartments and other multifamily homes. Changes aimed at accomplishing that were announced last year, and the Salem City Council is expected to vote on them later this month. “The main goal is to help Salem meet its housing needs broadly,” said City[Read More…]
Legislature week 2: What’s still moving, what’s been spiked
The Oregon State Capitol. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) SALEM —The first major deadline of this year’s legislative session hit the Capitol on Friday, Feb. 7. Legislation that hadn’t been scheduled by that day for a committee vote was headed for the political dustbin. These proposals may not have made headlines, but[Read More…]
Wanting more input, lawmakers drop legislation concerning threats to churches and schools
Students at memorial fence following the 1998 shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon. (Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons) The Oregon Legislature has abandoned a bill that would create the new crime of threatening a school or house of worship. In response to concerns from community organizations, the Legislature will instead convene[Read More…]
Audit: State tourism agency should be more transparent about managers’ pay, strengthen contracting controls
Oregon Caves Cascade, one of Oregon’s many tourist destinations. (Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons) SALEM — The semi-independent Oregon agency overseeing tourism initiatives should be more transparent about managers’ pay and strengthen controls on contracting, Secretary of State Bev Clarno said in an audit report released Thursday. The Oregon Tourism Commission — also[Read More…]
