(Courtesy SEUI Local 503) SALEM — Oregon’s largest public employee unions have seen double-digit declines in the number of state workers paying dues, state data show. Together, SEIU 503 and AFSCME Council 75 represent about 29,000 workers employed by state agencies. A shrinking share of those workers have chosen to[Read More…]
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Uncategorized Thousands more Oregon kids can attend free preschool next fall
Preschool students play in a Salem-Keizer classroom at the East Salem Community Center on Oct. 22, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Oregon will spend millions of dollars to allow thousands more kids to attend preschool next fall, including tripling the size of a free program for middle-income families. The money could[Read More…]
In Salem’s VFW attic, military uniforms tell stories of war
Tom Vanderhoof puts away the uniforms of a Civilian Conservation Corps member. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Hundreds of uniforms hang neatly in clear plastic in the attic of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Marion Post 661. On an overcast day in early November, Tom Vanderhoof walks up the small staircase into[Read More…]
Uncategorized 21 SECONDS: An arrest gone awry leads to mortal fight in a Salem thrift store
A handgun police said was used by Scott Spangler sits on the floor of the Goodwill store in west Salem on Wednesday, Sept. 18. A detective shot and killed Spangler as they fought and the detective saw the gun coming up at him. (Salem Police Department) NOTE: This story contains[Read More…]
Oregon forests become political battleground that voters could decide next year
A political fight over the way Oregon manages its forests and timber activity could play out before voters next fall. Two separate sets of ballot initiatives with contrary views of forestry in Oregon have been filed with the state Elections Division. One side seeks to insulate current practices from change[Read More…]
Uncategorized Young Latino artists highlight school-to-prison pipeline in graffiti exhibition
Tony Villaneda touches up a painting in a graffiti art exhibit about the school-to-prison pipeline in the Bush Barn Annex on Nov. 7, 2019. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The smell of spray paint hung thick in the air of the Bush Barn Annex Thursday evening as a half dozen teen artists[Read More…]
Garbage rates in Salem could go up again
A truck from Suburban Garbage Services approaches cans on Southeast 45th Avenue in November 2018. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Your garbage bill may go up again in January, thanks in part to that still-strained recycling market. On either side of the Willamette River, a Salem resident with a typical, 35-gallon cart[Read More…]
Uncategorized State seeks owners of medals of heroism sitting unclaimed in Salem
Navy insignia found inside a deposit box once owned by a George B. James was sent from an Umpqua Bank in Bandon. (Courtesy/Oregon Department of State Lands) Tucked away inside a vault within the Oregon Department of State Lands sit several safes. Inside these safes rest mementos such old photos[Read More…]
Uncategorized Unapologetic ska fan anchors 105.5 The Moon’s quirky sound
Darbie Versoza in the studio for her show on 105.5 The Moon (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) On air, Darbie Versoza introduces herself as “Darbie, your one friend who still listens to ska.” Her Tuesday show on The Moon, Salem’s homegrown indie radio station kicked off this week with OK Go and[Read More…]
Oregon State Penitentiary unveils new “healing garden”
Oregon State Penitentiary Memorial Healing Garden gets its first visitors on Wednesday afternoon. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) SALEM — Wearing blue prison uniforms and kukui nut necklaces, Toshio Takanobu and Johnny Cofer stood outside of a room at the Oregon State Penitentiary welcoming people to the unveiling of an unlikely project[Read More…]
