Rep. Paul Evans plays a campaign commercial on his phone in his Capitol office. Evans made the commercial in response to attack ads from his opponent, Selma Pierce. The commercial is from the perspective of his dog, Beau, to set the record straight. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) The campaign signs are[Read More…]
Latest News
Uncategorized Third bridge to return to city council Monday
The Marion and Center street bridges (Salem Reporter files) Salem Councilor Jim Lewis hopes to keep the prospect of the Salem River Crossing alive next week by asking councilors to give the state information needed to move the project forward. Lewis will ask Salem City Council to direct staff to[Read More…]
Legislative staffer, local accountant added to citizens examining Salem-Keizer budget
Members of the Salem-Keizer school board listen to testimony during a Nov. 13, 2018, meeting. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) A bilingual chief of staff in the Oregon Legislature and a West Salem accountant will be among the citizens with a voice in how the Salem-Keizer School District spends its annual budget[Read More…]
ODOT will expand use of salt on dangerous winter roads
Oregon Department of Transportation vehicles plow snow on Interstate 5 (Courtesy/ODOT) SALEM — Chance of snow? Expect a sprinkling of salt too. On the first eleven miles of Interstate 5 north of the California border, the average number of winter crashes dropped from 115 to 54 after the state’s transportation[Read More…]
Oregon officials call for changes to law on criminal insanity
Oregon’s attorney general said the number of people deemed criminally insane who commit new crimes after their release is “definitely too high” and must be addressed by the state. She was “surprised” by the frequency of crimes, often violent, documented by the Malheur Enterprise and ProPublica. Slightly more than a[Read More…]
Uncategorized Marion County’s turn coming to raise garbage rates
Art Kuenzi, vice president of Suburban Garbage Services, examines a recycling bin on Southeast 45th Avenue on a recent morning. He said his company has struggled in 2018. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) It will now be Marion County’s turn to sift through the issue of garbage collection fees. Days after Salem[Read More…]
Oregon secretary of state privately shares dire medical news with leaders
Secretary of State Dennis Richardson privately notified top Oregon officials earlier this summer that he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and fatal form of cancer, according to two state executives. The Republican from Central Point is first in line to succeed the governor. Richardson declined comment and didn’t[Read More…]
Oregon governor stops bid to raise alcohol taxes
SALEM — Tax hikes on beer, cider and wine are “off the table,” Gov. Kate Brown said Friday. The Oregon Health Authority wanted to increase taxes on beer, wine and cider by 10 percent, which officials said could raise nearly half a billion dollars over two years. The agency also[Read More…]
City commission derailed over potential conflicts of interest
Potential conflicts of interest have destabilized a city commission tasked with earmarking millions of federal dollars for local projects. The Community Services and Housing Commission has for years been a keeper of grant dollars from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, and where affordable[Read More…]
A day in the life of a Salem-Keizer school bus driver
Alan Booth checks his bus’ emergency exits before setting off to pick up his first student. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Just before 6 a.m., the Salem-Keizer School District’s south bus lot starts to wake up. Bus drivers trickled in, checking tire pressure and outside lights before heading off to pick up[Read More…]
