UPDATES: People gather to show support for council denial of Meyer Farm subdivision

Donated children's shoes (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

A Salem organization is asking the community to help get shoes to local homeless and low-income children, aiming to collect a thousand by Friday.

People can donate new and gently used shoes "of all styles and sizes" through One Thousand Soles, according to a city of Salem newsletter.

The project is a competition among schools in the Salem-Keizer School District to gather shoes and distribute them to youth shelters.

The program also accepts new socks and laces, the newsletter said.

People can drop off donations by Friday at the offices of seven participating schools:

-Blanchet Catholic School (participating with Salem Academy)

-Early College High School

-North Salem High School

-McKay High School

-South Salem High School

-West Salem High School

-JGEMS Charter Middle School

The project, created by local teens, returns after a hiatus in 2021, the newsletter said.

-Ardeshir Tabrizian

Queen of Peace students Audrey Wiegal (4th grade), Esau Segura (4th grade), Jonathan Barra (3rd grade) and Claire Stout (4th grade) were selected as a regional winner in the the 30th annual ExploraVision challenge, a national science competition (Courtesy/Queen of Peace)

Four students at Queen of Peace Catholic School have earned national honors for their plan to break down harmful plastics in soil.

The team of elementary school students Jonathan Barra, Esau Segura, Claire Stout and Audrey Wiegal, with coach Maureen Foelkl, were the regional winner in the 2022 ExploraVision challenge, a national science competition that challenges students to come up with solutions to world problems.

The group's invention, called Fungi Plastivore Purifier, detects polyurethane plastic in soil using a pulsing laser, according to a news release from the school. The device can hover over soil and is solar-powered. When it detects polyurethane, the device releases hemp capsules full of a fungus, Pestalotiopsis microspora, which can digest and break down the plastic into organic matter.

The invention "cleans and purifies our soil, leading to healthier food and water ecosystems while preventing serious illnesses in an environmentally safe way," the news release said.

The team was one of six in the U.S. honored in their age division, for students in grades 4-6. A total of 23 teams were regional winners.

Those winners now advance to a national competition, with the winning team receiving a U.S. savings bond worth $10,000 at maturity. Second place teams will receive a $5,000 savings bond.

-Rachel Alexander

People gathered at the corner of Southeast Pringle Road and Hillrose Street Saturday to voice support for a Salem City Council denial of a subdivision on the Meyer Farm property. (Courtesy/Jenny Hiatt)

A handful of people gathered at the corner of Southeast Pringle Road and Hillrose Street Saturday to voice their support for the Salem City Council denying a proposed subdivision.  

The Salem City Council on Feb. 28 denied an application by developer Kehoe Northwest Properties to build 139 single family lots on the historic Meyer Farm in south Salem, citing concerns over tree removal. 

The council will vote on reopening the record to allow more public comment Monday. Kehoe has proposed a revised plan that would reduce the number of significant trees they plan to remove from 17 to six and lower the lot count from 138 to 125. 

If the council re-opens the record, they would vote on the revised plan on March 28.  

People gathered on the sidewalk Saturday morning held signs that said, “More than trees” and “Thank you city council.” 

Jenny Hiatt, a neighbor concerned about the proposed developer, said the group Friends of Meyer Farm are concerned with issues other than the removal of significant trees. She said they don’t believe the developer will “develop the land in an environmentally sustainable and responsible manner.” 

“There are real concerns about how this development will impact traffic safety that the city still has never addressed. We want to prevent accidents and fatalities around the development,” Hiatt said.  

Previous reporting: Salem City Council denies proposed subdivision on historic farm, citing concerns about tree removal

People gathered at the corner of Southeast Pringle Road and Hillrose Street Saturday to voice support for a Salem City Council denial of a subdivision on the Meyer Farm property. (Courtesy/Jenny Hiatt)

People gathered at the corner of Southeast Pringle Road and Hillrose Street Saturday to voice support for a Salem City Council denial of a subdivision on the Meyer Farm property. (Courtesy/Jenny Hiatt)

-Saphara Harrell