Tag SALEM COMMUNITY
“She just had a big heart, a heart of gold.” Colleagues and family remember bus driver killed in crash
Rachel Bunting died in a car crash on Feb. 4. She is remembered for her kind heart. (Courtesy/ Carl Bunting) Shortly after 8 p.m., Rachel Bunting was just eight minutes away from being done with her shift on Feb. 4 when Jordan Chandler drove into…
A trailer stolen in the middle of the night upends school’s expansion plan
Kaleidoscope Community School Director Molly Brown (left) and Ashley Acers, the school’s owner, stand outside of a yurt assembled at the school. The school had ordered four yurts to help it expand. But thieves had other plans. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) Somewhere, there is someone with…
After more than a decade telling people how to throw away less, county coordinator retires
Alan Pennington, left, and Bailey Payne, right, at an Earth Day event. (Courtesy/ Bailey Payne) Years before Alan Pennington became a waste reduction coordinator, he wondered why anyone would want to become a master recycler. “I just laughed, and I thought… ‘What is with these…
A Salem nonprofit that trains service dogs is asking for help — naming puppies
Golden Retriever puppies will soon begin training with Salem-based Joys of Living Assistance Dogs to become a service or therapy dog. But first, it needs a name. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Joys of Living Assistance Dogs, a Salem nonprofit that trains service dogs, is asking for…
PHOTOS: Salem celebrates MLK Day with community meal, signs and speeches
Jonathan Jones, co-owner of Epilogue Kitchen and Cocktails passes out coffee and free meals to community members during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event on Monday, Jan. 18. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Maura Ryan, co-owner of Epilogue Kitchen and Cocktails passes out a meal to…
Gates family to get new home after property burned in Santiam Canyon wildfires
Timothy and Sharon Smith and their children, Ollie and Rosie, were presented with a tiny home to replace a trailer that they have been living in since losing their home during the Santiam Fire in Gates on Monday, January 18. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When Timothy…
With “car choir,” Chemeketa singers use wireless mics, transmitters to sing safely in person
Christian Campbell, 19, sings during car choir at Chemeketa Community College on Jan. 14, 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Mackenzie Rolf doesn’t usually bring jumper cables to choir class. But when you’ve been holding choir practice from cars parked in the Chemeketa Community College parking lot,…
Calling on Salem leaders to denounce white supremacy, petition attracts hundreds of signers
Far-right protesters marched from the Capitol to Mahonia Hall to protest Covid restrictions on Friday, Jan. 1. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Julianne Jackson wants Salem’s leaders to denounce white supremacy. More than 600 others agree, signing on to a change.org petition that demands city leaders create…
A wildlife refuge center and its landlord square off in court over covered up rot, unfinished work, well access
Aztec, the golden eagle, at Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center in 2018. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) A Salem wildlife refuge center has taken their landlord to court alleging the couple it rented the southeast Salem property from didn’t set up electricity or water, never completed construction on…