The Ankeny Hill Nature Center opens to the public Feb. 5. (Courtesy/ Ankeny Hill Nature Center) Dusky Canadian geese flock to the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge just south of Salem for winter refuge each year. This winter, it will be easier for children, educators and outdoor enthusiasts to learn more about[Read More…]

Nadia Kifyak and Russ Monk, managers at WaterShed, Inc., try on new medical gowns that their company has recently begun producing in response to the shortage of personal protective equipment. (Caleb Wolf/Salem Reporter) Russ Monk said his manufacturing company’s claim to fame is a military technology invented in Salem that[Read More…]

Graffiti artist Eric Tautkus paints a mural Saturday, June 19 at the state fairgrounds in Salem (Courtesy/Salem Health) Salem residents could soon see colorful murals brightening the asphalt of their residential streets. The Grant neighborhood on the north end of downtown Salem hopes to create a colorful geometric street painting[Read More…]

 Salem Symphonic Winds musician Alicia Rasmussen tries to play through her “flute boot,” a device intended to minimize the spread of aerosols (Courtesy/Alicia Rasmussen) John Skelton knew putting on the Salem Symphonic Winds at the Elsinore Theatre Sunday would be difficult after one of his soloists withdrew two weeks out[Read More…]

Daphne, the therapy dog, giving a woman a kiss. (Courtesy/ Rhonda Herbert) When Rhonda Herbert visited her ailing father in an assisted living facility with her dog, Daphne, she witnessed the comfort and smiles Daphne brought to the residents and staff. As a puppy, Daphne sat through hourlong music therapy[Read More…]

The historic Oak Grove Church in west Salem at sunset. Some area churches and congregations are again shifting their worship services in response to the omicron surge. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Brian Craker said he’s seen his congregation at Salem First Presbyterian Church have more anxiety about Covid in the past[Read More…]

Melissa Pola (Ardeshir Tabrizian/Salem Reporter) When Melissa Pola first walked into Her Place in Salem on Nov. 23, 2011, she dropped to her knees and started crying. After spending seven months in jail and enduring two decades of addiction, she’d found a place where she could start recovery and get[Read More…]

Carol Adelman. (Courtesy/Carol Adelman) When Carol Adelman was a preschooler, her father would take her across the street to visit Reverend Hartwig’s garden in Salem, where he had 300 varieties of peonies. Those early trips spawned a lifelong love of the flower for Adelman. Years later, her father would tell[Read More…]

A mural on the side of the building where Valley Roofing and Exteriors is located. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Following an indignant Facebook post and a petition that garnered thousands of signatures, city of Salem officials this week went on the offensive saying they haven’t leveraged a fine against a local[Read More…]

A Pallet shelter with the door decorated. (Courtesy/Hazel Patton) When Hazel Patton and fellow volunteers Ron Steiner and Emil Graziani set out to raise money for micro shelters, they thought they’d be lucky to sponsor 25. “We almost had that many the first week,” she said. Micro shelters are 64-square-foot[Read More…]