Quandray Robertson, owner of Q’s Corner Barbershop, poses for a portrait in the attached boxing gym on Friday, March 12, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A year ago, Quandray Robertson was left with a big empty space he didn’t know what to do with. Before the Covid pandemic rearranged daily life,[Read More…]
Tag: SALEM ECONOMY
Salem Cinema reopens again. But other movie theaters remain dark
Salem Cinema will have reduced seating capacity going forward due to social distancing. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Loretta Miles looks back at the reopening of Salem Cinema last fall as a “dress rehearsal.” Miles, who has owned the arthouse theater since 1990, will open again to the public on Friday, March[Read More…]
With the clock ticking on an eviction timebomb, the Oregon Legislature considers additional protections for renters
Flags are flown at half-staff at the Oregon State Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 24 to remember the 500,000 Americans who have died of Covid. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Jimmy Jones, the executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, is in a race to get help to needy people in[Read More…]
Salem’s economic development agency plants seeds to make the region a hub for agriculture-centered tech
A NORPAC-branded truck transports frozen vegetables in Oregon. (Courtesy/Oregon Department of Agriculture) In agriculture-rich Marion and Polk counties, the local economic development agency sees fertile ground for technology. With the help of a federal grant, the Strategic Economic Development Corp. (SEDCOR) has launched the Northwest Ag Innovation Hub, which seeks[Read More…]
COLUMN: Where the good jobs in the Salem area are and how much education is needed to get them
Obtaining more education can lead to better-paying jobs and being less likely to be unemployed. (Courtesy/Oregon Employment Department) Two of every three Oregonians who had planned post-high school education last fall postponed going, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau survey. The survey’s respondents gave a number of reasons, all[Read More…]
Owner of Glamour Salon says she’s closing up shop and moving away
Supporters cheer the opening on Tuesday, May 5, of Glamour Salon at 195 Liberty St. S.E. Owner Lindsey Graham said she opened in defiance of state restrictions to earn an income (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) A downtown Salem salon that’s been a magnet for controversy over the last year wants to[Read More…]
The pandemic exposed shortcomings in Oregon’s labor laws. A bill would let workers take matters into their own hands
A farm worker toils in a field. (Yadira Lopez/Malheur Enterprise) Beatriz Tapia, a farmworker from Woodburn, phoned into a legislative committee hearing last week to tell lawmakers a story about unsanitary bathrooms, losing her job and how a state agency didn’t have her back. Speaking in Spanish with the help[Read More…]
With airlines scrambled by the pandemic, Salem could have a shot at landing commercial flights
Empty seats at Salem Municipal Airport. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) While the pandemic has upended the airline industry, it’s put Salem in a stronger position to attract commercial air service, which could be available as soon as next year. Those are the central takeaways from an update from the Fly Salem[Read More…]
Salem restaurants prepare to welcome customers back in from the cold
Omar Hernandez, restaurant manager at Adam’s Rib Smoke House, packs up a pick-up order on Wednesday, Feb. 24, as the restaurant readies to re-open later this week. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Mike Adams has tried to make the outdoor seating areas at the two locations of Adam’s Rib Smokehouse as comfortable[Read More…]
Grocery store workers demand their turn for Covid vaccinations
People standing in line to gain access to a Ralphs grocery store in El Segundo, California. Stores are regulating how many people can be inside the store at the same time. March 22, 2020.(David Zaitz/Special to Salem Reporter) A union representing thousands of grocery store workers in Salem and across[Read More…]
