On Monday, April 22, the Salem City Council approved a $195,000 settlement to a woman injured in a 2017 car crash with a Salem police officer, and postponed a decision on a developer property tax exemption for an apartment building planned on the site of the former Salem City Hall. Councilor Vanessa Nordyke was absent, making all unanimous votes 8-0.  Claim settlement – Approved Councilors unanimously approved a $195,000 settlement payment to Cynthia Garza, who sued the city after being injured by a car crash with a Salem police officer in 2017. The item was approved as part of the conse ..read more

Police say they seized two guns and suspected fentanyl from a northeast Salem hotel room on Tuesday after arresting a 35-year-old man. Daniel R. Northcutt of Salem was arrested on accusations of possessing a firearm as a felon, unlawful possession of a short-barreled firearm and fentanyl, and unlawful delivery of a fentanyl. Officers saw Northcutt around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday near a hotel in the 3300 block of Northeast Astoria Way before he went into the hotel, which police didn’t identify. “Initially, Northcutt refused to exit the room but subsequently surrendered without incident,” according to ..read more

In about a week, ballots for the May 21 primary election will begin reaching mailboxes in Salem and across Oregon. Voters have a chance to weigh in on everything from presidential candidates to Salem city councilors. What appears on your ballot will depend on where you live and what political party, if any, you’re registered with. Those variables mean Marion County has 408 distinct styles of ballots being mailed to voters, Clerk Bill Burgess said. Voters have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to return ballots to a dropbox. Ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted so long as they’re recei ..read more

Salem police are investigating a fatal crash between a motorcycle and a car on Southeast Commercial Street Wednesday morning. Police said at 7:30 a.m. that the northbound lanes of Commercial were closed between Southeast Hilfiker Lane and the 12th Street Cutoff were closed. At 9:30 a.m., the agency said on X that the crash investigation should be completed within the hour and lanes reopened. No other details about the crash were immediately available. STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: info@salemreporter.com. SUPPORT OUR WORK – We depend on subscribers fo ..read more

The attorney general race is open this year, with the retirement of Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in January. Two of the four candidates in the race – Will Lathrop and Michael Cross – are Republicans vying to be the state’s top law enforcement official. The attorney general oversees a staff of about 1,300 people and represents the state in court actions and legal proceedings of interest to the state.  Editor’s note This Q & A follows one for the two Democratic candidates. We’ve also profiled all four candidates. Check Oregon Capital Chronicle’s primary page to s ..read more

Here was a Medicare beneficiary whose experience delivers lessons for many who are enrolled in Medicare supplement (Medigap) insurance policies. This beneficiary was needlessly spending hundreds of dollars annually by not comparing current insurance with alternatives. This is not to shame the beneficiary, but instead to point out that spending an hour or so reviewing alternatives can save significant money. In this instance, more than $900 annually.  This is the story: This beneficiary had purchased a Medigap policy upon becoming Medicare eligible after two years receiving Social Security ..read more

After 12 years in the Oregon Legislature and as a lead budget writer, Portland Sen. Elizabeth Steiner would like to become the state’s chief investment officer.  She is running for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer in the May 21 primary against investment manager and former Lake Oswego City Councilman Jeff Gudman. The winner of the primary will run in the Nov. 5 general election against the lone Republican candidate, state Sen. Brian Boquist of Dallas. Steiner, also a family physician and professor at Oregon Health & Science University, would be the first woman in Oregon h ..read more

Jeff Gudman is trying for a third time to become Oregon state treasurer, but first the former Republican will need to secure the Democratic nomination. Gudman, a private investor and former Lake Oswego city councilman, is running against state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, D-Portland, in the May 21 Oregon primary. Gudman previously ran twice for state treasurer as a Republican against current Democratic Treasurer Tobias Read and lost by 10% in 2020 and 2% in 2016. Gudman decided to run as a Democrat because the Republican Party’s values no longer align with his own, he said, singling ..read more

Naomi Warren’s resonant alto reverberated in the McKay High School choir room Monday morning. “When you need a shoulder to lean on / I’ll be your bridge over dangerous waters,” the senior sang. A dozen of her classmates harmonized, going from a light percussion to a cascading echo of the word “waters.” The haunting rendition of “Call On Me” leads a trio of songs the Scots-Apella group will perform this weekend at a national competition in New York City. It’s the second year in a row the school’s acapella group has made it to a national stage. Last year, they took second place. Eight of the gr ..read more

Violent crime in Salem slightly declined last year overall while homicides were the highest they’ve been in 15 years, according to recently released data from the Salem Police Department. Property crimes last year were the lowest rate reported in 15 years. That drives overall crime rates down because Salem sees significantly more property crimes than violence, which police officials say they have turned their attention to. The number of violent crimes reported in 2023 was up 34.5% from 2009, when there were 600 reports of homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Meanwhile, the city’s po ..read more