Rachel Alexander

Six months after closing shop at the state fairgrounds, low-cost ceramics classes and open studio time are back in a new Willamette Art Center location near the airport.

Beth Schmidt, the former Safe Routes to Schools Coordinator for the Salem area, claimed she was fired for wearing a t-shirt depicting a historic American painting of civil rights icon Ruby Bridges as she worked to organize an annual event in Bridges’ honor.

Salem readers in February can dive into “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” a novel exploring the friendship between a mischievous captive octopus and the night cleaning woman at the aquarium where he lives. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the report.

Cindy Flores is the first dedicated mariachi and Mexican music teacher in the Salem-Keizer School District, teaching about 140 students across three schools.

Graduation rates in the Salem-Keizer School District have ticked slightly up and down in recent years, but reliably hover around 80%. New state data shows that’s true again for last year’s seniors, with 2,772 graduating. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the report.

A recent $1 million grant from the Mountain West Center for Community Excellence will pay for hundreds of teachers to receive paid training in classroom management and other topics union leaders say are in high demand. The money will also reinstate a home visiting program and pay for books for classroom libraries. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the report.

Records obtained by Salem Reporter show a staffer for Gov. Tina Kotek reached out to Mayor Julie Hoy three days after releasing an open letter calling for a pause on federal immigration enforcement. Mayors from several cities had signed, raising questions in the community why Salem was absent. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the report.

People who were at the Salem Hospital emergency room on Monday, March 16, from 6:10 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. should advise a health care provider they may have been exposed to measles, the Oregon Health Authority said Thursday evening. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the report.

Leslie Middle School and West Salem High School topped the list of Crystal Apple nominees for outstanding educators, with nine each. Winners will be announced during a ceremony Thursday, May 14.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a 49-year-old Woodburn man inside the Marion County Courthouse on Thursday, April 16, based on a warrant signed by a judge accusing him of re-entering the U.S. illegally. He was facing local sex abuse charges. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the report.