Although I’ve only been with Salem Reporter since July, I’m happy to look back and find so many stories that I’m proud of. I started in the summer as an intern and was grateful to be thrown at a variety of different stories — dog racing, weekly events, recovery organizations and breaking news.
I count myself lucky to have been hired on and to join the staff here. I can’t wait to start the new year as part of this team, but for now, here are some of my favorite stories from the year, or six months I’ve been here.
During my six months at Salem Reporter, I watched as news came in every two or three weeks that another fatal crash happened.
In November, the Salem Police Department said they had responded to 20 fatal crashes during 2024. I decided to take a closer look and pull all of our past coverage, including crashes that other agencies responded to. This quickly grew the number from 20 to 25. While verifying crashes and looking through data reports, the victim’s names became familiar to me.
As of Dec. 23, Salem has lost 28 people to fatal crashes, including a mother and daughter, a dedicated volunteer and a retired librarian.
Since I started in July, I quickly learned how difficult it is to report on addiction treatment and not hear Tim Murphy’s name. When his retirement was announced, I had a long interview with him and talked with a handful of people who knew him through the years.
As I’ve profiled treatment clinics and talked with people in recovery, I’ve lost count how many people have brought up Murphy, thanking him for his work or crediting him for their sobriety. He’s left a mark on Salem that won’t soon be forgotten.
I had never set foot in a courtroom before I was assigned this story. I did not know what to expect, despite knowing the details of the case. Over a year before I came to Salem Reporter, a teenager had beaten a Salem homeless man to death in northeast Salem.
I sat in the room as the then 18-year-old was sentenced as a juvenile. I sat and listened as a daughter and a nephew shared their grief with the judge, who in turn showed them empathy and gratitude. As I watched the hearing, I wanted to share it with readers and balance the case details with humanity.
As I’ve covered addiction treatment, I’ve heard lots of opinions on Measure 110, the bill Oregon voters passed to decriminalize drug possession in 2020. This year, a new bill was passed that made possession a felony again.
To address the new bill, Marion County started a new court, called RESTORE Court. The acronym stands for REStitution & Treatment On Route to Expungement. The new court, which is in action now, is helping drug users who commit low-level property crimes pay off their restitution and start recovery.
A woman reached out to us about a story idea she had: a beloved old white oak tree that the city was going to remove. The tree, which is estimated to be 250 years old, continues to face potential removal due to fungus found at its base. I have passed by the tree a couple of times, but never knew how far back its ties to the community went.
The tree also happens to be in front of one of the oldest houses in Salem, the Smith-Fry house, which was built by her boss’ ancestor. Her boss, Ben Deumling, runs a flooring company, and offered to make the tree into boards for the neighbors to have whenever the tree is removed.
The Keizer couple that runs Soaring Heights Recovery Programs uses their experiences with recovery to help dozens of people. This program stood out to me because one of its main goals is to reunite families who have been separated because of a parent’s addiction or incarceration.
The program runs three houses, which the couple and their employee run like family, wishing each client well as they walk out the door. As I interviewed the couple, it was sweet to see them be both watchful and caring with each woman who passed by us.
On Halloween, I was the least dressed up person at Marion County Justice Court. Justice of the Peace Justin Kidd was dressed as a pirate and most of the thirteen couples he married on Oct. 31 were also in costume.
I spoke with two couples the day before their weddings and got to photograph them as they signed their names on a marriage license. The courtroom was decorated for the holiday and Kidd brought lots of joy and excitement to make each courtroom wedding something special.
My story about a new cat clinic in Keizer led to hundreds of comments on Facebook about people’s own pets or support for the low-cost services. The new clinic was the newest addition to Friends of Felines, a local nonprofit that has arranged over 19,000 adoptions since its start in 2004. The organization’s Executive Director Chelsey Marks said the new clinic should keep costs low and help owners and pets stay together.
Touring the new clinic was amazing, along with seeing a few kitten patients waiting for their surgeries. But it is always fun to see an outpouring of support from the community, like what happened with this story.
One of the first recovery stories I did was of the Recovery Outreach Community Center in downtown. The center is a place for people facing addiction, homelessness, mental illness and trauma to come together. Compared to several other recovery organizations, ROCC has very few barriers for people to access its services, making it readily available to those who want a safe place to spend the day or those who’d like a free shower.
The people who work and volunteer at ROCC all have lived experiences with recovery from various challenges. Executive Director Christina Korkow told me it’s meant to be a “functional family” for people who need one.
My first story at Salem Reporter was about the relaunching of a free childcare program for people who have business in court. Court and Community Care, formerly CourtCare, is run by people in the legal field, many of whom have seen the need for a program like this.
Many people who are trying to complete court-mandated treatment also have children to look after. Children can also disrupt court proceedings if they’re in the room, or potentially be scared or traumatized by what is discussed in court.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
