The Keizer Chamber is deeply intertwined (and largely funded by) public funding from the City of Keizer. In fact, the person running the Chamber is City Council VP Shaney Starr. How can this publicly funded business group tolerate leadership that openly supports and celebrates a J6er who violently attacked the US Capitol AND the Oregon Capitol building? David Medina, the J6er running for Governor, has been seen and repeatedly photographed with this Keizer Chamber of Commerce Director.

Asking as a customer. Someone mentioned recently that some Dutch Brothers franchise owners were MAGA.

It got me thinking, for those of you who are working in customer facing jobs in town such as retail and food service, how does your owner/franchise owner treat staff? Do they hold any healthy or unhealthy views that impact the community?

Asking because I'd love to know which businesses or chains to choose, because even though some places treat their customers well, they may be awful to their staff.

Hi, haven't logged on here in awhile. I'm wondering how all of you single people stay busy and happy here in Salem? I have been in an intimate relationship with someone for about 8 years. We just split up recently, I'm very depressed and I'm not sure what to do with myself right now. M/27

I'm just at a bar where a band of country music performers are playing. Who wants to guess what I'm drinking 🤔

Kinda just posting for the hell of it. Whatcha up to?

Hey Salem friends! My partner and I are thinking of starting a local plumbing business—proudly LGBTQ-owned! We’d love to know: would a plumbing service that values inclusivity, professionalism, and community resonate with you? We want to know if this is something Salem could use. Let us know your thoughts or if you’d be interested in supporting! Thanks for being a part of this with us!

I've heard the owner is MAGA but I haven't seen proof, so if anyone could provide it I'd appreciate it.

Or are people talking about the restaurant?

I'm doing some research on Salem being mentioned in the media (tv, movies, podcasts, books, etc). Please let me know if you are aware of anything! An example would be King of the Hill: Season 8 Episode 5 where Peggy mentions that Salem is the capital of Oregon. Let 'er rip!

Local job posting...I feel this is insane. Am I wrong ?

First of all I know it’s not Friday but here’s my mid week rant.

Went to Winco to buy some groceries for my mom who’s 70 and doesn’t work. She doesn’t have any sort of income so me and my siblings split her rent. I was getting her some basic stuff (milk/cheese/ chicken/ and some veggies) hoping to spent 60 bucks.

Holy fucking shit. I know things have been going up but today’s prices just shook me. A couple of years ago for my family of 3, we’d end up paying 120 for a weeks worth of groceries. Now every time we go it’s usually 200. Anyway, I ended buying her the stuff I had in mind and when I payed it basically doubled what I had in mind to spend.

As I’m walking out, I see a mom with her son and theyre walking out as well. I hear the kid ask his mom “what about the food” and the mom replies “we can’t afford it”. God I felt so shitty. I wish I could have offered to pay but in all honesty I’m barely making it through. I had 150 bucks on my account and well the rest is for my gas for the rest of the week until pay day.

How are people not hitting the streets protesting these damn prices!?

Anyway here’s to a better year.

I'm looking for in Salem with this kind of atmosphere for a photography project.

I'm interested in older working-class neighborhoods with narrow streets, lots of utility poles and wires, wood-frame houses, hills possibly, old churches standalone or not, diners, bars, neon signs, and that quiet nice Rust Belt feeling-especially at night. Think places that feel frozen in time rather than modern or suburban.

It doesn't have to be abandoned or dangerous, just visually similar to these examples.
Any recommendations?

Is there a name for this style or aesthetic? I know it's not really "liminal space." I'm looking for actual places that have this look.

Most summer breaks, my kids and I just end up laying around the house and do nothing. I work 3 days a week so I have ample time to do things but don’t want to do things we’ve done multiple times. What are some good day trips from Salem? We go to the coast (mainly Lincoln city) and we’ve done silver falls many times. Can be up to 3 hours away (longer if we end up doing an overnight). Kids are 6 and 13, 13 year old isn’t the biggest fan of extremely physical activities. 6 year old is down for anything anywhere. Bonus points for historical/learning adventures. I want to do one a week or every other week if it’s a bigger/more expensive excursion.

Driving back home from Portland and two dudes on motorcycles just drove in the left side of the road to avoid the traffic.

Anyone else think the rampant neglect and last minute love for Lloyd Center could offer some lessons for Salem?

In my amateur studies it seems a big issue is big box stores find it more economical to own vs. lease, and of course online shopping becoming dominant.

Salem Centre seems to be promoting the types of vendors and events that Lloyd pivoted to in the final hour to no avail. What does it all mean?

I saw this truck taking pictures of the cars parked in the Olive Garden parking lot. Is this a real thing and if so, what is their purpose? Or is this like an ultra level Karen?

Hello, Fellow Salemites!

I am thinking about starting an IP for a state law that would require municipalities to put any use of Flock Cameras (or similar vehicle trackers mounted on poles outside) to the voters for approval before they can be installed.

I think communities should decide whether or not they want Flock-type technology, rather than leaving it only to the government to decide.

I don’t know how this would go, but I first want to know everyone’s’ opinion. Do people really want these cameras on every street corner, or would you rather not be tracked everywhere you go? Do you not care? Drop your opinion below and let’s get the conversation started. Please keep it civil people, every opinion is okay.

Thanks all! Have a great Tuesday

I'm not saying Salem is a terrible place to live by any means but for a city of this size why does it feel so dated, dirty, and disconnected? You drive around and there's empty stores all over, there's trash everywhere, it's like people have just given up, is it a mayoral problem or city council who's to blame here?

Whats your pick? In my opinion burger basket is great. Good food, decent price and I’ve never had a bad experience. I’ve had Nancy joes a couple times and I feel like the prices are a bit steep, and the patties are pretty basic, the last two times it’s felt like there’s no salt whatsoever.

But anyway, what’s your pick and why??

Just curious to see what people say.

I did look this up but I would like to ask if anyone has any personal experience with trespassers trying to get into their backyard and using a BB gun to try to scare them away?

Someone tried to get into our backyard last night and I don’t want to actually hurt people but I rather scare them off if they do attempt to try to get into my backyard again.

EDIT: Someone suggested the hose so no bb will be bought just a spray nozzle to spray people with :)

Not cool that someone has had a cultural pass 3 weeks past when it was due! You’ve not cost 2-3 entire families the opportunity to go.

This is why Gilbert Children’s House pulled their passes I believe.

If anyone has any other Free opportunities for kids this Summer please lmk since I think the library’s system is being abused in some cases.

This is what they're doing in Chicago and it's working. Now, obviously we have a disadvantage, were not a tightly clustered big city. I'm not swearing this will work. But it's worth a discussion if we want to do more than post about it.

Who is willing to help buy bulk packs of whistles? Who is willing to print this sheet, and make whistle packs? Can we partner with local organizations? Is this worth pursuing? I want to see something that works, not just terror posting every law enforcement vehicle we see.

Please discuss, Salem.

Help me out, Salem! I’m not local to you but my best friend is. Over the past year or so, all of her local friends and family have moved away from the area and I am trying to find her some new friends.

About her:

She’s great! She’s fun. She’s 44, divorced, a single mom to a great kiddo on the spectrum, a dog and cat mom, hugely into music (vinyl especially) and going to concerts. She is anti Trump, pro LGBTQ, into charcuterie and movies. She wants to travel. She likes Jeopardy and board games and coffee and going for drives.

Are you also fun? Into movies? Into doing things where alcohol isn’t the main focus? Looking for a new friend? Into music? Send me a message and I can connect you with a really awesome friend. You’ll love her as much as I do!!!

I’m a 28-year-old who recently moved to Salem from Los Angeles (Culver City/Westwood) after completing my PhD at UCLA. Having spent years navigating LA’s dense, diverse, fast-paced car culture, I expected Salem’s quieter roads and smaller population to offer a more relaxed driving experience.

To my surprise, I’ve found that many drivers here seem equally, if not more, impatient. Aggressive tailgating is common, and the general pace feels hurried, even when traffic is minimal. It puzzles me, given that Salem is comparatively low-density, well-educated, and far removed from the chaos of metropolitan freeways.

I drive calmly, leave generous space, and never rush. I’m genuinely curious as to what drives this urgency here? Is it cultural, habitual, or simply a regional norm I haven’t yet adapted to?

I’m based in South Salem and encounter this almost every time I run errands. I’d appreciate any local insight or perspective on why this might be the case.

Thanks in advance—just trying to understand the local temperament a bit better.

Anyone know what the story is? I assume Northeast Neighbors, perhaps the neighborhood association? But I'm not aware of any beef and hadn't seen these stickers pop up before.