Hey there, Salem! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️
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1. I-5 Widening Project South of Salem Expected To Finish Early, Under Budget (kykn.com) — If you drive I-5 south of Salem, expect smoother trips soon: the widening project between Kuebler Boulevard and Delaney Road is wrapping up months early and about $1 million under budget. New bridges, sound walls, and a Salem-backed roundabout at Battle Creek and Wiltsey aim to cut congestion, calm traffic near the urban growth boundary, and improve safety for commuters and freight alike.
2. Universal Changing Table Helps Children 'Advocate With Dignity' (disabilityscoop.com) — Visitors to the Oregon Capitol in Salem with older children or adults who need help changing now have a dedicated universal changing table in an accessible main-floor restroom. Added late in the building's massive renovation, the motorized table came after local parent advocates pushed lawmakers to fix an embarrassing lack of dignified space for people with severe disabilities during lobbying visits.
3. Father 'at wit's end' presses knuckles into baby's stomach, forces twin sister's mouth open with 'burp rag' — now headed to prison (meigsindypress.com) — A 29-year-old Salem father has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for repeatedly abusing his six-week-old twins, injuries first discovered when the family brought the babies to Salem Hospital. Salem police and Marion County prosecutors detailed multiple fractures and severe malnourishment, and the man has since resigned from his teaching job at a local middle school.
4. Health Insurance Changes, Salem's Data Center Debate & the Cost-of-Living Reality Check (kykn.com) — Salem city leaders are weighing whether to keep welcoming data centers, as a 120-day moratorium and strong public feedback push the council toward tighter rules on water, power, and infrastructure impacts. A local insurance expert also unpacks big shifts in Oregon's health insurance market, while national cost-of-living concerns and federal ACA fraud crackdowns round out the broader economic picture.
5. Zayda Miehl, Junior Pan Pacs Champion, Gives UVA Another Verbal for 2028 (swimmingworldmagazine.com) — A standout young swimmer from Salem Zayda Miehl has verbally committed to continue her career at the University of Virginia in 2028 after winning the 1500-meter freestyle at Junior Pan Pacs. Training with Corvallis Aquatic Team, she's already posting times that would score at major college meets, giving local swim fans a rising national-level talent to watch.
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Ok Salem! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Hop Squatch! (Thank you Terri R. for sending it in!)
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