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Willamette University founded the Hallie Ford Museum of Art near downtown Salem to share art with local residents.

This museum has served as a key center for culture and history in the community.

Salem is waiting to hear from the USDOT on a $950,000 grant after SkyWest Airlines offered its support to revive commercial air service from the Salem-Willamette Valley Airport - if approved, the city will launch flights between Seattle and San Diego.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church reopened its sanctuary on Aug.

31 after a four-alarm arson fire damaged its roof three years ago (services had been held in a gym while renovations were underway).

Chemeketa Community College opened a new Student Resource Hub — a centralized space combining a food bank, clothes closet and benefits navigator — to help students facing food and housing challenges.

Officials and nonprofit leaders held a ribbon cutting on Sept. 10.

Oregon lawmakers approved $123 million on Sept.

10 to cover wildfire fighting costs from a season that burned 2.5 million acres. The funds will support the state Department of Forestry (receiving $108 million) and the State Fire Marshal ($15 million) to keep wildfire response running.

John Olbrantz retired Sept.

4 after nearly 30 years directing Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette and Jonathan Bucci is set as its new director. He built the museum’s legacy with world-class exhibits and a growing art collection on campus.

For nearly a month, thousands of Vaux's Swifts have swirled around the chimney of First United Methodist Church downtown as hundreds gathered in the south parking lot (600 State St.) to watch the birds form a cyclone before sunset.

Salem galleries and museums feature five exhibits this month showcasing Indigenous art, local winemaking, hometown narratives, Celilo Falls images and fabric heritage.

Key dates include artist talks on Sept. 12 and 27 at the Salem Art Association and an opening reception on Sept. 26 at Stefani Art Gallery.