Jimmy Jones, executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency. Before becoming director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA), Jimmy Jones taught Western Civilization as a professor. When asked to explain the crisis of homelessness in Salem,…
Juanita Aniceto was starting to get worried. As a youth support specialist with the Salem Drop, a youth community center-slash-support network, she invests a lot of time, energy and care into the young people she works with. When…
Oregon’s youth depression and suicide rates consistently outstrip the national average for youth across the board – but for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) youth, the numbers paint an even gloomier picture for mental wellness. Half of LGBTQ+…
When Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) conducted a district wide survey of secondary and elementary students, they found something they didn’t expect. “A high number of kids reported that they did not feel connected to their school,” said David Fender, director…
Youths nationwide are struggling with their mental health at rates higher than previous generations. Oregon has the highest rate of youth depressive episodes in the country, and rates of depression – alongside anxiety and self-harm – are trending upward. Many…
City officials are looking to make sidewalks throughout Keizer more accessible for their intended purpose and it might mean basketball hoops will need to be removed when not in use. Sidewalk obstructions were the topic of a Keizer City Council…