:-) Haters

Hating on Salem is like picking apart government building architecture - too easy. The attitude makes it difficult to build something that rises above the fray and even more of a challenge to make it "cool." We would like to congratulate all the organizers of the Cherry City Derby Girls' Black and Blue Debut. From the action on the track to the half-time show it was pitch-perfect. For all you haters, we're going to ask to see your CCDG ticket stub from here on out.

:-P "Good" news

Anyone who has worked in the news business for any amount of time has heard the complaint, "You never report on anything good." Here's the thing, news is news. What's good for one person will probably cause untold heartache down the line for another. News agencies shouldn't have to label a page or segment "good" to pass muster. Stooping to that level says more about the news agency than it does the news itself.

:-( Surrounded on all Sides

Developer Chuck Sides is hoping to bring a gas-fired power plant to Keizer. He's making the case based on a "memorandum of understanding" from a company that builds the power plants. Aside from the green impact of becoming further entrenched in fossil fuel energy, we would like the Keizer City Council to remember Sides' last major gift to the city, Keizer Station. Hey Chuck, whatever happened to those "letters of intent" from Burgerville and Kohl's?

:-| For want of a decent nightclub

It's disheartening to mark the passing of both Lefty's and the Six Ultra Lounge. Not because we were huge fans of either one, but it says something about Salem that we have such difficulty in finding the right mix for any nightclub to keep its doors open. On the bright side, when one door closes another opens. We look forward to the next step in the evolution.

:-) Small steps

Our cover story this month takes a broad look at homelessness in the Mid-Valley, but the take-away is this: life on the streets is rougher than many of us will ever be able to fathom. It's made harder by the city's vagrancy statute which basically makes it illegal to sleep anywhere in public. Both Eugene and Portland have relaxed such statutes and we would like to see Salem follow suit. We're a long way from ending homelessness, but this would be a step in the right direction.