What’s up, Salem!

Let’s look at what we have for you today.

Have a story we should report on?

Submit it here

I appreciate you all!

Jacob

Having some more free time in the summer is great, yet I have recently found myself craving more… What’s better than finding new places to try? This summer has been pretty exciting, including two food trucks and a spot inside the Reed Opera House. So without further ado, let me tell you about these newer places!

Hawaiian food seems to be the latest cuisine to be flooding the Mid-Valley. Orionz Island Fusion is parked next to Club Pitbull Dispensary and serving up freshly grilled meats, plates and poke. Grilled kalbi (barbeuce short ribs), shrimp, pork belly or chicken is available on plates with rice and tuna mac. 

If you like poke, you’ll enjoy kelaguen, which is akin to a ceviche. It’s a meat or seafood pickled with lemon juice and has coconut milk, green onions and some heat with chili peppers typically. The kelaguen offered at Orionz is with tuna, and it is the perfect blend of spicy, somewhat creamy from the coconut milk and tangy with the fresh citrus juice mixed together. Orionz offers it with chicken and shrimp, as well as spicy ahi poke, shoyu ahi poke and coconut milk poke. 

If you come, be prepared to wait. It’s a small operation, but so worth the wait. They’ve been open a couple months, and can check out the Facebook page for more info. 1860 State Street.

A food truck with a more classic take on Hawaiian food, you can find Island Grubz on the Go in the parking lot of The Fussy Duck. Run by Julie and Richard Macguyer who relocated from Oahu last year. Richard mans the grill while Julie rings folks up. 

You can get plates of garlic shrimp or chicken, loco moco, kalua pig and even lau lau, which is pork wrapped in taro leaves then steamed. All these plates come with rice and mac salad, per usual. The garlic shrimp is a standout - but always ask for more garlic, because more garlic is always better. 

For the summer weekends, there is sometimes Hawaiian style shaved ice, which features soft fluffy ice. Come early, because it sells out quick! Sometimes there’s a rush during peak meal times, but as always, this homey food is worth the wait (or a call ahead). Check out their Facebook page for more. 3170 Commercial St SE.

You can finally get a glizzy in downtown Salem again! You can find hot dogs, chili cheese dogs and even a sauerkraut dog from Good Dogs, inside The Reed Opera House. Located in the tiny spot of former Precious Pizza, the same owners are slinging dogs as they prepare the new spot of their pizza joint across the street. 

Walk-in only, with the option of customizing your dog too. The lunch combo is just $8.50 for a regular size hot dog with chips and a soda - potentially the cheapest lunch deal in downtown. 

Get updated on the small spot’s hot dogs from Instagram (@gooddogsusaa) as they post their unique specials on their story daily. 105 Liberty St. NE.

If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll see Jacob has posted about other recent restaurant and cafe openings. We’ll keep it short and sweet here, but definitely check out the Instagram reels for visuals and more info. 

Dreamies Creamery: Sheep’s milk ice cream parlor now open inside The Forge. The owners are from Dallas and originally opened up their first ice cream parlor inside a trailer in 2022. This is the business’ second location, the first outside of Dallas. 285 Liberty St. NE, Suite 130.

Clink!: Another restaurant inside The Forge, this French-inspired restaurant is offering dinner and brunch. The chic, floral and pink-toned restaurant is hoping to be your next destination for a boujie brunch with the girls or your date night spot. 285 Liberty St. NE, Suite 230.

Paradiso at the Grand Theatre: The restaurant that continues on as a phoenix, is back open. Check out the new menu, and (fingers crossed) it remains with its local, upscale Italian fare. 195 High St. NE.

Gursha Eats: Last, but not least in the slightest, is Ethiopian restaurant Gursha Eats. From a little inquiry on Reddit about if Salem would enjoy Ethiopian food to a full blown restaurant a few months later, the family-run restaurant is a delight for those looking for something new. 2138 Lancaster Dr. NE.

Emergency Declaration for Water System Protection The council unanimously approved an $8 million emergency spending plan to protect Salem's water supply from the upcoming Detroit Dam deep drawdown scheduled for late 2026. The project includes drilling new wells at Garin Island and upgrading connections with the City of Keizer to ensure adequate water supply during the Army Corps of Engineers' fish passage operation.

Housing Authority Updates The Salem Housing Authority reported sending out 200 voucher notifications to people on the waiting list (which remains closed) and successfully preserving 166 affordable housing units at Fruitland Meadows through a new partnership agreement.

Ethics Commission Guidance Clarified After weeks of uncertainty, new state guidance allows council members to resume attending neighborhood association meetings. The previous confusion had prevented councilors from engaging with constituents at these important community gatherings.

Airport Service Update Following Avelo Airlines' departure on August 10th, staff will present options for securing new commercial air service at an August 18th work session. Travel Salem reported that previous service generated $32 million in visitor spending over 18 months.