As the summer heat finally begins to build, it is also slowly helping to spur discussions all over the City.
While some of the winter issues have faded into the background, certain items are beginning to generate what looks like a sustained conv…

There are some things about municipal government that confuse me.
Chief among them is the evolution of the school superintendent position. I do not dispute the importance of the position. There are no doubt great responsibilities that go with su…

If reading a little about people doing some good for other people is of no interest to you, then read no further.
Despite difficult times that have resulted in a sluggish economy, the abundance of unemployed or under-employed locals, and a reluc…

Everybody has an opinion.
There has never been a truer statement. When it come to budgets, whether they be in private industry or professional government, that fact rings even more loudly.
My first experience with budgets came when I ran ma…

It was the end of the world as we knew it.
Businesses were going to die. Jobs were going to be lost. Revolution was in the air, and I had a front row seat.
On April 1, 2001, the Salem Board of Health, led by Joanne Scott, enacted Health Reg…

Late in the day on March 9, 1944, the Coast Guard Destroyer Escort U.S.S. Leopold was engaged by two German U-Boats while on escort duty with the 27-ship convoy CU-16.
The crew used deck guns to fire on the first U-Boat. At 8:15 p.m., the second…

There are some in Salem who have expressed  interest in seeing some change of personalities in the City Council chambers. This is reflected in the sudden plethora of declared candidates. 
Is this a good news or a bad news scenario?
I look…

Recent developments at Lifebridge, formerly the Salem Mission, seem to indicate a more realistic view of the shelter’s relationship and impact on the neighborhood it shares with Salem families.
In 2002, when I was working full time at the Lobste…

To Facebook or “Fakebook” is the question. How do you social network?
In the dawn of this new technical era, people are social networking during what seems to be a fast-paced, poor economic time. People work too many hours or they’re not worki…

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring o…

Salem, a city once dotted with industry and manufacturing, is now a community dotted with parks both large and small. 
Salem Common, the Willows, Winter Island, Forest River, and Mack Park stand as the crown jewels of our public spaces. Dispers…

A few days ago, I sat in the window of a downtown sandwich shop and watched a very entertaining and informative sequence of events.
As I began to eat my tuna on whole wheat, a car parked in a corner space out in front of the shop pulled away int…

Sam Zoll loved Salem.
He loved its history and its people. You could see that as he strode its streets with his long stride during his early morning walks. It was evident when he rode his bicycle to Winter Island to swim in the waters of the har…

We need government.
Without it, chaos would be the rule of the day. Order is needed for society to flourish.  We establish governments to create the order we require. Sometimes, it seems that those we have elected choose instead to create chaos…

Are you looking for something different to do this weekend?
If so, mosey on down to Dodge Street Bar & Grill this Sunday evening.
Owner Frank Presutti and his staff will oversee the Annual Spam Wood Derby. Yes, you read that right. Entr…

Back in the dark ages of downtown Salem, the choices for Easter Brunch were few and far between. Empty buildings dotted the mall and Washington Street.
Times sure have changed as more than a few fine eateries are preparing Easter brunch for you …

A long, tough winter is fading away in the rear-view mirror. Spring is here and we all look forward to a great summer. What are you doing to help clean up the sand and trash that was hidden by the accumulated snows of the season?
As a kid I work…

Salem Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Salem.
Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and s…

We all deal with the reality of traffic every day. You probably do so from behind the wheel of your car. Starting and stopping on the whims of other drivers, various traffic lights, or in response to the sudden dashes of frantic pedestrians. 
B…

The Burger Brigade article that ran a few weeks back generated quite a bit of attention.
Next winter, we will return to burgers and visit some places we may have missed this year.
Ken Rothwell of Ken’s “Kickin’ Chicken had a different react…