By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Repayment of money taken from the River Road Renaissance (RRR) projects to pay for Keizer Station problems and civic center cost overruns became a topic of debate for the Keizer Urban Renewal Agency at a meeting Monday, Sept. 17. The Keizer City Council members pull double duty as [...]

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes Birdie’s Bistro has been open just more than two weeks, but they’re already getting traffic at those non-traditional times. (And who’s Birdie? That would be owner Shana Schmidt’s grandmother, Roberta Finlay, a longtime Salem-area resident.) A visit at 3 p.m. revealed teenagers taking advantage of the sun via the [...]

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes Porter’s Pub is under new ownership, but longtime fans of the bar can taste some familiar recipes while checking out some novel menu additions. Its grand reopening is Saturday, Aug. 11, with a ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. and an appearance from Crater, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes mascot, from 3 [...]

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes Local employers are having trouble finding qualified machinists and mechanics to build and repair equipment, a survey of area businesses shows. Nearly one-third of fabricated metal manufacturers in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties told the Oregon Employment Department that they were struggling to find qualified workers in 2011. The [...]

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes As a former accountant, Bruce Lawson can fairly accurately pinpoint when things started taking a turn for the worse at his store, Booksmart, River Road’s longtime bookstore. “Once the build-out was complete at Keizer Station, I noticed a loss. Not huge, but noticeable,” Lawson said. He quickly points [...]

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes Whatever your beliefs are on psychics, crystals and energy auras, check your assumptions at the door if you visit the New Age Psychic Center, recently opened at 4947 River Road N. Eva, the resident seer, prefers some of the details of her identity remain a mystery. She’s young, appearing [...]

By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes In an age when an actual book, the kind that requires muscle tone to turn a page, is seeming more and more like a relic of a bygone era, some Keizer businesses owners are planning to do their best to keep the tradition alive. It may sound like [...]

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes Having owned McNary Restaurant and Lounge for a year now, owner David Zahradnik thinks he’s found the formula for success. A Keizerite for most of his life, his family moved to McNary Estates in 1990, and he played on the golf course for years. He was a varsity member [...]

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes Gene’s Meat Market now has a store in Keizer. A Santiam Canyon mainstay for more than 60 years, the outpost on River Road has been on the radar for quite some time. They carry a wide variety of smoked and fresh meats at their main store; the one here [...]

By JASON COX Of the Keizertimes Garlic Jim’s Famous Gourmet Pizza is returning to its former location in Keizer under a new owner. Eric Peterson, who owns the south Salem location, said the grand opening at 5151 River Road will be June 19. Eatsalem.com first reported the news last week. Radio station KYKN 1430 will [...]