Friends say drowning victim was one of a kind; fundraiser and tribute planned

Salem’s nineteenth-century Custom House is getting a late summer makeover.

Police log news from Aug. 19 to Aug. 27.

Ali Weaver is cruising. She’s got the windows rolled down, the radio turned up and she’s steering her 1989 Dodge Dynasty around town like any 19-year-old might do on an afternoon off. But it’s not every day people see an old jalopy covered from stem to stern in psychedelic graffiti.

With Salem schools slated to open Sept. 3, here is a look at some of the topics that will shape the 2008-2009 school year.