BY DERRICK PERKINS Robert Ventullo, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, said his admiration for the men and women who serve as police officers and firefighters led him to present the town with three flags flown at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. “It’s an admiration I have for them. It’s always been a lifelong dream to ...

BY JENN McDOWELL A woman was trapped in an elevator for about half an hour when a transformer near the food court at the Rockingham Mall malfunctioned, causing electrical glitches. The woman, who left immediately after being rescued and was not identified, was not injured, said Salem Fire Marshal Jeffrey Emanuelson. The mall was ...

BY DERRICK PERKINS Fire and finance department officials are making a break with tradition by enlisting the services of a collection agency to help recoup some of the $132,000 owed to the town in outstanding ambulance bills. In March, Director of Finance Jane Savastano began working with the town’s third-party billing agent ...

BY JIM DEVINE SALEM – A fire from last week where rescue workers saved three small dogs from a Millville Street home has been deemed suspicious by investigators. Despite heavy snowfall throughout the day on Friday, Feb. 22, firefighters were able to respond quickly to the cape home at 32 Millville St., according to Asst. Chief ...

BY LESLIE A. TOOMY Hundreds of families flocked to the Salem Central Fire Station on a recent humid autumn day to climb into the driver’s seat of Engine One and other fire safety vehicles, witness firefighters extinguish a demonstration car fire, and view live exhibits of the Jaws of Life and in-home sprinkler systems. It was all in ...

BY MATT HERSH Salem police and fire officials are investigating what has been called a suspicious fire that destroyed a local eatery on Saturday, April 28. The fire broke out around 5 a.m. at the Canobie Clam Box at 80 North Policy St., according to Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Emanuelson. The small takeout restaurant was closed for the season at ...

BY MATT HERSH Salem’s Election Day may be over but there are still several issues for residents to consider at the town’s second deliberative session. Planned for 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, at Salem High School, the session will give voters a chance to weigh in on a number of warrant articles that were not on the ballot. Like ...

BY MATT HERSH A Salem home on Barron Avenue sustained heavy damage on Thursday, Feb. 2, after a fire started due to an improperly installed wood stove. Deputy Fire Chief Michael Wallace said the wood stove was not equipped with the correct ventilation materials, causing heat to build up and start the blaze around 5:40 p.m. Fire officials from ...

BY MATT HERSH A four-alarm fire significantly damaged a Salem office building on Thursday, Jan. 25. The fire started in a second floor wall behind a clothes dryer at 53 Stiles Road.  Fire officials said a lint buildup likely started the blaze. Since the series of condominium-style offices were built in the 1980s, they predated the ...

Fire department seek grant to add to staffBY MATT HERSHSalem’s fire department may be one step closer to adding four new firefighters, according to officials. During a presentation to selectmen on Monday, Dec. 11, Fire Chief Kevin Breen said he had reapplied for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, which would ...