High-End Restaurant Opus Opening Next Month: Opus, a new upscale restaurant in downtown Salem, is expected to open for business on Washington Street in mid-July. Coffee Time Bake Shop Robbed: Salem police are looking for a man who robbed Coffee Time Bake Shop Monday night. Motorcyclist Flees Salem Traffic Stop: A motorcyclist stopped on Bridge Street Sunday night waited for a Salem police officer to leave his cruiser before speeding away from the scene, according to police. Salem Wine Imports Changing Hands: At their meeting Monday night, the Salem Licensing Board unanimously approved the …

Freaky Finds at Salem's FiveHands Curiosity Shoppe: The FiveHands Curiosity Shoppe, which recently opened on North Street, is truly a one-of-a-kind business. From mummified mice and baby doll heads to gas masks and antique surgery tools, the small downtown Salem shop offers a wide variety of unusual items. Arsenic Levels Prompt City to Close Bertram Field: Preliminary soil tests conducted in preparation for a $1.9 million improvement project at Betram Field revealed elevated levels of arsenic and prompted the city to order the playing field closed. Salem PD Saves Chicken Named 'McNugget': …

Salem Board OKs Turner's Seafood Grill & Market: The Salem Licensing Board has paved the way for a Turner's Seafood Grill & Market to open on Church Street. Opening Soon: Five Hands Curiosity Shoppe: A vacant commercial space on North Street in Salem will soon be home to the Five Hands Curiosity Shoppe. The shop, which specializes in selling antique occult items, will open next month at 2 North St., according to a sign posted in the front window. Break-in at Peppy's Pizza in Salem: Salem detectives are investigating a break-in at Peppy's Pizza on Fort Avenue. At 10:14 a.m. Tuesday, police …

Harry Potter Shops Settling in on Essex Street: For the first time this past weekend, the city of Salem had side-by-side Harry Potter shops on Essex Street. Remember Salem owner Tim Maguire recently relocated his new Wynott's Wands shop from a small commercial space on Pickering Wharf to the former home of The Fool's Mansion on Essex Street. Salem Residents Fuming Over Stolen, Damaged Flowers: A recent uptick in reports of stolen flower pots and damaged gardens has some city residents asking local police officers to increase their latenight foot patrols in certain Salem neighborhoods. Walyo's…

Fire Damages Walyo's Variety Store: A fire damaged Walyo's Variety Store on Essex Street in Salem Friday afternoon. Salem firefighters responded to the fire at approximately 2:15 p.m. Downtown Salem Fountain Flowing Again: City residents out enjoying Thursday's warm weather were delighted to see water flowing once again from the fountain near the Essex Street entrance to the Museum Place Mall. Salem's Future Brought to Life in Photos: Salem is a city that will change considerably over the next few years. The photos attached to this post were featured in recently published Salem Patch articles…

Here are our most-read stories of the week. They are listed in no particular order. Click the headline to read the full story. Salem Detective Stabbed With Pencil: A Salem police detective was rushed to the hospital Wednesday evening after being stabbed in or near the eye at the police station by a female juvenile armed with an eyeliner pencil.Salem Man Accused of MBTA Groping: A Salem man on probation for groping two women at North Station is accused of groping a third on a Green Line train late last year, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.Here's the Scoop on a Salem …

Here are our five most-read stories of the week. They are listed in no particular order. Click the headline to read the full story. Planning Board Reviews Footprint Power Plans: The Planning Board reviewed Footprint Power's plan to convert the Salem Harbor Power Station into a state-of-the-art natural gas plant during a public hearing Thursday night that drew a small crowd of area residents to Bentley Elementary School. Spirit of the '70s Reborn on Salem Movie Set: A David O. Russell film about the 1970s Abscam scandal filmed scenes in downtown Salem this week. Here are some pictures from the…

Here are our five most-read stories of the week. They are listed in no particular order. Click on the headlines to read the full story. 'Naumkeag Ordinary' Opens in Downtown Salem: Naumkeag Ordinary officially opened for business Sunday afternoon in the former Cafe Polonia space on Washington Street in downtown Salem. Salem Police Played a Role in Massive Manhunt: When the city of Boston reached out for help in her time of need, Salem police officers were among those to step up. Sean Collier's Wake Turns Out Large Police Crowd: They call it the thin blue line. But there was nothing thin about…

Here are our top stories of the week. They are listed in no particular order. Click on the headlines for our full stories.  Salem Skateboarders Hoping to Change City Ordinance: Two brothers who love to longboard are looking to spark a conversation among city residents about a Salem ordinance that prohibits skaters from riding on sidewalks and streets. Unsealing Salem's Past: St. Joseph Church Time Capsule Cracked: For more than 60 years, an air-tight copper container roughly the size of a shoebox sat undisturbed in the cornerstone of Salem's St. Joseph Church. On Sunday, the time capsule was …

Here are our top 10 stories of the week, they are listed in no particular order. Click on the headlines to read our full stories. Opus Projects Mid-June Opening: Opus, a new upscale restaurant in downtown Salem, is expected to open for business on Washington Street in mid-June, the owner said Friday morning. State Hazmat Team Called to Salem Mercury Spill: A mercury spill at North Shore Cardiovascular Associates Monday forced Salem firefighters to seal off an examination room and enlist the support of a state Hazardous Materials Response team. Letter to the Editor: Ticketing Salem …

Here are our top five stories of the week - they are listed in no particular order. Click on the headline to read the full story. Salem Police: Walmart Shoplifter Had Loaded Gun, Drugs, Knives: A local man accused of shoplifting at the Salem Walmart Sunday night was reportedly found to be in possession of five knives, a loaded handgun, bullets, pills and marijuana packaged for distribution. A Virtual Look Ahead: Salem's New MBTA Station: These computer-rendered images of Salem's new MBTA Intermodal Station were generated by Fennick McCredie Architecture LLC and were most recently shown during…

Here are our top 10 stories of the week - they are listed in no particular order. Click on the headline to read the full story. Salem Police Bust Businesses Accused of EBT Scams, Pirated DVDs: Salem detectives executed search warrants at two city businesses Friday afternoon and reportedly discovered evidence that they've been buying stolen items, selling pirated movies and committing EBT card violations. Man Crashes Stolen Motorcycle, Flees on Foot: A man evaded Salem police Friday afternoon after allegedly crashing a stolen Harley Davidson motorcycle on Boston Street and fleeing the scene on…

Here are our top 10 stories of the week - they are listed in no particular order. Click on the headline to read the full story. Salem Council Green Lights New Senior Center: Thanks to some last-minute compromises, Salem city councilors voted 10 to 1 Thursday night to approve a financing proposal from Mayor Kim Driscoll to pay for a new $4.5 million Community Life Center at the intersection of Boston and Bridge streets. Sailor Rescued from Capsized Boat Off Salem Coast: A man rescued from the waters off of Salem Wednesday morning was rushed to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia. …

Here are our top 10 stories of the week - they are listed in no particular order. Click on the headline to read the full story. Gallon-Smashing Incident at Salem Shaw's: You may not have heard of gallon smashing but if you take a look at the Youtube video attached to this post, you'll know pretty much all there is to know. Opening Soon: Joe's Fish Prints and Tomo's Tackle: It's a dilemma that has faced many a Salem fisherman. You've just reeled in the big one and you want to share your catch with family and friends but a photograph just won't do it justice and your prize fish isn't going to …

Here are our top five stories of the week. Click on the headlines for all the details. Salem Police Chief Endorses Crackdown on Aggressive Panhandling: Salem Police Chief Paul Tucker said he understands why a recently-proposed ordinance that would have local officers issuing $50 tickets to people begging for change may seem strange to some. Local Firefighters Battle Blaze at Downtown High-Rise: Salem Firefighters battled a fire at the Charter Street high-rise that houses the Salem Housing Authority late Sunday night. At about 10:30 p.m., local firefighters responded to a reported fire inside …

Here are our top five stories of the week. They are listed in no particular order - click on the headline to read the full story. Salem So Sweet: Ice Sculptures in the Snow: The more than a dozen ice sculptures that were displayed across downtown Salem over the weekend came in all shapes and sizes and were brought to life by snow flurries. Echols of the West Memphis Three to Speak at Salem Film Fest: The sixth annual Salem Film Fest will feature a live Q&A session with new Salem resident and West Memphis Three member Damien Echols following a screening of West of Memphis - a documentary …

Just in case you missed something, here's a look back at our top five stories of the week. They are listed in particular order - click the headline to read the full story. Salem Businesses Host Annual Paczki Pig Out [VIDEO]: The Second Annual Paczki Eating Contest went off without a hitch at Cafe Polonia in Salem Tuesday night as area residents celebrated Fat Tuesday by stuffing their faces. Three Plow Fires in Four Days in Salem: While city road crews continue to work to clear the more than two feet of snow that was dumped on Salem during the Blizzard of 2013, Salem firefighters have been …

Here's a look at our top five stories of the week. Click on the headlines the read the full story. PHOTOS: Blizzard of 2013 in Salem: Salem residents woke up to more than a foot of snow Saturday morning and we asked you, our readers, to submit your photos of the snow outside your windows! The result was a great collection of awesome local storm photographs. Salem Firefighters Rescue Snow-Trapped Horse: In addition to extinguishing two snowplow fires in white-out conditions overnight, Salem firefighters can add saving a trapped horse to their growing list of duties performed during The …

Here are our top five stories of the week, they are listed in no particular order. Click on the headlines to read the full story: Man Beaten During Road Road Incident at Market Basket: A Salem man was reportedly beaten in front of his wife and baby Sunday afternoon following an alleged road rage incident in the Market Basket parking lot. Driscoll, Tierney Help Dedicate Downtown Salem Plaque: Several of the speakers at Thursday's downtown Salem plaque dedication pointed out that the corner of Washington and Front streets was well-known for years as the spot where a Salem man would hold signs …

Here are our top five stories of the week, they are listed in no particular order. Click on the headlines to read the full story: A Look Around Salem's New iTaco: The space inside the Museum Place Mall that you probably remember as The Daily Bagel Cafe is now an iTaco, a Mexican restaurant offering customers free Wi-Fi and authentic Mexican cuisine. Here's a quick look around this new Salem business. $45M Downtown Salem Project in the Works: A Somerville developer is reportedly making plans to construct a $45 million development in downtown Salem, the Salem News is reporting. The company, RCG…