Salem's Top 5 Stories of the Week

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:

Salem Moviegoers Rallying to Save CinemaSalem: An online fundraising effort to save CinemaSalem that kicked off Tuesday is halfway to reaching its goal and gaining momentum. Theater Owner Paul Van Ness has enlisted the help of Kickstarter, an online fundraising platform, in the hopes of raising the $60,000 needed to buy digital projectors.

Mayor Applauds Salem's New Downtown Turbines [VIDEO]: The state-of-the-art wind turbines now spinning atop the South Harbor Garage have city residents gazing upward in amazement and Mayor Kimberley Driscoll applauding another green energy project.

: Over the last three weeks, local police officers have responded to three armed robberies in downtown Salem. Two of the armed robberies occurred in the same Norman Street plaza, first at 7-Eleven on Nov. 19; and then at Georgia's Pizza this past Sunday night.

A Fond Farewell to 'Lucy the Cat': Local residents took to Facebook Sunday to share their feelings about the recent passing of Lucy the Cat, who was a well-known and much-loved fixture at the Barking Cat Pet Emporium on Essex Street.

Salem Raises Property Taxes by $71 on Average Home: The City Council voted Thursday night nine to one to raise the average single-family residential property tax for next year by $71 and condo owners by $100. It voted to keep the business tax rates at the same 1.65 percent split. The average commercial tax bill will be $15,481.

For more of this week's stories check out our news section.