Rachel Alexander
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
Willamette University plans for in-person fall classes, with pay cuts for faculty and staff
The Willamette University campus in Salem (Courtesy/Willamette University) Willamette University faculty are planning to teach students in-person come fall, but university leaders say much is still uncertain as they look to cut about 10% of the university’s budget for the…
Marion County sees another spike in COVID-19 cases, attributed to prison outbreak
A screenshot of Marion County’s COVID-19 data dashboard as of May 13, 2020. Marion County residents continue to test positive for COVID-19 at a rapid pace, with the county seeing its largest one-day jump in cases over the weekend. The…
Salem Health receives $1.25 million grant to begin processing coronavirus tests in-house
Andrea Davila, a nurse at the Kaiser Permanente North Lancaster clinic administers a test for COVID-19 at the clinic’s drive-thru testing site on Wednesday, April 29. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem Health is using a grant to ramp up local testing…
Salem-Keizer expects tens of millions in budget cuts from coronavirus impacts to state revenue
Salem-Keizer schools could see tens of millions of dollars in cuts next year, challenging educators to meet the needs of thousands of local children who will begin school in the fall months behind after prolonged closures. Superintendent Christy Perry will…
Schools may be closed, but large construction projects still on schedule
Ongoing construction at North Salem High School on May 6, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Major construction projects have recently started at three Salem-Keizer schools, and crews are on track to finish expansions at four others this summer. Though nearly every…
Steve Betschart, 71, retired Dallas High School teacher, remembered for legacy of service and faith
Steve and Jenni Betschart in 2016 (Courtesy/Jenni Betschart) Steve Betschart could make friends and strangers cry with a few notes from his bugle. Betschart, 71, was an accomplished musician, playing trumpet in high school band and later accompanying services at…
Willamette Mission among a handful of Oregon parks re-opening for day use
Participants in a 2019 “Let’s Go Camping” summer program canoe at Willamette Mission State Park (Courtesy/Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation) Willamette Mission is among eight Oregon state parks that will re-open to day use Wednesday, May 6. The park’s…
Thousands of Oregon families will get extra food stamps to cover missed school meals
Students eat breakfast on the first day of school in September 2019 at Bush Elementary School. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The 351,000 Oregon students who normally receive free or reduced-price meals at school will receive extra food stamps to cover the…
People newly positive for COVID-19 are disbursed around Marion County, data shows
A snapshot of Marion County’s COVID-19 heatmap on May 4, 2020. Marion County again saw a jump in residents testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, with no clear epicenter. Sixty-five people in the county had a positive test come…
Latest data shows fewer people in hospital, but more Marion County residents with COVID-19
A snapshot of Marion County’s COVID-19 heatmap from Friday, May 1, 2020. Marion County remains the epicenter of Oregon’s COVID-19 outbreak, with twice as many cases per capita as the state average. Salem Reporter is publishing data from state, county…