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.
Seeking art, science and more, Salem teachers turn to crowdfunding
Stephanie Taylor, a behavior specialist, has used DonorsChoose.org to supply the Cubs Den at Four Corners Elementary School (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When Monica Brillig began teaching at Myers Elementary School in 2007, her classroom came with a desk for her,…
Blanchet debuts new turf field, just in time for homecoming
Blanchet Catholic School’s new turf field. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) For the three years James Moore has played football at Blanchet High School, every game has felt like an away game. The Catholic school hasn’t had a football field, so Moore…
More kids coming to school in Salem-Keizer, new state data shows
Students get off the bus for the first day of school at Bush Elementary. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Hundreds more local students attended school regularly last year after a determined push by the Salem-Keizer School District to boost numbers. That’s the…
School board members say they’re disappointed by Salem’s poor test results
School buses parked in the Salem-Keizer School District lot on Hawthorne Avenue (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Last month, new state data showed Salem-Keizer had once again failed to raise the percentage of students reading and doing math at grade level. Salem-Keizer…
Oregon leads nation on bee-saving efforts with citizen science, education
Bees collected by Oregon Bee Atlas volunteers on display at a Salem City Club lunch (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem City Club members are the newest recruits for one of the nation’s premier efforts to identify and track Oregon’s bee population.…
Eat your way around Salem this October with Salem Dining Month
Mushroom risotto is one of the Salem Dining Month options at Rafns’, paired with soup or salad and glass of wine (Courtesy/Rafns’ Restaurant) Want to sample some Salem flavor? Eighteen local restaurants are offering special three-course menus as part of…
Salem-Keizer leaders seek community input for $35 million in new state school funding
Students eat breakfast on the first day of school at Bush Elementary School. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The use of millions of state dollars to improve local schools rests in the hands of about three dozen Salem-Keizer community members and local…
West Salem land purchase on the table for Salem-Keizer school board
A half-million dollar land purchase near West Salem High School is among the items Salem-Keizer school board members will consider at their Tuesday meeting. Board members will hear a proposal to buy a 1.3 acre property at 1755 Doaks Ferry…
Oregon Black Pioneers show the deep roots of African-Americans in Salem
Willie Richardson, president of the Oregon Black Pioneers, speaks about the group’s research at their Salem office. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When Gwen Carr moved to Oregon from southern California in the 1980s, she got some skepticism from her black friends.…
Dogs rescued from Texas flooding need new homes in Salem
Luke, a two-year-old lab mix, is among the Texas rescue dogs waiting to be adopted at Willamette Humane Society. (Courtesy/Willamette Humane Society) Ten dogs are looking for new homes in Salem after being displaced from Texas shelters affected by heavy…