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.
As Salem-Keizer schools resume, numbers show how many students have Covid and who’s staying home
Students tour Houck Middle School on the first day of in-person sixth grade on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Since Salem-Keizer schools resumed in-person classes for middle and high school students, a small sliver have contracted Covid and…
“Covid fatigue” among younger, unvaccinated people driving Salem-area case increases
Austin Griffith, a medic with Woodburn Ambulance Service, administers a Covid test during a free drive-through testing clinic on Tuesday, Aug. 25. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Health officials in Marion and Polk counties know that Covid cases are rising but often…
Poised to graduate early, Salem high school seniors get a free quarter of college
Brayan Quevedo, right, a senior at Sprague High School, and teacher Jamie Ellis, left, on April 23, 2021. Quevedo is one of about 175 Salem-Keizer seniors taking college courses through the new Senior Launch program (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Melissa Espinoza,…
Gardening helped these Salem teens cope with quarantine. Now, they’re selling plants.
Josue Castaneda, Margarita Arroyo, and Nevaeh Okell tour through the greenhouse as part of their ‘Introduction to Agriculture’ class at McKay High School on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When her high school moved classes online last year,…
TIMELINE: A year of business restrictions and closures in Salem
A sign at Capitol Coffee in March 2020 as Salem businesses saw a first round of pandemic restrictions and closures. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Starting Friday, April 30, Marion and Polk counties will again face new Covid restrictions, with indoor dining…
Oregon Tech faculty in Salem join strike over pay raises, workload
Members of the Oregon Tech faculty union are joined by students during a strike for better wages and benefits in front of their facility on Chemeketa Community College’s campus on Monday, April 26, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Five Oregon Institute…
Salem-Keizer school board candidate Q&A – Zone 7 (north Salem)
May 2021 Salem-Keizer School Board candidates for zone 7: Liam Collins, left, and Maria Hinojos Pressey On May 18, local voters will select four new members of the Salem-Keizer School Board. Although candidates must live in the district they represent,…
McNary’s Erik Jespersen named Oregon Principal of the Year
McNary principal Erik Jespersen, left, student body president-elect Griffen Hubbard and sophomore class president-elect Mariah Benitez shovel dirt at the McNary groundbreaking ceremony on May 17, 2019. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Erik Jespersen, principal of McNary High School in Keizer, is…
Salem-Keizer School Board candidate Q&A – Zone 5 (southeast Salem)
May 2021 Salem-Keizer School Board candidates for zone 5: Karina Guzmán Ortiz, left, Jesse Lippold Peone and Mike Slagle On May 18, local voters will select four new members of the Salem-Keizer School Board. Although candidates must live in the…
NAACP calls on school board candidate to end campaign following controversial Facebook comment
Kari Zohner, candidate for Salem-Keizer School Board Zone 1 (campaign photo) The Salem-Keizer NAACP has called on Kari Zohner, a candidate for Salem-Keizer School Board, to end her campaign after she criticized Oregon State University for posting a photo of…