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 over 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.
Short of details, public officials could only watch as church Covid outbreak unfolded
A tent used for Sunday services at Peoples Church on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Oregon Health Authority took nearly a month to verify and disclose what is so far the largest workplace outbreak of Covid reported…
On cross-country totem pole journey, carvers pay respect to children buried at Chemawa Cemetery
Freddie Lane, right, a citizen of the Lummi Nation and tour manager for the Red Road to DC journey, bows his head in prayer during a ceremony paying respects to children buried at Chemawa Cemetery on Friday, May 14, 2021…
Salem-Keizer custodians say understaffing is at a “crisis level”
Members of the Association of Salem-Keizer Education Support Professionals protest high workloads outside a school board meeting Tuesday, May 11, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The custodians who clean Salem’s schools say they’re overworked and understaffed. The district’s classified employee union,…
Protesters with Latinos Unidos Siempre want a clear statement that hate groups aren’t welcome in local schools
Aztec dancers perform at a protest organized by Latinos Unidos Siempre outside a Salem-Keizer School Board meeting on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) As the Salem-Keizer School Board began a meeting Tuesday night, air horns sounded and Aztec…
Brown sets 70% vaccination target to lift most Covid restrictions
Gov. Kate Brown stands in the library at Lincoln Elementary School during a visit on the first day back to in-person learning in Woodburn, Ore. on Thursday, April 1, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) This article was updated at 4:15 p.m.…
For Salem kids, these bikers stand guard against abuse
Members of the Willamette Valley chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse post for a photo during a pancake breakfast fundraiser at Salem Harley-Davidson on May 1, 2021 (Courtesy/Gary Gibbons) They dress like they’re auditioning to be extras on “Sons of…
A Salem community health worker quietly helps an overlooked community navigate the pandemic
Kapiolani Micky stands outside of her Salem home with daughter Jaci, 21, on Monday, April 26, 2021. Micky’s search to access resources for Jaci is what lead her to pursue work as a community health worker. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) With…
Peoples Church in northeast Salem tied to one of Oregon’s largest Covid outbreaks
Pastor Scott Erickson stands in front of a tent used for Sunday services at Peoples Church on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) A Salem church is the site of one of Oregon’s largest newly reported Covid outbreaks, which…
During a difficult year, Assistance League expands help for Salem students
Jeanette George loads a hygiene kit into a drawstring bag at the Assistance League of Salem-Keizer on Monday, April 26, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Jeanette George grew up in a family of five girls in Missouri. To help her parents’…
As Salem-Keizer emerges from the pandemic, $1.5 billion budget adds more social workers, alternative education
The Salem-Keizer School District will add more counselors and social workers to district schools and create a middle school alternative education program under a $1.5 billion budget proposal Superintendent Christy Perry presented Tuesday to the district’s budget committee. The budget…