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.
Salem residents can drop debris at four city parks starting Wednesday
Downed trees and a makeshift barrier on 19th St. Southeast in Salem on Feb. 15 following an ice storm that left many homes without power (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The lights are coming back on across the Salem area, but tens…
With more outages overnight, many in Salem head into fourth day without power
On a rainy, and windy day, Feb. 15, a lineman for Salem Electric works to repair power lines damaged by a weekend ice storm. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Tens of thousands of Salem residents remain huddled in the dark with no…
The pandemic closed high schools, but these Salem students still get to do their final project: build a house.
Curtis Fisher, a CTEC construction instructor, works with senior Caleb Susee while building a wall as part of the CTEC residential construction program on Wednesday, Feb. 10. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) When Salem high schools closed abruptly last March, Reed Hamilton,…
Elementary school will be in-person five hours per day, two days per week under Salem-Keizer reopening plan
Highland Elementary School students enter the school library for brief in-person classes on Oct. 20, 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Elementary students in Salem are expected to have in-person classes five hours per day, two days per week when local schools…
As Leanette Mabinton becomes Salem-Keizer School Board’s first student advisor, she hopes adults will be open to learning
Leanette Mabinton, 15, testifies at a February 2019 school board meeting, asking the board to wait to approve a school boundary change until they can consider student input. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) One hour into a February 2019 school board meeting…
Wooden arches raised, bringing Riverfront Park amphitheater one step closer to completion
A heavy lift crane hoists a giant arch made of Pacific Yellow Cedar into place Monday at the site of the $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park on Feb. 8. Construction workers from Western Wood…
Fall enrollment down 4.5% in Salem-Keizer as more families opt for homeschooling
School buses parked in the Salem-Keizer School District lot on Hawthorne Avenue (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) More than 6,000 Oregon families opted not to enroll their children in public kindergarten this fall, driving a statewide 4% decline in overall public school…
Salem Health won’t get fresh Covid vaccines for fairgrounds clinic Feb. 8, frustrating effort to inoculate seniors
Agnes Tsai draws up a dose of the Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) For weeks, thousands of Salem’s oldest residents have waited for their turn to…
Kindergarten, first graders heading back to Salem-Keizer schools March 2
James Gough, an incoming kindergartner at Kalapuya Elementary School, laughs after making a mistake on an assessment test to gauge his alphabet comprehension on Thursday, September 17. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) About 4,400 of Salem’s youngest students will be back in…
Older Oregonians faced one of the longest vaccine lines in the U.S. On Monday, some will finally be eligible
People wait in line outside of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Thursday, Jan. 28. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Barbara Butzer planned to spend her first year of retirement traveling with her husband. Instead, the 65-year-old south…