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.
“We look after each other” – Salem Health’s Dr. Doug Eliason talks masks, Thanksgiving plans as Covid cases grow
Dr. Doug Eliason (Courtesy/Salem Health) Dr. Doug Eliason compares efforts to stop the spread of Covid to avoiding a car crash. “Every time you go to your car and you turn your car on, you know that you’re risking an…
As Covid spreads rapidly across Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown orders state to “freeze”
Gov. Kate Brown listens in during a phone call with Vice President Mike Pence and other governors on Monday, April 20. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Gov. Kate Brown moved to blunt the rapid spread of Covid in Oregon using some of…
Gov. Brown orders restaurants, bars, gyms to close as Covid hospitalizations surge in Oregon
Many restaurants in Salem were offering takeout orders after a ban on dining in at eateries went into effect on Tuesday, March 17. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Oregon restaurants and bars can provide only takeout service, gyms and other fitness outlets…
Facing surging Covid cases and hospitalizations, Oregon urges limited travel, quarantines
Gov. Kate Brown announces new state restrictions in a news conference in Portland on Thursday, March 12. (Jonathan House/Pamplin Media) Gov. Kate Brown is asking Oregonians to avoid certain out-of-state travel to stop the surge of new coronavirus infections as…
Oregon voters – you have until Nov. 17 to fix signature issues and make sure your ballot counts
Pam Panther unfolds and stacks ballots at the Marion County Elections Office on Tuesday, May 19. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Oregon voters have just days to correct signature issues with mail-in ballots to ensure their votes are counted in the Nov.…
Hoping to attract more students, Willamette cuts “sticker price” tuition by $10,000 for 2021
Two people walk through Willamette University on May 15. 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Willamette University is slashing its “sticker price” tuition rate by almost $10,000 per year in a bid to attract more students to Oregon’s oldest university, which has…
Hey, Salem, the state says it’s time to cut down get-togethers, work from home even more
Viviana Gourley, medical assistant at Salud Medical Center, waits between patients at the center’s COVID-19 testing area on Wednesday, April 29. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) [ NOTE: Salem Reporter is providing free access to crucial information as a community service. Please…
AGENDA: Salem-Keizer board to consider adding student advisor, revised public comment policy
The Salem-Keizer School Board meets virtually for a work session on July 28, 2020 (Screenshot) Members of the Salem-Keizer School Board will vote Nov. 10 on a plan to add a student advisor to their ranks while also considering a…
With one week left in quarter, half of Salem-Keizer high school students failing at least one class
More than 6,700 local high school students are on track to fail at least one class during the fall quarter, a result that administrators in the Salem-Keizer School District find “alarming.” They said that reflects the challenges of teaching online.…
As temperatures drop, Salem’s largest homeless shelter sees Covid outbreak
Beds at Union Gospel Mission’s current facility on Commercial Street, pictured in March 2019. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Salem’s largest homeless shelter has stopped taking in new men temporarily after six shelter guests and three employees tested positive for Covid. The…