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 volunteers needed for air quality shelter, shower trailer for evacuees
Tina Wang, a volunteer with the American Red Cross, unloads supplies are the Oregon State Fairgrounds. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Update: United Way now also collecting donations at 1705 Silverton Road NE near the fairgrounds, in addition to their office. The…
Marion County opens sign-ups for volunteers to help wildfire evacuees, plus more ways to help
Nicole Vanleerdam, right, and Hecto Martinez, of Marion Estates Independent Living, set up cots for their residents to use overnight after evacuating from Sublimity at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Update, Sept. 14: The…
Fleeing by the thousands, Santiam Canyon families seek refuge in Salem
A volunteer directs traffic at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Allison Hargett was on a family camping trip at Detroit State Park over the Labor Day weekend when friends, anxious about increasing winds and…
Fleeing wildfires, families wait for news at Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem
The Oregon State Fairgrounds around 9 a.m. Tuesday, as hundreds of families gathered after wildfire evacuations in the Santiam Canyon area. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Hundreds of families living up the Santiam Canyon have gathered at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in…
With the future of school uncertain, more Oregon families opt for online charters
Ainsleigh, Alexi and Amelia Pack work in the family’s Keizer home. The three girls have enrolled in Willamette Connections Academy for the 2020-21 school year after a mixed experience with online classes in the spring (Courtesy/Pack family) Ainsleigh Pack said…
DATA: Salem area still far from coronavirus targets to reopen schools in-person
A Covid-19 test swab is packaged up to be tested during a free drive-through testing clinic at Woodburn Ambulance Service on Tuesday, August 25. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) [ NOTE: Salem Reporter is providing this information free as a community service.…
“It’s not pretty”: Salem high schools scramble to finish student schedules in a world with fewer options
Shari Dixon, student data specialist at McKay High School, works through the intricacies of class scheduling at her desk on Thursday, September 3. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Sam Mendez says building a high school schedule is like a game of Jenga:…
Salem kindergarteners meet teachers face-to-face in preparation for online school
Incoming kindergartner Emory Truehitt stops by Kalapuya Elementary school to pick up materials for online classes on Thursday, September 3. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Emory Truehitt grinned, revealing a mouth of mostly missing front teeth, as he flipped through his math…
With two weeks until Salem-Keizer schools start, teachers head back to class
Annie DePiero inspects the library in her new classroom at South Salem High School on Sept. 1, 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When teacher Annie DePiero walked into her classroom this week, she said it felt “like a time capsule.” She…
PHOTOS: South Salem High School teachers begin setting up classrooms for remote teaching
Student teacher Rachel Nelson, left, shares a laugh with South Salem High School teacher Joy Anna Forsythe as they clean their classroom on Sept. 1, 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Classes don’t start until Sept. 15, but South Salem High School…