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.
Blue collar working families were struggling before COVID-19 hit. Without help, advocates fear a wave of evictions.
Farm to Families food boxes are distributed from the St. Vincent De Paul food bank on Friday, May 22 . (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Working-class families in Oregon were struggling to afford necessities before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a trend advocates…
Salem Public Market hit by burglars over weekend
A Salem Public Market post on Facebook showed items missing from vendor booths following a burglary discovered on June 13, 2020. Burglars stole hundreds of dollars of art, jewelry and candles from Salem Public Market over the weekend, cleaning out…
Should police stay in Salem-Keizer schools? Here’s what local citizens are saying.
Dozens of students, parents, teachers and graduates are weighing in on police in schools as leaders from the Salem-Keizer School District plan for summer community forums to discuss the future of contracts with local law enforcement agencies. A virtual June…
Coronavirus cases climbing with no clear hotspot in Marion County
A Marion County Health & Human Services map shows where new cases of COVID-19 has been concentrated as of June 11. Numbers show new cases in the past two weeks per 100,000 ZIP code residents. Source here. Marion County has…
Salem-Keizer schools grapple with transportation, clubs, childcare as they plan for fall reopening
Seen through a sliding glass door, Noah Hall, wife Jessica and children Evan, 6, and Ruby, 2, sit at the kitchen table of their Salem home on Wednesday, April 23. The Halls are both elementary school teachers who are currently…
School in the fall will include face masks, smaller classes and online learning for some students
Students get off the bus for the first day of school at Bush Elementary. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem schools can resume in-person classes in the fall, but students should expect to see smaller classes, bus drivers wearing masks and logs…
Hundreds call on Salem-Keizer to end contracts for police in schools
Students organized by Latinos Unidos Siempre urged the new Salem-Keizer School Board to address the mental health needs of immigrant students and stop policies that disproportionately punish students of color at a July 2019 meeting. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Hundreds of…
Salem-Keizer Education Foundation to dissolve, transferring many programs to YMCA
The Salem-Keizer Education Foundation is dissolving after almost 40 years serving thousands of students in the Salem area through mentoring programs, youth sports and after-school activities. A near-total loss of revenue over the past three months as local schools have…
Principal Sara LeRoy leaving North Salem High School after large gains in graduation rate
Sara LeRoy, North Salem High School principal (Special to Salem Reporter/Moriah Ratner) For the second time in four years, North Salem High School will start the year with a new principal. Sara LeRoy, a former North teacher who took over…
AGENDA: Salem-Keizer board will consider 2020-21 budget at June 9 meeting
The Salem-Keizer School Board will vote Tuesday night on a $1.5 billion district budget that’s unlikely to become reality when school kicks off in September. The budget, developed before coronavirus-related shutdowns pummeled state revenue, contains none of the cuts that…