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-Keizer spending plan draws pushback from teachers, support from Latino parents
Educators and parents packed a school board meeting Feb. 18, 2020 to speak about a $35 million Salem-Keizer schools spending plan. Parent Angelica Lagos, right, approaches the podium. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Dozens of educators and parents waited for more than…
Meet the man behind the bubbles going in at the Gilbert House museum
Bill Charnholm talks about bubbles outside Gilbert House Children’s Museum on Feb. 17, 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Bill Charnholm grew up building small towns with his Erector Set, then flying toy fighter jets over them. The 75-year-old giggles while recounting…
Mental health, behavior and elementary reading top spending priorities for Salem-Keizer
Salem’s school system would add 240 full-time employees, lengthen the middle school day and spend more than $3 million to create more after school programs and eliminate fees to improve local education under a plan being advanced by Salem-Keizer School…
New south Salem clinic aims to be neighborhood doctor’s office
Physician assistant Christine Rue, left, doctors Paula Spencer and Rashanda Brown, and physician assistant Alyssa Schmidt, front, are the staff of the new South Salem Primary Care clinic (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When two of Salem’s largest medical providers merged last…
After losing close friend to suicide, Willamette senior works to get young men to seek help
Willamette University senior Brendan McGonigle wants to encourage more young men to talk about mental health (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When Brendan McGonigle was a freshman at Willamette University, he lost a childhood friend to suicide. The event spurred McGonigle, now…
Salem-Keizer raising pay for bus drivers, transportation workers
School buses parked in the Salem-Keizer School District lot on Hawthorne Avenue (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Hoping to curb a persistent bus driver shortage, the Salem-Keizer School District is raising pay for drivers and other transportation workers. Starting bus drivers will…
Here’s everything Salem-Keizer plans to do with an extra $35 million
Students get off the bus for the first day of school at Bush Elementary, Sept. 4, 2019. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem-Keizer administrators want to help thousands of kids do better in school with more than two dozen changes to district…
McNary Font Club debuts original musical in quest to remove Comic Sans from school buses
Senior Julia DaSilva, playing Comic Sans, attacks sophomore Ian Madsen, playing Times New Roman, during a Font Club rehearsal (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) If you’re looking to surprise, confuse or engage in a strong debate about the much-maligned Comic Sans font…
Better math curriculum, bilingual support and school counselors part of early plan for new school funding
Salem-Keizer administrators plan to revamp the school district’s programs for teaching English to non-native speakers, add more social workers and counselors in schools and improve middle and high school math programs as part of their plan for spending $35 million…
School board to hear long-awaited plan for $35 million in new state funding
The 2019-20 Salem-Keizer School Board (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem-Keizer school board members and the public will get a first look Tuesday night at priorities for spending millions in new state money to close educational gaps in the district. Community volunteers…