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.
McKay senior graduating on time despite starting senior year with half the credits needed
KJ Kovac reads Tupac Shakur’s “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” during his urban literature class at McKay (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) This profile is part of a series on Class of 2019 high school graduates. Salem Reporter asked high schools…
Englewood student pushes Salem-Keizer for healthier, tastier school lunch
Aliza Stapleton scraped her half-eaten nachos into a lunchroom trash can, then walked back to her classroom’s table at Englewood Elementary School, waiting to be dismissed. The fourth grader said it’s not unusual for her to not finish her lunch.…
Heyen, Chandragiri, Bethell win Salem-Keizer board seats; Polk County approves public safety levy
The Salem-Keizer School Board will have two fresh faces after challenger Danielle Bethell unseated longtime board member Chuck Lee in Tuesday’s election. Incumbent Marty Heyen kept her seat against challenger Raul Marquez, a recent McKay High School graduate. Psychiatrist Satya…
Average Salem-Keizer school board campaign tops $25,000
School board candidates David Salinas (top left), Satya Chandragiri, Raul Marquez, Marty Heyen, Danielle Bethell and Chuck Lee. Salem-Keizer voters will pick three school board directors tonight in a race that’s been significantly more expensive than prior elections. The six…
PHOTOS: Gov. Kate Brown signs Student Success Act at Washington Elementary School
Gov. Kate Brown shows a signed copy of the Student Success Act to Waldo Middle School students at a May 20, 2019 ceremony at Washington Elementary School. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) After signing a $2 billion tax bill and education spending…
Keizer civic pride on display at McNary groundbreaking ceremony
McNary High School principal Erik Jespersen lines up for a ceremonial dirt-shoveling to kick off construction at the school on May 17, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) New construction and diesel technology programs, classrooms and a music recording studio are among…
As other Oregon districts face budget cuts, Salem-Keizer will add counseling and behavior staff
School board member Jesse Lippold, and other budget committee members look at documents during a meeting on May 7, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem-Keizer schools are hiring more high school counselors and elementary school behavioral support staff for the coming…
IKE Box leaders outline $1.5 million campaign to move historic building down the street
Ike Box directors Mark and Tiffany Bulgin, seated left and center, and YMCA CEO Sam Carroll, explain their plan to move the historic building and coffee shop at a forum on May 14, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) How do you…
Salem officer shot, gunman eludes police, Highland school closes
(Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) Wednesday UPDATE: Search over, shooter at large, Highland closes for the day. A Salem police officer was shot following a traffic stop Tuesday evening in the Highland area. An officer pulled over a van in…
Oregon will see individual health insurance rates rise about 3% in 2020
Salem Hospital (Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) After years of double-digit hikes in health insurance premiums, Oregonians will likely see an average increase of about 3 percent for individual plans for 2020, a sign state officials said shows the insurance…