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.
Thousands of Salem-Keizer students would attend different schools under boundary change proposal
New high school boundaries proposed under a draft boundary adjustment plan. (Courtesy/Salem-Keizer School District) Thousands of local students could be affected by attendance boundary changes proposed for more than half of Salem-Keizer schools. The plan, which will take effect next…
Gun sat unreported at Salem elementary school for hours
Chalk words of encouragement greeted students at Four Corners elementary the morning of Oct. 4, the day after a 10-year-old student brought a gun to school. (Courtesy/Salem-Keizer Public Schools) An unloaded handgun sat undetected Wednesday by school officials in a…
Salem elementary student brings unloaded handgun to school
The handgun seized from a Salem elementary school student on Oct. 3, 2018. (Courtesy/Marion County Sheriff’s Office) A 10-year-old student at Four Corners Elementary School brought an unloaded handgun to school Wednesday afternoon. Two other students saw the gun in…
A dog, a volunteer and help for an ailing owner
Veternarian Nicole Hatch examines Wilson’s ears at a Sept. 25 appointment at VCA Keizer Veterinary Hospital. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) For patients in hospice care, pets can be a source of comfort and love during the final months of life. But…
Willamette hospice program cares for four-legged family members
Wilson greets Willamette Valley Hospice volunteer Sharon Miller as vet assistant Rebecca Armstrong goes over the dog’s medication at an appointment Sept. 25 at VCA Keizer Veterinary Hospital. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) As Sharon Miller escorted Wilson to his medical appointment,…
Gilbert House Museum unveils new video production exhibit with help from Salem students
Sierra Langford, exhibit and facilities coordinator at the Gilbert House Children’s Museum, steps onto the stage in the new “Lights! Camera! Action!” exhibit, which opened this week. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Kids at the Gilbert House Children’s Museum can now step…
Salem puts roof over chronically homeless, then adds care
Tommy Green, 52, was homeless in Salem for 21 years before getting an apartment through the homeless rental assistance program. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Last winter, Tommy Green was trapped in a cycle. Years of methamphetamine use and living on the…
Chemeketa begins search for new college president
Julie Huckestein has led Chemeketa Community College since 2014 and will retire at the end of the 2019 school year. (Photo courtesy Chemeketa Community College) Chemeketa Community College is kicking off a search for its next president after Julie Huckenstein…
Salem grew faster than Portland last year, Census data shows
Calling Salem “western Oregon’s hottest city” might be overstating it. But Oregon’s capital grew by 2,369 people in 2017, Census Bureau data released Thursday shows. That’s a growth rate of 1.4 percent over 2016, putting Salem slightly ahead of both…
Salem schools tackle high student absenteeism
As the school year kicks off, Salem-Keizer is sending a simple message to students and parents: show up. Nearly one-third of local students were chronically absent last school year, meaning they missed two or more days of school every month.…