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.
Vendor breach exposes Social Security numbers for thousands of Salem-Keizer School District employees
Employees who have worked for the Salem-Keizer School District since 2008 may have had Social Security numbers and other sensitive information compromised in a recent vendor data breach.
Salem-Keizer School Board passes resolution affirming district won’t collect, share immigration records
Several students told the Salem-Keizer School Board Tuesday night about how deportation or threats of having immigration enforcement called on them impacted their lives and education.
Salem-Keizer School Board to vote Tuesday on immigration resolution
School board directors will vote Tuesday evening on a statement reaffirming district policy not to collect information on immigration status or allow federal immigration authorities to access schools.
Salem-area firefighters get to work on Palisades Fire as thousands of acres burn
Dozens of firefighters from Marion and Polk counties, including a wildland team based in Lyons, have arrived in southern California to aid in one of the largest natural disasters in Los Angeles history.
Macy’s confirms plans to close 64 stores in 2025, including downtown Salem
Macy’s announced Thursday it would begin clearance sales for the Salem Center Macy’s this month and close this spring. The building is owned by local investors who plan to remodel it into a shopping and entertainment destination and keep the attached parking garage.
Salem firefighters headed to Los Angeles area to help fight wildfires
Marion County fire agencies are sending 44 firefighters and 10 engines to the Los Angeles area. They’re on the road and expected to arrive Thursday morning to help.
Downtown Salem Macy’s to close, ending 70-year department store history
An investment group including the owners of the Salem Center Mall has purchased the Macy’s property and intends to renovate it into a hub of smaller retail stores and entertainment downtown.
Salem school library workers say they “don’t have time to talk about books”
Library media assistants, who run school libraries for Salem’s youngest readers, say they’ve become little more than babysitters. They’ve been pushed to cover more classes and increasingly supervise computer use by students instead of book use.
Salem Reporter’s best watchdog coverage in 2024
Over the past year, our journalists kept an eye on potential ethics conflicts at Salem City Hall, highlighted disagreements about spending on homeless services and pressed Oregon's Education Department to release test score data.
The biggest stories in Salem in 2024
Nonprofit leaders with nearly a century of collective experience retired this year, Salem built more apartments than anytime in recent memory, and residents rallied to save library services.