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 schools turn to superintendent, administrators to cover classes as teacher absences rise
Christy Perry was back in the classroom Monday, teaching a math lesson to first grade students at Harritt Elementary School. Perry, the superintendent of the Salem-Keizer School District, often stops by schools for events or special occasions. But her return…
As state booster push begins, vaccine appointments in Salem area going unfilled
Sam Bereny, an EMT at Metro West Ambulance, administers a second dose of the Moderna vaccine at a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Centennial Park in Woodburn, Ore. on Thursday, April 1, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Vaccinators in the Salem…
New exhibit tells Kalapuyan story through colonization and persistence
David Lewis, anthropologist and curator of the Salem Art Association’s “Native Salem” exhibit, speaks at an opening reception on Nov. 11, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) “Salem didn’t start with Jason Lee.” That’s one takeaway David Lewis hopes visitors to the…
Shorter bus rides for Salem residents, less pollution among transit plans for infrastructure dollars
Riders board through the rear of Cherriots bus at the downtown Salem transit center(Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) It’s a 10 minute drive from Salem’s South Gateway neighborhood to the sprawling Amazon fulfillment center off Highway 22 that employs hundreds of local…
Rebuilt 900 seat Rose Auditorium anchors South Salem High School expansion
When senior Arnav Mohindra walked through the new addition at South Salem High School, his classmates were buzzing with excitement so loudly they could barely hear the teacher showing them around. The wing on the north side of campus sits…
MAPS wants to give local teachers $1,000 for classroom projects
Stephanie Madison, a fourth grade teacher at Myers Elementary School, leads newly returned students in a lesson on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Twenty public school teachers in Marion and Polk counties will win a $1,000 grant from…
Staffers at Oregon State Hospital endure violence, long hours despite promises of improvements
Raph can’t remember how many times the patient punched him in the head. It was just before 1 a.m. on July 5 when the patient, who had been in seclusion earlier that day, came to the medication window on…
Pandemic widens graduation inequities for Salem high schoolers
A student at a North Salem High School graduation ceremony on Thursday, August 6, 2020 (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) More than 1,000 students in Salem who began high school last year aren’t on track to graduate on time, a marked increase…
An old toy store is now home to Salem’s newest career education program
Cosmetology student Katherine Gonzalez, a senior from Woodburn High School, practices on her mannequin at Willamette Career Academy on Sept. 16, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Mason Cushway hopes to become a neurosurgeon someday. But the junior at Falls City High…
City of Salem, other public employers will likely fall under Biden’s vaccine mandate
Four of Salem’s 10 largest employers are local government agencies, rather than private businesses – but they’ll still likely fall under the vaccination mandate President Joe Biden announced last week. That means most workers for the city of Salem, Marion…