Alejandra Martinez
Report For America Corps MemberAlejandra Martinez is a reporter for KERA and The Texas Newsroom through Report for America (RFA). She's covering the impact of COVID-19 on underserved communities and the city of Dallas.
Within her first year at KERA, Ale won a 2021 regional Edward R. Murrow award in continuing coverage for her reporting on Shingle Mountain, a monstrous 100-foot-tall pile of waste dumped in a community of color. Her work shed light on the effects of environmental racism in the southeast Dallas community of Floral Farms. She rigorously covered it for months, from protests about its existence to its removal.
Before joining KERA, Ale was a producer at WLRN, South Florida’s NPR station where she covered immigration, marginalized communities, and the local arts scene. She would book, write, and produce stories for and the station’s daily talk show, “Sundial,” and she was part of Public Radio International’s (PRI) “Every 30 Seconds” election project, a collaborative public media reporting project tracing the young Latino electorate leading up to the 2020 presidential election and beyond.
Alejandra is no stranger to Texas. A native Texan, she began her broadcast career working with KUT, Austin’s NPR station, first as an intern and later a producer. Ale participated in NPR’s Next-Generation Radio project, a week-long journalism boot camp, where she covered Houston’s recovery post-Hurricane Harvey in 2018.
She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism in 2017.
If you’d like to connect with Ale or simply see what she’s reading about, listening to or covering follow her on Twitter — @alereports.
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Visitors have been very excited to return to the State Fair of Texas. The event wraps up this weekend. -
Pockets across South Dallas have little to no street lighting. By illuminating dark areas across the city, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson hopes criminals will be deterred from committing violent crime.
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The city of Dallas has made several greenspace investments the last three years as part of the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt master plan. At one spot — the Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park — removing invasive species is among the groundwork that’s begun.
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Mayor Eric Johnson is advocating for a new advisory group that would address challenges people with disabilities face when looking for a job, housing and transportation.
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About 80% of North American migratory birds make their journey at night. But bright city lights can distract them and lead to building collisions. During peak fall, migration leaders in major cities like Dallas, Houston, Austin and Fort Worth are stepping in to help.
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Dallas has tried to figure out ways to address problems at the 911 call center that have been dragging on for years. This week, the city council will vote on funding that could address staffing shortages and pay in an effort to decrease wait times.
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Reports of coyote sightings around the city of Dallas have increased in recent weeks — but don’t fear. Dallas Animal Services has tips on what residents should do if they see a coyote near their home and how to help keep them away.
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All blood types are in high demand at blood banks in Dallas-Fort Worth. Here are some events and opportunities where you can give blood.
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Texans will tell you everything is better and bigger in the Lone Star State. Some would argue that even our Paris is better than France’s. Don't believe us? Here's our guide so you can take a day trip to this East Texas town.
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The City of Dallas has released its proposed $4.35 billion budget, and residents have a few weeks to voice their opinion on how that money should be spent. Here's how to weigh in.
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The budget is one of the most important documents prepared by the city because it identifies where citizen tax dollars and other revenues are being spent.
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Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has signed a new executive order mandating face masks in many buildings and businesses.
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For many young Latinx girls, their 15th birthday is special. Their families plan their Quinceañera celebration for months, sometimes years, but this year, the pandemic wiped out many of those dreams.
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Community activists are demanding the city allocate more funding to parks, libraries and cultural centers — services that have already suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Calderón and her husband decided to self-publish a bilingual children’s book called, Behind My Mask or Detrás de Mi Cubrebocas.
