Rachel began reporting in 2017 at her community college publication in San Luis Obispo, California, where she covered stories about the city, including a hit-and-run that killed a college student and devastated the community.
She then transferred to California State University, Long Beach, working as news editor and later managing editor of the university's publication, the Long Beach Current. In Long Beach, Rachel covered several local interest stories, including breaking a story before city publications about illegal dumping on sacred Native American land, known as Puvungna, located on campus.
In college, Rachel was awarded first place for Best News Series at the California College Media Awards for her coverage of a shooting threat that impacted CSULB in 2019. She was also awarded second place at the California Journalism Awards for her enterprise news series "Behind the Scenes" that showcased lesser-known aspects of CSULB.
Just before her graduation in 2020, Rachel joined EdSource's first-ever student journalism corps and was part of a three-person team that published the first student-reported news story on the publication's website. The story detailed how the COVID-19 pandemic hit homeless and housing-insecure students in Los Angeles County hard and what unique struggles they faced during the tumultuous time.
Rachel started working at Patch in 2022, covering Los Angeles County's South Bay region and Long Beach. During her time as a Los Angeles reporter, Rachel covered a variety of topics, including a form of plastic pollution impacting the California coast called Nurdles. Rachel also featured on PBS show "Sustaining US" to inform the larger community about nurdles.
In Spring 2025, Rachel transferred to Patch's team of reporters in Illinois and now covers communities in Chicago's North Shore, including: Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest and Highland Park.
Outside of reporting, Rachel enjoys attending concerts, reading and playing Dungeons & Dragons. She has two cats named Bug and Beans, who are a general terror to society but are also incredibly lovable.
Pitches are welcome over email at rachel.barnes@patch.com. Please be respectful.
The billionaire entrepreneur is expanding his property in Glencoe with the recent purchase of a 1.83-acre, one-story home.
Students claim that a mandatory antisemitism training module included inaccurate information and harmful insinuations.
Highland Park police arrested a man who reportedly brought a concealed weapon to a Highland Park High School football game.
There are no known threats to Highland Park at this time, officials said.
Plus: the first solar café in the country opening soon, and restaurants that define the best of dining culture today.
A popular toy brand with a loyal global customer base has opened up a permanent store in Chicago.
The café will soon offer drip coffee, espresso drinks and more while customers get personalized solar energy quotes.
Education ranking service Niche placed the Highland Park school district among the top 5 public school districts in the nation.
Education ranking service Niche placed the school district among the top 50 public school districts in the nation.
Ravinia Festival is presenting the Fall Series and the Winter Weekend to keep the music going through the end of the year.
Evanston police enhanced its enforcement efforts over a year-long period to reduce traffic crashes and save lives in the community.
Check out Patch's list of pumpkin patches near Lake Forest to find the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern.
Check out Patch's list of pumpkin patches near Highland Park to find the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern.
Check out Patch's list of pumpkin patches near Winnetka to find the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern.
Check out Patch's list of pumpkin patches near Wilmette to find the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern.
Check out Patch's list of pumpkin patches near Evanston to find the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern.
Check out Patch's list of pumpkin patches near Skokie to find the perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern.
Your complete guide to October fun in Illinois from Patch.
The crime blotter covers incidents in Highland Park from Sept. 22 to 28.
Wilmette becomes the most recent Chicagoland municipality to implement its own 1 percent grocery tax.
