One part journalism junkie, one part free-spirited adventuress, Joanna loves meeting new people and sharing their stories. She graduated with a magazine journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and brings her love for community journalism and experience with in-depth feature writing to her position as editor of Glenview Patch.
Joanna has worked at small-town daily newspapers and national consumer magazines alike. From the Kansas City Business Journal to Cosmopolitan, she has contributed to a wide range of media outlets. Joanna enjoys diving into a community head first, learning an area's personality and culture. She first scratched her journalism itch in high school when she landed an internship at the Chicago Sun-Times sports desk and pulled too many all-nighters as an editor at her high school newspaper, the U-High Midway.
Following college, Joanna worked as a freelance writer in Kansas City. Her work for a variety of business and lifestyle publications allowed her to travel and meet a broad cross section of people— Two of her favorite perks of the journalism gig. As a born and raised Chicagoan, Joanna is thrilled to be back in the Chicago area and is excited to be working with an innovative and forward-thinking company like Patch.
When Joanna isn't writing she loves people watching, traveling (most recently she ventured to Barcelona and Ibiza), decorating (and redecorating) her apartment and obsessing over life's little details. She's also pretty fanatical about her Main Coon cat Charlie.
Please feel free to send Joanna an email if you have any news tips or story suggestions. She'd love to hear from you!
Beliefs
At Patch, we promise to always report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.
Politics
How would you describe your political beliefs?
It really depends on the issue but I've learned to see things from all sides. Regarding social policy, I gravitate towards liberal views that champion individual rights and freedoms—This includes LGBT rights, reproductive choice and equal education, employment and healthcare access and opportunities. I'm a strong proponent of supporting education and healthcare however I also value fiscal transparency and responsibility in government.
Are you registered with a certain party?
No.
Religion
Do you identify with a certain religion? If so, which one? How religious would you consider yourself?
I'm Jewish and very proud of my culture and heritage.
Local Hot-Button Issues
What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? Where do you stand on each of these issues?
Many of you have lived in Glenview for years. I'm still getting to know the community and working to identify hot-button issues. It seems ongoing construction, the Glenview library project and upcoming elections are all at the forefront of community consciousness however I will reserve drawing any conclusions until I have a chance to better familiarize myself.
This week our Patch Bloggers serve up a dose of health and happiness, entertain us with stories of tattooed criminals and provide tips on getting that home price you are craving or a rental with a side of the munchies!
It's that time of year again! Students all over the US are being subject to standardized testing that stems from teaching to 'The Common Core' curriculum. Should we be teaching the Common Core? Have we lost our Common Sense?
An action-adventure film where the chemistry between the leads work big time.
Racial prejudice can crop up at an early age. Simply talking with your children about differences can help shape a healthy sense of acceptance.
Veteran kindergarten educator Susan Sluyter realized she was teaching to data and tests— not the individual needs of her students.
Officials say a shaven head violates the school’s dress code policy. A special meeting is scheduled for this evening to discuss the issue. Should an exception be made?
Life coach and Patch blogger Lisa M. Zaccagnini shares insights to keep awe and reverence alive, even in the throes of a difficult life.
Scammers have found another opportunity to steal personal information. The Better Business Bureau warns: users may be led to a phony webpage that resembles the real Netflix login page. Phony customer service reps are on hand, too.
A new app monitors driving habits and sends alerts directly to smartphones.
Being a parent is hard. Being the parent of a child with special needs brings it to another level entirely.
Looking for an evening activity with the kids? Try this St. Patrick's Day floral project for lots of Leprechaun fun -- you just need carnations and green food coloring!
After her mother collapsed from a seizure, Aryanna Lynch, 3, called family members using a smartphone.
Did you know girls are twice as likely as boys to avoid leadership roles for fear of negative perceptions from their peers? When a little boy asserts himself, he is called a leader. When a little girl asserts herself, she's called 'bossy.'
Rev. Amy Johnson shares insights for Lent where you might not expect to find them-- all with a little help from a Disney movie.
One blogger takes a comedic look at how computers rule his life.
Trending on Patch is a category showcasing popular stories and community contributions from across Patch's network of 900 local news sites.
Overwhelmed by all the potty training methods out there and just want to be rid of diapers? One mom breaks down the gimmicks to show you what works – and what doesn't.
Youth Violence is an ongoing problem in neighborhoods across the country. Patch columnist and mother of three Christine Wolf shares just some of the lessons learned while working with the growing struggle in her own community.
Bomb threats on the new social media app have prompted evacuations across the country. How should local schools handle threats like this?