Laurie Rich Salerno, Patch Staff

<b>Email: </b>laurie.salerno&#64;patch.com<b><br>Phone: </b>203-231-9143<b><br></b><b>Hometown:</b> &#34;The Lilac Village&#34; of Lombard, Illinois <b><br>Birthday</b>: May 9<br><b>Bio:</b> Laurie Rich Salerno first learned about Meriden, Connecticut as a Peace Corps Volunteer thousands of miles away in Uzbekistan. In winter, when there was no heat and even less entertainment, her then-boyfriend (now husband) used to regale her with tales of his beloved hometown such that she too used to dream of Hubbard Park, St. Joseph&#39;s Church, and the Daffodil Festival in her zero-degree sleeping bag. Seven years, and several moves from Uzbekistan to Washington, DC to New York later, she and her husband settled in the Silver City. Today she covers the city&#39;s news, features, entertainment and sports as Meriden Patch&#39;s local editor.

Salerno is a graduate of Columbia University&#39;s Graduate School of Journalism and has written about science and international politics for Discover Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, EurasiaNet.org and a number of major regional newspapers. Some of her recent work can be seen online at www.laurierich.com. She is an adjunct faculty member at Quinnipiac University&#39;s Journalism Graduate program. In previous lives she did public relations for the NBA referees, MLB umpires and other political and social figures as a vice president of Perennial Strategy Group and Perennial Sports and Entertainment in Washington, DC, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, and the managing editor of West Suburban Living Magazine in the Chicago area.

She and her husband Anthony dote -- as thirty-something married couples are annoyingly prone to do -- on their fuzzy and delightfully ill-mannered Central Asian mutt, Masha. Anthony rescued her from Khiva, Uzbekistan. On a nice day you&#39;ll see them hiking to Castle Craig.<br><br><b>Politics </b><br>I&#39;m socially left-leaning, but fiscally more independent. That said, I strive to give readers wholly unbiased coverage of all races and candidates. I respect and admire those in many parties. I tend to think that most people trying to do what they think is best for others, they just go about it according to their own experiences and how they see the world, which of course, will differ. Pollyanna-ish? Maybe, but it&#39;s not a bad way to come at things.

<b>Religion</b><br>Though I have immense respect and admiration for adherents and leaders of all faiths, my own religious upbringing was pretty haphazard; my lineage diverse. Suffice it to say I&#39;m still searching. <b><br></b>

<b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b><br>Meriden often gets a bad rap both inside and outside of the city, but when you actually start talking with residents and local leaders, a completely different picture emerges -- one of a bustling city on its way up.  Crime is down, this high-speed rail is coming and will further develop the downtown, and local leaders -- be they government officials, non-profit directors or business owners -- are really on the ball. I believe in this place.