Meet The Editor

Hello, everyone! Thanks for checking out Winnetka-Glencoe Patch, covering the villages of Winnetka, Northfield and Glencoe. I'm so excited to show you how much your Patch site has to offer.

The basics: Patch is a place where you can find all the latest news in your neighborhood. I'm a full-time journalist, so it's my job to make sure that every time you click your Winnetka-Glencoe Patch bookmark (which you've added to your browser already, of course!), the site has fresh content that's reliable, interesting and relevant. I'm completely mobile with my feet always on the street in your community, so if you see me typing away on my computer (look for the Patch sticker) at Starbucks or Caribou, please interrupt me and say hello!

Besides a place where you can learn about everything from your interesting, accomplished neighbors to the latest in school news, Winnetka-Glencoe Patch has you covered on events and activities for you and your family. Our community events calendar is updated every day with all kinds of activities sponsored by all kinds of local organizations. This means that you don't have to click to multiple sites to find something to do -- instead, just browse our calendar to see everything that's going on around you. We're also interested in your events too, so if you're having a garage sale this weekend or a bake sale, charity event, open mic night, day of service, etc., post it on the calendar.

Winnetka-Glencoe Patch is also a place to celebrate life's big moments, like awards, promotions, engagements, weddings and births. If you'd like to post an announcement, just make an account with us and post away. Posting everything from events to announcements to obituaries is always free. And, if you think it would make an interesting story, post it to the site and send me an e-mail with some details.

Also, if you're trying to sell a bike or you're ready to part with your favorite sofa, Patch has a place for classified ads too. The best part is that the listings are completely local, so chances are, your trusty couch won't be going too far away.

Our community directory is one of my favorite things about the site. Whenever I'm looking for a new restaurant to try, I always have to visit a couple of sites (Yelp, Metromix, GrubHub or the restaurant's own site) to find all the relevant information I need before I leave the house. One site has the hours posted, but not the menu. Another site has the delivery service posted, but not the accepted payment methods. Guess what (you know what's coming): Patch has it all! And, if we don't have something right or we're missing information, we'll correct the listing and keep it updated. In addition to restaurants, our directory includes businesses, schools, parks, government offices and other services. Basically, if it has an address in Glencoe, Winnetka or Northfield, it belongs in our directory. As always, if you own a business that isn't listed, send us a note and we'll add it in.

Patch was founded in the spirit of community service and engagement so you'll find volunteer listings on our site. It's a great place to find a new opportunity, recruit new faces to your organization and publicize your cause. In addition, I'll be volunteering in the community too and writing about it for the site. Service is important to us.

See how much Patch has to offer? Stay with me, there's only a few more things left.

Are you interested in writing about your community? Does Patch sound so awesome at this point that you can't resist? I'm always looking for writers to cover events and local news, and write columns about what matters to you. Send me an e-mail if you'd like to write for the site!

One last thing before the end: some basics about me. I am one of Winnetka's newest residents! I just moved up here from Evanston, where I lived until I graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in the spring. Before Patch, I worked for the Orange County Register, the Medill Innocence Project, WNUR News, the Daily Northwestern, and I produced a documentary for WBEZ's 848. I'm totally into music, backpacking and other outdoorsy things, and I grew up in San Diego. I'm also quite friendly, so please say hello to me if you see me around! Anyways...

I really hope that you find Winnetka-Glencoe Patch to be a place that belongs to you, the residents of Winnetka, Glencoe and Northfield. I'm interested in what you think about local news, the site itself and what stories you think deserve attention. I'm available all the time by e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, phone call and text, so please don't hesitate to reach out.

Phone: 847-452-7014

Email: saraf@patch.com

Facebook.com/WinnetkaGlencoePatch

Twitter.com/WinnetkaPatch

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you around town!

Sara