Q&A: Get to know Courier & Press journalist Sarah Loesch

Editor's note: Over the next few months, the Courier & Press will occasionally publish question-and-answer articles with our staff members, a way to help readers get to know the people behind the bylines. We continue with Sarah Loesch, who covers local government for the Courier & Press.

Start by telling us about yourself. Where are you from, and how did you get to the Courier & Press?

I was born and raised in Evansville on the Southeast Side. I made my way through the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. behind my three older brothers through Fairlawn Elementary, McGary Middle School and Harrison High School.

While I ended up heading out of town for three years to Princeton, Indiana, to work after college, I found my way back to the Courier & Press when the local government beat opened up.

I also still lived in Evansville during those three years working in Princeton, a decision I stand by now. But depending on the day, it was hard to make those 40-minute drives when a meeting didn’t end until after 9 p.m.

Those long days were easier to deal with because I don’t have any pets back at my apartment waiting on me. But every day my desire to get a kitten grows. Growing up, our house always had at least two animals in it, and I think I could spoil a cat pretty well. My Chewy cart is filled with things just waiting for when I finally take the plunge.

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How did you get into journalism?

I decided as a freshman in high school that I wanted to take journalism, which was a semester-long class necessary to join the yearbook staff. It totally messed up my high school schedule for the rest of the four years —  I took way more gym classes than required and tossed honors science to the side for it, but it also set the stage for what I wanted to do.

As a senior, I sat in on one of Erin Gibson’s journalism classes at the University of Southern Indiana. She ended up taking me back to The Shield (student newspaper) office to meet some people and talk a bit about the journalism program.

I chose to go to USI and quickly joined The Shield my first year. I spent a majority of my time there as the sports editor before becoming the editor-in-chief my junior year.

While at The Shield I was connected to the Courier & Press for internship opportunities. They kept letting me come back, so I interned for around two years in total if you add up semesters and summers during college.

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What should people know about what it's like covering city and county governments?

It’s a lot of teaching myself about a topic well enough to write about it for readers.

There are many technical aspects of government − budgets, zoning code, local ordinances and resolutions − that can impact the average citizen but are quite dense.

I want to have a good enough understanding that I can work to cut through the legalese or “inside baseball” of the conversations and documents to give readers their own understanding of the situation.

I also want readers to know that I fully understand how difficult it can be to get to city and county meetings. The time slots for many of them are not conducive to working people, let alone those with kids to pick up after school or any other of life’s responsibilities.

My job has a big chunk of time expected to be filled with meetings, whether I’m able to get there in person or pop it up on my computer to virtually attend while I manage another need. Even then, there are some I just cannot attend.

But so much of government also happens outside of public meetings. This means if I spent all my time in public meetings I would miss things that matter to regular citizens.

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That’s why I am always happy to receive an email tip or nod in the direction of something to check on: even if it’s as simple naming a city or county department you feel needs some extra oversight.

How is your last name actually pronounced, and how many people get it right on the first try?

This is way more complicated of a question than I think intended. My immediate family pronounces it as “lesh.” I find it helpful to tell people it’s like flesh without the f.

Other people in my family pronounce it as “lash.” And most people reading it for the first time, including every teacher I ever had who hadn’t had one of my brothers first, pronounce it as “losh” with a long o.

Basically no one gets it right on the first try. I also find my ability to correct people on it has only started to sprout in the last couple of years. Which my editor could probably toss in a little note in about. (Editor's note: This is true. People at the C&P mispronounced "Loesch" for years and Sarah didn't say a word.)

What do you enjoy most about living in Evansville?

This city is filled with people I love. That comes with growing up here, of course, but also from connections I’ve made as an adult personally and professionally.

The majority of my family is here, aside from a brother, sister-in-law and two little nieces who I love from a bit farther away.

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I also find the “small town” vibe of the city to often be amusing. Chances are you know someone who knows someone. That leads to lots of fun anecdotes while working on stories from people both in the newsroom and outside it.

What about the city do you feel could use the most improvement?

There will always be many areas of any city that need improvement, but I think the efforts for affordable housing locally could use a boost. To me, that means making a bigger effort to keep established housing in good shape and predatory practices out of renting. Apartments or rental homes that are considered affordable should not end up in an unlivable category, and then be given a pass, because of their pricing.

It also means a continued focus on bringing new affordable housing to the community, for all sorts of situations. If housing is considered affordable but only for a two-income household with no more than two children, it isn’t really affordable. The need for affordable housing comes in many forms − single parents, single individuals, 18-year-olds fresh out of the home they grew up in, people living on fixed incomes. There is no one mold for the needs of a city.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love to craft, particularly focusing on cross stitch and the occasional loop yarn project. But truthfully, no Pinterest project is safe from me if I’m in the right mood.

I also like to cook and bake. Baking is the most fun for me since I get to share what I’ve made with people after. I’ve been on a pie-focused journey the past year or so, always with homemade crust so my mamaw knows her daughter raised me right.

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Reading has also started consuming a good bit of my free time again and I’m so glad to be back to it. I like reading a print book, as well as listening to audiobooks. I get the majority of my books through the Evansville Public Library – I'm a proud card carrier since elementary school. I also started using the Storygraph app to track and review the books I read. My favorites read this year: "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath; "The Guest List" by Lucy Foley; "Universal Harvester" by John Darnielle; and "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman.

I typically stick to fiction since everything I read and write on a daily basis is cemented in fact.

Watching movies and TV shows are also go-to activities on weekends and evenings. I have a bit of an HBO obsession. But I use other streaming services to make sure I don’t miss new episodes of shows like the perfection that is "Abbott Elementary."

Could also be found rewatching "Seinfeld," "Veep," "Bob’s Burgers," "The West Wing" and so many others, at any time.

You can contact Sarah Loesch via email at sarah.loesch@courierpress.com, or follow her on Twitter, @seloesch.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Q&A: Get to know Courier & Press journalist Sarah Loesch