Kevira Voegele, Patch Staff

Phone: 612-562-3787

Hometown: La Mesa, CA

Current residence: Eden Prairie, MN

Birthday: May 30

Biography

Kevira Voegele has been a community journalist since 2000. She has worked at newspapers in Benson, Austin, Owatonna, Waseca, Faribault and Kenyon, MN. For 3.5 years she worked at the Wenatchee World newspaper in Wenatchee, WA, before returning to Minnesota in June 2011.

As a reporter Voegele has covered city council, county board, religion, education, health, cops and courts. She has supervised community journalists since 2003, and has accepted Minnesota Newspaper Awards for design, special sections and general excellence.

Patch.com is her first online-only news experience. She currently supervises the local editors in Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Richfield, St. Louis Park, St. Michael and Shakopee.

Voegele is married to a fellow journalist, Corey Voegele. They met when they worked at the Owatonna People's Press in Owatonna, MN. They have one cat, Moxie.

Voegele is an obsessed genealogist. She also enjoys hiking, drawing, reading and watching movies. Some of her favorite TV shows—"Firefly," "Pushing Daisies" and "Twin Peaks"—have been canceled before their time.

My Beliefs

At Patch, we promise always to 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 us to inject our beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will cause us 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

I am registered as an independent. I was raised conservative.

For the most part, politics frustrates me. I believe the system is broken, but I also think we have the best system in the world. What's broken, of course, are the people who lead us; they're selfish, petty and incapable of compromise. They take complex issues and turn them into soundbites. The truth is most issues have many facets. I have supported candidates who seemed to understand that and presented themselves articulately. And yes, I vote in every election.

Religion

I was raised Lutheran but converted to Catholicism in 2004. Like politics, I believe religion is complex and nuanced. I believe there are many paths to God and wouldn't presume to say who is and isn't going to go to Heaven.

I believe in Jesus and his most important commandment: Love one another. If we remembered that more often, I believe the rest of our behaviors would fall into place.

I also have integrated some Lakota beliefs into my daily practices.