Tara Grimes, Neighbor

Born and raised in Huntley, I've watched the small town grow from a population of barely a couple thousand to more than 20,000 people. But no matter how big Huntley becomes, I believe it will always be the "Friendly Village with a Country Charm."

Whether it’s grabbing a bite to eat at Dairy Mart, taking a walk in Deicke Park, or just reading a book at the library, I really enjoy spending my time in Huntley and the surrounding areas. I am excited to be a part of the Patch team.

Before coming to work for Patch, I worked as a reporter, anchor, and web editor at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Mo. for three years. <br><br>I started my journalism career back in high school as the feature editor for Huntley High School&#39;s award winning newspaper &#34;The Voice.&#34; After that I became a staff writer for University of Missouri&#39;s campus newspaper &#34;The Maneater.&#34;<br><br>In 2009, I worked as a web intern for WMAQ-TV in Chicago, Ill. (NBCChicago.com) and as a news intern at WREX-TV in Rockford, Ill. I was also a reporter for the NPR affiliate KBIA in Columbia, Mo. I moved on to work as a news intern at WNDU-TV in South Bend, Ind. in 2010. <br><br>In 2011, I served as a multimedia journalist/writer for Newsy.com, an online video news site that analyzes the way other media outlets cover the news. While working there Newsy&#39;s iPhone and iPad app beat out CNN and Flipboard to win the 2011 Appy Award for news. <br><br>I graduated cum laude with a bachelor&#39;s degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in psychology from the University of Missouri in May 2011. While there I worked as a broadcast lab teacher&#39;s assistant and as a Missouri School of Journalism Ambassador. <br><br>I am a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists [AHCJ] and Radio and Television Digital News Association [RTDNA].

Whether it’s covering a local debate, the latest fundraiser in town, or an in-depth investigation, I’m an aggressive reporter with a yearn to learn about everything going on in my community. I fight hard to get the tough questions answered so I can serve as the public watchdog for my community.

I love soccer, basketball, skateboarding, traveling, photography, video editing, reading, writing and meeting new people.

I&#39;m always looking for new story ideas. If you&#39;d like to share one with me, please email me at taragrimes.patch&#64;gmail.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/taragrimesnews

Twitter: www.twitter.com/taraeg

Blog: http://tara-grimes.blogspot.com/

Website: www.taragrimes.com