If a tornado watch were issued, would you know exactly what to look for in terms of cloud structure to spot a wall cloud or even a funnel? Pretty much everyone who knows me knows that I am a National Weather Service-trained severe weather spotter. Before I took my first training class on March 3, 2008, I was pretty sure I knew what a wall cloud looked like. I soon learned, though, that I was wrong. What I thought was a wall cloud—or an isolated lowering of the cloud base—was actually a shelf cloud. Now I know what to watch for. I can tell if an approaching storm could spawn a tornado, and I …

In my early days as a reporter, I met someone who would ultimately help my change my journalism career. That person was Marlene Hunt.I was a rookie reporter at the former Lakeland Newspapers at the time, covering Mundelein. Each week, other newspapers' reporters and I would converge upon the Mundelein Police Department to meet with one of the officers, who gave us the crime reports. Right from the start, Marlene struck me as a friendly but aggressive reporter. Despite our age difference (she was in her 60s at the time, though she never revealed her true age to anyone), we quickly became …

I'm taking a look back at 2012 and remembering the great times I've had while working for Patch.I've been with Patch for more than a year and a half now. I spent the first year as the editor of Lake Zurich Patch. Then, the editor spot opened up for Libertyville Patch and I jumped at the opportunity. I've always loved Libertyville. I grew up in Lake County and always loved Libertyville's beautiful downtown. At the same time, I was presented with the opportunity to launch Vernon Hills Patch. The site launched on May 31, 2012, and has been growing ever since. I've spent so much time in Vernon …

With Thanksgiving just a day away, it's a good time for all of us to reflect on what we're thankful for this year. I thought I'd share my list with you—and I hope you respond and share what you're thankful for! 1. My family. I keep hearing jokes on so many TV shows about how Thanksgiving is the time of year when families get together and fight with each other. Sure, my family has its share of silly disagreements. But at the core, we are all incredibly close. My siblings—Kim, Karl and Tena—are among the people I count as my best friends. I know that if I had nobody else in my corner, they …

None of us will ever forget where we were on Sept. 11, 2001.I was still asleep when my brother Karl called me to tell me that a plane had just crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I jumped out of bed and turned on the TV, tuning in to the Today show on NBC. Matt Lauer and Katie Couric looked just as stunned and confused as I was. We were obviously thinking the same thing: What a horrible accident! Unaware of what was still to come, I kept thinking, "How are they ever going to repair that building?"Matt and Katie talked about the incident while showing live footage of …

How did this happen?It seems like just yesterday, I was visiting my sister at the hospital and meeting my niece, Abby, for the first time. I remember having tears in my eyes when I held her for the first time, marveling at that beautiful baby girl.Abby will start kindergarten tomorrow. She has grown from a beautiful baby to an even more beautiful 5-year-old. She's happy and outgoing and talkative. She's also quite intelligent; I'm always amazed by the details she remembers and the conversations she has with me. I don't have any children of my own, so I don't know exactly how my sister Kim — …

Welcome to Vernon Hills Patch! I'm Korrina Grom, your local Vernon Hills editor! Let me tell you a little about myself. I've worked in community journalism for nearly 14 years. I worked in the print newspaper world before joining Patch as the editor of Lake Zurich in May 2011. I recently became the editor of Libertyville Patch and will continue to manage that site along with Vernon Hills. I am really excited to be part of this community! Having lived in Lake County all of my life, I have spent a lot of time in Vernon Hills — especially at the mall. I'm sure you'll see me there sometimes or at…