Kate Thayer covers Elgin and St. Charles for the Chicago Tribune.

Kate is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where she received her bachelor's degree. She's also a graduate of the Public Affairs Reporting master's degree program at the University of Illinois-Springfield. In her time as a reporter, Kate has covered multiple beats, including courts, crime, politics, education and local government.

Running (which includes six marathons and countless other races), spending time with her husband, her family and her friends, summer in Chicago, Seinfeld.