Reporter Karen Tolkkinen grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a journalism degree in 1994, and was driven by curiosity to work her way around the United States.
She covered the Idaho Legislature, crime and courts in New Hampshire and rural counties in Alabama before returning to Minnesota. She married a diesel mechanic, founded a women's magazine, had a son and baked bread for the Battle Lake Farmers Market before landing at the Echo Press in Alexandria in 2017.
Stories and issues she has covered during her journalism career include: Migrant labor, poverty, child brides and grooms, a controversial treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease, and lake health.
Contact her at ktolkkinen@echopress.com or 320-763-3133.
