Karen Tolkkinen
Columnist
Greater MinnesotaKaren Tolkkinen is the Minnesota Star Tribune's greater Minnesota columnist. She has more than three decades of experience in local journalism, most recently serving as a reporter, copy editor, and columnist at the Echo Press in Alexandria, Minn. She lives with her husband and son in Otter Tail County, in a farmhouse built by her husband's great-great grandparents in the early 1920s.
Latest from Karen Tolkkinen
Tolkkinen: Rural Minnesota Trump supporters stand by their guy
Their trust in him stems from distrust of government.
April 28, 2025
Tolkkinen: As the GOP looks to trim Medicaid, rural Minnesotans tally the cost
Cuts to Medicaid would pay for tax cuts for the rich.
April 26, 2025
Tolkkinen: Brainerd City Council tells homeless to sleep outside this summer
Meanwhile, a shelter stands ready to provide housing.
April 18, 2025
Tolkkinen: Some city folks miffed at all rural Minnesota for Trump votes
But rural Minnesota is not a monolith, and shouldn’t be treated as one.
April 11, 2025
Tolkkinen: Rural Minnesota showed up for Hands Off protests on Saturday. What does it mean?
Some research shows that protests can be powerful, depending on their size, and can help predict voting behavior.
April 9, 2025
Tolkkinen: Rural Minnesota teen paralyzed in hockey game finds reason for hope
Jackson Drum of Parkers Prairie has spent 45 days at a Georgia spine injury center.
April 5, 2025
Tolkkinen: Fergus Falls woman creates community, one bowl of soup at a time
A quilter, activist and former restaurateur brings people together for Wednesday soup night.
April 1, 2025
Tolkkinen: Greater Minnesota homeowners nervous about rising costs are taking on renters
Some homeowners are finding it harder to make ends meet.
March 29, 2025
Tolkkinen: $10 to see Rep. Fischbach, and they didn’t even get to ask their questions
At a rural Minnesota event dominated by protests and hecklers, Fischbach avoided pressing the flesh.
March 22, 2025
Tolkkinen: Minnesota senators should apologize for ‘Trump derangement syndrome’ bill
In fact, we should all tone it down.
March 21, 2025
Tolkkinen: It’s hard to find sympathy for the worst people in Minnesota
But we need to do better for the inmates of prisons and county jails.
March 15, 2025
