Karlie Baker, Patch Staff

Karlie grew up in the woods of Starved Rock State Park. She learned to read with copies of Star and Globe magazines at her grandparents' house. Inspired, Karlie started her print career in grade school--contributing drawings and poetry to the kids' section of the local newspaper--and never stopped.

Karlie covered school events and waxed nostalgic about The Golden Girls as a high school journalist; then helmed the editing desk of her community college paper and churned out the school's press releases for two years. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Journalism, focusing on magazine and online coverage. Upon graduation, Karlie had contributed news stories to ChicagoTalks and the LaSalle Daily NewsTribune, and wrote a regular opinion column for The Times in Ottawa, IL. She has detailed cultural events for Flavorpill Chicago and A.V. Club Chicago. She is proud to have collaborated with fellow Columbia students on an investigative news package about the General Assembly Scholarships, which won awards from the Chicago Headline Club and Society of Professional Journalists.

Karlie joined Patch in June 2010 and helped build Lisle Patch from the ground up. She's making her first long-term leap out of state lines as the new editor for Sunset Hills-Crestwood Patch.

In her spare time, Karlie still indulges in celebrity rags. She loves music, frequenting antique and resale shops, wandering the Arboretum and spending time with her kid sister.