Reporter | Carver and western Hennepin Counties

Katy Read writes for the Star Tribune's Inspired section. She previously covered Carver County and western Hennepin County as well as aging, workplace issues and other topics since she began at the paper in 2011. Prior to that, she was a reporter at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, La., and the Duluth News-Tribune and spent 15 years as a freelance writer for national and regional magazines.

Read has also written for Salon, Real Simple, Working Mother, Minnesota Monthly, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Toronto Globe and Mail and other publications. Her essays have been published in several anthologies including "Fearless Confessions: A Writer's Guide to Memoir." She has won a Minnesota State Arts Board grant and multiple literary awards, as well as four fellowships for journalists on aging. She is a Minnetonka native and a University of Minnesota graduate. Her most exciting hobbies include working (very slowly) on a memoir, cruising the internet and walking her dog.


What are the financial pros and cons of retiring in Minnesota?

The state has higher taxes. But it is also important to look at the "whole picture."


At 90, Northfield woman looks back on 57 years of blood drives

Cindy Anderson helped recruit volunteers and set up the spaces.


Service dog helps Minneapolis high-school counselor cope with MS

Fortunately, Lambeau's name was no problem for Nora Guerin, an avid Green Bay Packers fan.


Twin Cities exhibit traces 'Unfinished Journey' for people with developmental disabilities

From lifelong confinement to voting rights: Some of the milestones providing more opportunities and independence are disturbingly recent.


Artists offer ideas for improving the health care system

What sounds like a monumental task is doable if lots of people get involved, they say.


Owner of Hopkins doggie day care shares tips for helping pups learn good manners

Every dog has its day at Adventures in Barking.


Twin Cities program helps parents celebrate their babies with Down syndrome

Jack's Basket counters "insensitive" delivery of the news with baskets of baby gifts and family resources.


Women in Twin Cities group help each other develop their careers

TeamWomen's members, representing a variety of career levels and industries, get together to share experiences and strategies.


University of Minnesota researcher studies health effects of sit-stand desks

A University of Minnesota professor partnered with a colleague from Arizona State University to study how sit-stand desks affect workers' health.


Little-known devices restore vision to people who can't be helped by regular glasses

Bioptic telescopic glasses can help people read, walk and see loved one's faces, but hardly anyone has heard of them.