Since 1973, she has reported for several Chicago-area newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, World Newspaper, Oak Park and Life Newspapers of Berwyn and a freelance stringer for the Chicago Daily News."WLS-TV Captures 1984 Chicago Emmy's for Spot News and Magazine Programming", WLS-TV, 1994. She later worked as an overnight assignment editor for WBBM-Channel 2, a producer for John Drummond's Chicago Chronicles, a weekly series featuring prominent Chicagoans and as the Chief Daytime Assignment Editor for WLS-TV. In 1984, while working as an assignment editor at WLS-TV, Kolarik won an Emmy Award for Best Spot News Coverage for the fatal shooting of Judge Henry Gentile. She also won two awards for Individual Excellence at the 26th Annual Chicago Emmy Award Presentation. She was also nominated for an Emmy Award for her coverage of serial killer Larry Eyler"Author Kolarik to Speak at Maze","Pioneer Press", Oak Park, June 18, 1997, p. 109. and for the five-part series, Playground Safety she produced with TV anchor Linda Yu.
