J.R. Stone
I'm so proud to be part of the Disney family and so far, it really does feel like one big family. I've covered news in the Bay Area since 2011 and time has flown by. I've laughed and cheered with many of you as our teams won championships, but I've also mourned with you when fires ravaged our homes and took the lives of our loved ones.
I can remember an expert saying, "J.R. just went live from an area that has the worst air quality on earth." Concerning, yes, but someone has to get the story and tell it like it is. I'm proud and blessed to do that every day.
Before joining ABC7, I was a weekend news and sports anchor at an independent channel in town. While there, I won an Emmy for my news anchoring and helped turn lackluster ratings into some of the top-rated programs of the week.
During the Ghost Ship warehouse fire, I anchored our breaking news coverage. When news of a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival surfaced, I was live on the desk for four and a half hours. When the Asiana Airlines flight crashed at SFO in 2013, I anchored for 10 straight hours.
When news stories aren't breaking, sports stories usually are. I previously anchored a sports show called Sports Night Live. We made viewers a part of the show and it paid off. With no network affiliation, we managed to become one of the top-rated sports programs in the San Francisco market.
I still remember losing a friendly bet to a viewer and having to wear a Notre Dame jersey on air. Not fun for a Michigan fan whose family bleeds maize and blue.
I've covered 6 NBA Finals, 2 World Series, 3 Super Bowls, 3 Daytona 500's, 2 NCAA Football National Championships, and a Stanley Cup Final. When the Giants won their last two World Series; I was in the clubhouse interviewing players and getting doused with champagne.
I have 16 years of on-air news and sports experience, which include national appearances on CNN, The Weather Channel, and the CBS Early Show. Above all, else I pride myself on being a journalist of the people. Every night I go live on Facebook Live. This gives me a chance to ask questions to viewers and gives viewers a chance to throw questions at me.
Before coming to the Bay Area, I was a journalist in Florida, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. I could go on for another six paragraphs about those amazing opportunities but let me sum it up in a few thoughts. Florida was where I covered the Casey Anthony case and I've never seen anything crazier. Oklahoma had the most extreme weather I've ever seen. It's where I covered tornadoes, flooding, heatwaves, and ice storms. Arkansas is where I saw how amazing people can be. I covered a number of big stories in my two years there but I'll remember the hospitality of The Natural State first and foremost.
If you have any questions, concerns, or you just want to call me out on a sports prediction, you can contact me via email at jr.stone@disney.com or on my social media pages.
J.R.'s Stories
Reopening California: Salons, barbershops still in limbo as Fairfield mall plans to reopen
Solano County officials say that despite Governor Newsom giving hair salons and barbershops the green light, they are still working on updating the health order and don't have an opening date yet.
'Not the time to cut corners': Custodial supervisor in Palo Alto faces job cut amid pandemic
A Bay Area custodial supervisor's job is on the chopping block as budget cuts loom over the California school system. Her warning amid that pandemic is, "It's not the time to cut corners because it's vital and people's lives are at risk right now."
World War II artifacts lost, $75K worth of crab pots destroyed after San Francisco Pier 45 fire
Captain Cevan Lesieur of the SS Jeremiah O'Brien says that historic artifacts were stored in the warehouse that burned down. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
South Bay teen loses grandfather to COVID-19, rallies to help other patients
A Bay Area teenager says she feels fortunate she was able to FaceTime her grandfather in his last moments before he died of COVID-19 in an Oakland nursing home. Wanting others to have the same closure, she started a website to collect cellphone donations for elderly patients.
1,200 pastors demand Gov. Gavin Newsom reopen California churches by May 31
'WE ARE ESSENTIAL': More than 1,200 California pastors are demanding Gov. Newsom allow their places of worship to open by May 31. Even federal officials are now siding with them.
Reopening California: SF dentist says 'dental office may be safer than going to the grocery store'
In San Francisco, the city will reacquire you to take a coronavirus test before going in for dental work, depending on what you're getting done. But one local dentist believes it's safe to come in, maybe even safer than going to the grocery store.
SF Giants CEO Larry Baer weighs in on MLB returning without fans
"If we do it the right way we can come back appropriately." San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer weighs in on the possibility of Major League Baseball returning in June, but with no fans.
Phase 2 reopening: Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo counties allowed to ease some COVID-19 restrictions today
Many businesses in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties are allowed to partially reopen today as part of California's Phase 2 plan.
Phase 2 reopening: Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo counties allowed to ease some COVID-19 restrictions Monday
"I understand the safety concerns but this can't go on forever. People have to go back to work," says Joseph Peck who works at a restaurant in Sausalito.
Reopening California: Gov. Newsom outlines COVID-19 office guidelines for Californians to return to workplaces
While Twitter said they will allow employees to work from home forever, Newsom said the state has developed guidelines for office buildings to reopen if workers are not able to do that.
