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
Minority community leaders praise Newsom for plan to set aside vaccines for high-risk areas
"We are on our way and the governor has just given us a boost and a good shot in the arm so to speak." The governor's office says wealthy populations are getting vaccinated at twice the rate of vulnerable ones.
Why SF isn't in orange tier despite having some of the strongest COVID-19 numbers in CA
San Francisco's coronavirus numbers are good enough to be in orange tier so why are they still in the red? Here's why:
'Totally awesome!' Excitement builds as SF museums, gyms given OK to open indoors
With San Francisco now in the red tier, restaurants aren't the only locations to open indoors. Museums and gyms are able to open as well.
Authorization of Johnson & Johnson shot brings hope to those still struggling to get vaccination appointment
"You call the phone number, you stay on hold forever, then someone finally picks up and says sorry there's no appointments available," says one Bay Area resident, who hopes now there will be more vaccines to go around.
In-person classes to resume at Livermore Valley Joint Unified next month, district says
The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District announced it plans on in-person learning next month.
Parents sound off during Mt. Diablo Unified School Board meeting over hybrid plan
Dozens of East Bay parents sounded off at the Mt. Diablo Unified School Board meeting Wednesday night. Many upset about the proposed hybrid learning plan that was recently approved.
'We're hiring 3 to 4 people right away': Bay Area businesses prepare for move into red tier
As coronavirus numbers continue to improve, there is a possibility that several Bay Area counties could go into the red tier this week.
Historic Victorian home moved in process that San Francisco hasn't seen in 47 years
"I just could not believe what was going down, I thought this is one for the history books." It looked like a scene in a Pixar movie Up in San Francisco Sunday where the historic Englander House was towed six-blocks to a new location.
Mixed reaction across Bay Area after California unveils COVID-19 stimulus plan
"They should have been that doing a lot a lot sooner, there's a lot of people that will never open up again and that's a shame," says a business owner in San Mateo. He's one of many who think this is coming too late:
East Bay mom goes after coyote that bit 3-year-old during walk
"She immediately responded, she had a blanket in her hands, she went after the coyote and drove it off of her child," says Patrick Foy, a captain with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
