J.R. Stone
People often ask why I decided to get into news and to be honest, I actually always had this idea of becoming a baseball player. It was my first sport, the one I loved above all else, and I thought that if the guys on TV could do it, who's to say I couldn't? I played baseball when I started college but at one point I, like so many others, realized it wasn't going to happen. Michael Jordan once said, "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something, but I can't accept not trying." I live by those words. I was a solid player yes, but I wasn't a Major League Baseball player.
As I grew older, I noticed that telling stories to groups of people felt natural and fun. I wanted to do that, and I initially just wanted to cover sports. Soon I was covering news, sports, and just about any type of activity that you can imagine. Here I am 19 years later and I'm still doing it.
I don't think there's a better team in the business than ABC7 News. What I love most about being part of this Disney team is that everyone is striving to do their best. Not just the on-air folks, but the behind-the-scenes crews, too. There's a passion to make sure the best possible product is shown and those I work with go above and beyond. It's been hectic at times: extreme weather, bad fires, and tragic mass shootings like the one we saw in Half Moon Bay, but it's those behind-the-scenes crews that make sure everything goes smoothly.
Before joining ABC7, I spent nine years as a weekend news and sports anchor at KRON4 News. While there, I won an Emmy for my news anchoring. But what I enjoyed most was really getting to know the community. It was during this time that I met my Godson Jordan, who has changed my life and continues to change my life to this day. He's the little guy in many of my pictures on Facebook and Instagram.
While at KRON I anchored our breaking news coverage of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire, the mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, and the Asiana Airlines crash at SFO. Every Sunday night I anchored an hour-long sports program called Sports Night Live. We'd show highlights and then we'd go back and forth with opinions. 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, but a bet is a bet.
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, heat waves, and ice storms. Arkansas is where I saw how amazing people can be. I covered many 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@abc.com or on my social media pages on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
J.R.'s Stories
Pro-Palestinian protests continue at Bay Area universities
Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses including in the Bay Area.
Outrage over proposed SFMTA traffic safety plan in SF's West Portal after family killed
"This was a knee-jerk reaction to a terrible tragedy. It needs a little more thought," one resident said in response to proposed traffic changes after an entire family was killed at a bus stop. Local merchants say it would hurt business.
EXCLUSIVE: Antioch students sewing quilts, making care bags for kids facing challenges
Snug As A Bug: A new partnership at Bidwell Continuation High School in Antioch has students making homemade quilts and other items that will go to kids in Bay Area hospitals.
Rev. Cecil Williams, longtime leader of SF's GLIDE Foundation, dies at 94
Rev. Cecil Williams, the well-known and longtime leader of San Francisco's GLIDE Foundation has died, he was 94.
Parishioner stabbed outside SF North Beach church, police say
The stabbing happened Sunday afternoon outside of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, one of San Francisco's most well-known churches.
North Bay PE teacher charged with 21 felony sex crimes against female student
A P.E. teacher from American Canyon High School is behind bars, accused of multiple sex crimes against a female student. The principal is on leave due to the current investigation.
Lockdown lifted at 1 of 2 SF jails after deputies, staff injured in inmate attacks, sheriff says
At least nine deputies have been injured during inmate attacks forcing the lockdown of two San Francisco County jails, according to the sheriff.
EXCLUSIVE: Family says former San Jose youth pastor charged with sex crimes is 'absolutely innocent'
A former San Jose youth pastor's wife and son are coming to his defense after he was charged with multiple sex crimes against a minor under the age of 14.
2 San Francisco Co. jails locked down due to series of inmate attacks on deputies and staff
"We've had nine attacks in three weeks on deputies. There have been prisoner fights. There have been civilian staff injured. This is a really violent time," the president of the SF Deputy Sheriffs' Association said.
Bay Area eclipse travelers stranded in Austin after airport mishap led to 3-hour lines
One group from the Bay Area says they waited in line to check their bag for three hours and ultimately missed their flight on Wednesday. They were able to book a flight back home on Friday.