While I spent most of my life in Ohio, I'm a California girl at heart. The ocean, wineries, and beautiful parks are my happy place!
I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and my family emigrated to the United States when I was 8 years old, and we ended up settling in Northeast Ohio, in a small town on the shores of Lake Erie. That's when I learned to speak English (though I continued to speak my native Russian at home).
I discovered my love for journalism at a young age. My persistent curiosity, love for hearing people's stories, and passion for learning and sharing the news of world events were what made me want to become a reporter. I studied journalism and political science at Kent State University in Ohio and summers interning for C-SPAN, a U.S. senator and the Voice of America in one of my favorite cities, Washington D.C.
I began my professional career hosting a civic-focused news program on PBS. My next job as a traffic reporter at WBNS News in Columbus, Ohio was the beginning of a 15-year long career at WBNS, first working my way up to a general assignment reporter and, ultimately, to the weekday morning anchor. I truly enjoyed becoming a part of the community, and I'm particularly proud of my fact-checking stories as part of the VERIFY team's efforts to stop the spread of misinformation. I was honored to win an Emmy for the breaking news coverage of a massive train derailment, spending a total of 7 hours that day in the helicopter, shooting video and reporting on the disaster.
During my 15 years in Columbus, I loved spending time volunteering and emceeing events for a number of nonprofit organizations. I'm a proud big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters, was on the board of Columbus Fashion Council and Fairy Goodmothers. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors as much as possible and had the incredible position as the Metro Parks spokesperson, helping people discover nature and all there is to do at the public parks. I'm excited to discover all of the parks in Northern California and take my paddleboard out on the water! Feel free to check out all of my fun adventures on my social media pages.
If you run into me on the street, please say hi! I'll gladly talk for hours about some of my favorite things, like traveling the world, eating delicious food (I would love to hear your Bay Area restaurant recommendations) and seeing my adorable nieces and nephews!
Karina's Stories
Mayor Breed appoints SFPD spokesman Matt Dorsey as District 6 supervisor
Mayor London Breed taps San Francisco police spokesman Matt Dorsey to fill the District 6 seat vacated by Matt Haney until the end of the term.
Truck stuck at Bay Bridge toll plaza cleared, days after big rig smashed into booth
A truck stuck at the Bay Bridge toll plaza on Friday has been towed away.
FBI of San Francisco warns of increased 'sextortion' crimes targeting teen boys
The FBI says typically a predator will meet a young person through social media pretending to be a young girl in an effort to get them to send them sexually explicit videos or photos. Then they would threaten the teens for money by holding the images the victims have passed over.
Man free climbs 1,070-foot Salesforce Tower in San Francisco
The man who scaled San Francisco's Salesforce Tower, a rock climber who calls himself the "Pro-Life Spiderman," was posting on Instagram as he ascended.
Group urges passage of gun safety legislation in CA
The group's press conference comes after President Biden announced new federal regulations against "ghost guns," firearms without serial numbers.
Competitive edge: 1st woman MLB coach Alyssa Nakken on Giants' diverse clubhouse
Nakken says she never imagined she could be a Big League coach, then she became the first one in MLB history. Manager Gabe Kapler will be the first to say she's been an "extraordinary addition," making the Giants a "better baseball team."
Truck stolen in armed carjacking on Bay Bridge, CHP says; suspect considered armed and dangerous
Police say the suspect in the stolen truck continued driving towards Oakland and is considered armed and dangerous.
Will Smith damaged reputation from Oscars slap, but will recover from fallout, Bay Area expert says
"He's going to have to do some work in order to command that same level of influence around peace and love, and forgiveness and empathy and grace," said San Jose State University professor Shaun Fletcher.
SF fire engines collide responding to same call, crash into parked cars, building
Thankfully, police say no one was taken to the hospital as a result of this collision.
North Carolina gas station lowers prices to $2.25 to give community break at the pump
The gas station owners said they wanted to help people during this time, so they took a loss and dropped their prices. They ran out of gas in a few hours, but plan to do this again soon.