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
Fairfield police give update on disappearance of Chantel Brooks
Since Chantel Brooks ' disappearance, investigators have conducted dozens of ground, drone, and digital device searches. Family members have also carried out their own search efforts to help locate Brooks.
Bay Area firefighters deploy to Nevada as massive Hawk Fire forces tens of thousands to evacuate
Firefighters from across the Bay Area headed to northern Nevada to help battle the rapidly growing Hawk Fire as part of a mutual aid response supporting firefighters already on the front lines near Reno. The wind-driven wildfire that has forced tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes.
Family in mourning after Richmond house fire allegedly set by uncle kills 2 kids, their grandpa
Richmond police say a man allegedly set his own house on fire with his family inside, killing his 47-year-old father, his 5-year-old nephew, and his 2-year-old niece. Family members tell us they are heartbroken.
Suspect arrested for homicide, arson after child and man killed in Richmond house fire: police
A man has been arrested in an arson investigation after a tragic house fire in Richmond Tuesday night killed a child and another man, with two others in critical condition, Richmond police say.
Police suspect foul play in disappearance of Fairfield woman who has been missing for a month
Police now believe foul play was involved in the disappearance of 36-year-old Chantel "Cici" Brooks, who was last seen more than a month ago in a Fairfield CVS parking lot after working a shift at a San Francisco hotel.
Marin man reflects on friendship with Tupac as murder trial begins: 'People want closure'
"We used to hang out and listen to music all day. I think of the friend who made it and all I can do is be proud of what he did and who he was," said Demetrius Striplin, who grew up with iconic rapper Tupac Shakur in Marin City.
Some Santa Rosa high, middle school students sharing campus amid budget cuts, closures
More Santa Rosa middle school students will start the school year on high school campuses that now serve grades seven through 12. Some parents said they initially worried about younger students sharing campuses with older teenagers.
Richmond's Kennedy High School set to reopen on time after toxic chemical scare
Traces of the toxic chemical PCE were found in five of six soil samples from the Kennedy High School campus earlier this summer, but indoor and outdoor air samples taken last week show that PCE is not in the air, in most campus locations.
Neighbors raise privacy concerns after Brentwood HOA installs Flock cameras
A homeowners association in Brentwood is facing criticism after installing four Flock cameras at a housing development, prompting concerns from some residents about surveillance and data access. Residents said they only recently became aware of the cameras, but the HOA says that is not the case.
Experts warn strong El Niño could bring record sea levels to California coast with flooding concerns
Experts are warning that the incoming El Niño could be the strongest on record as it triggers coastal flooding, beach erosion and some of the highest sea levels ever recorded along the California coast in the coming months.
