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
SF proposes stricter rules that would ban non-certified lithium batteries in wake of recent fires
"Over the last five years, there have been over 120 fires in the city caused by illegally certified lithium-ion batteries that are prone to catch fire," says San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who introduced new legislation that would ban the purchase or sale of lithium-ion batteries without the UL certification mark.
Bay Area company preparing for 2028 Artemis IV mission as space excitement builds
While the world is tuned in to the Artemis II mission, Bay Area scientists are focused on 2028 where astronauts will conduct the first human landing on the Moon since 1972, specifically targeting the moon's South Pole. Berkeley-based Heliospace is helping to design and build some of the instruments deployed on the surface for that mission.
Final report on deadly Castle Peak avalanche details snow conditions and movements of 9 victims
More than a month after one of the deadliest avalanches in California history, a final report details the dangerous conditions and found that some of the victims had airbag backpacks that could have potentially saved their lives, but they were never deployed.
DNA on cigarette links suspect to 'brutal' San Rafael homicide cold case, solving 1966 murder
Retired San Rafael detectives say a 60-year-old homicide case involving the killing of a banker's wife in 1966 has been solved, linking DNA from cigarette butts found at the crime scene to a man who died by suicide eight days later.
Police stop attempted Bay Bridge takeover by 85 unruly cyclists, seizing their bikes
Police stopped an unruly Bay Bridge takeover attempt by 85 cyclists who had been seen swerving in and out of traffic and coming dangerously close to pedestrians.
Consumer Watchdog calls out Trump, Newsom as gas prices surge in California
"The Bay Area is paying close to $2 more than the national average for gasoline, which is absurd. We should be at a dollar more," said Jamie Court, who heads the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog.
Bay Area heat wave continues with summerlike temps near 90 in East Bay, mid 80s in SF
For a third day in a row, it's another summerlike day across the Bay Area. It's hard to believe that spring doesn't officially start until Friday.
Rideshare drivers say Waymo is giving rides to unaccompanied kids, violating state permit
A labor group representing Uber and Lyft drivers has filed a complaint with state regulators, alleging that Waymo is violating its permit by allowing unaccompanied minors to ride in its autonomous vehicles in the Bay Area. Parents say they trust AI over human drivers.
Shortening ski season: Sierra Nevada snowpack melting at 1% per day amid heat wave
"Get up there and get it now," said one Tahoe skier as the mountains are losing several inches of snow per day during this heat wave, which could also spell trouble for wildfire risk, drought, and businesses.
Downtown Oakland bar mass shooting happened at after-hours, unpermitted event: official
Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife says EZ's Lounge did not have permits for the event that went into the early hours of Saturday morning. Police say 33-year-old Latetia Bobo and 25-year-old Markise Martin were identified as the two victims shot and killed.
