Lyanne Melendez
In 1999, Melendez won an Emmy and RTNDA for "Nicholas' Gift of Life," the story of a Bay Area boy whose organs were donated to seven Italian recipients. In 1992, she received the Latina Media Person of the Year Award from New York University, the Asociación de Cronistas de espectaculos Award for Reporter of the Year and the Outstanding Person in Communications Award from the Puerto Rican Institute of New York.
Melendez came from CNN-SPANISH in New York where she worked as a senior correspondent and substitute anchor. She's also worked at television stations in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She began her broadcasting career in 1984 as a production specialist at WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Melendez received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Alabama and a Master's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Melendez has traveled to Somalia, Iraq, Central and South America, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on special assignments.
Melendez covers the AIDS and education beat in the Bay Area.
Lyanne's Stories
San Francisco turns to AI to avoid collisions between ships, whales searching for food
The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.
A look at SFPD's new drone program and how it's reshaping the department's response to incidents
ABC7's data team is tracking surging police drone use in San Francisco, where more than 600 flights each month are reshaping how the department responds to incidents.
Here's why a large number of gas stations have closed in Bay Area
Finding a gas station in the Bay Area has become more difficult in recent years as many stations have closed, driven in part by the high costs of removing potentially dangerous underground storage tanks and complying with state law.
What do Fisherman's Wharf modernization efforts mean for SF's fading fishing hub?
Fisherman's Wharf is undergoing a transformation into a modern public space, but commercial fishermen worry the changes will push them further to the margins of a waterfront that was once the heart of their industry.
SF's Union Square showing signs of recovery, though some challenges remain
San Francisco's Union Square, a downtown area that generates about 40% of the city's general fund tax base, is showing signs of recovery. However, key challenges remain as city leaders and real estate officials push for revitalization.
San Francisco to open RESET Center as mayor shifts drug policy toward enforcement, treatment
A year after San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie shifted the city away from its long-standing "harm reduction" strategy toward what he calls a tougher, intervention-focused approach, the city is preparing to open a new facility intended to disrupt open-air drug markets and steer people into treatment.
Political campaign texts flood California voters' phones as election nears
California's already intense political campaign season is bringing a flood of ads - not just on TV and social media, but straight to voters' phones through constant text messages. Candidates across the state are introducing themselves and their priorities as campaigns ramp up.
Attorney General Rob Bonta, Bay Area officials warn of dangerous misuse of e-bikes
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several Bay Area district attorneys are warning riders, retailers and manufacturers about the misuse of certain electric bicycles, saying some modified e-bikes are moving too fast and creating safe
How people in SF's Tenderloin perceive reported progress in drug and homelessness issues
"It's the worst intersection in San Francisco, most drug-filled intersection. Anyone who comes here knows the truth and that is the city allows activities that go on in the Tenderloin that would never be allowed in the neighborhoods." Tenderloin residents say drug use and homelessness issues persist despite efforts to clean up. What's changed?
Hazardous empty San Francisco tree wells finally filled in after years of complaints
A hazardous stretch of sidewalk along a street near San Francisco's Embarcadero has finally received some much-needed attention.
