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
44 dogs removed from Vallejo 'hoarder' home linked to convicted breeder in animal cruelty case
Authorities removed 44 dogs from a Vallejo home as part of an animal cruelty investigation connected to a previously convicted dog breeder. Officials described it as a "hoarding situation" and said it appears the dogs were "using the bathroom inside of the home."
Corruption trial begins for former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao
Jury selection concluded Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, clearing the way for a trial expected to last about six weeks. Thao faces bribery, fraud and corruption charges stemming from an investigation that drew national attention when FBI agents raided her home more than two years ago.
BART ridership surges to post-pandemic highs, but looming budget crisis threatens service cuts
BART is continuing to set post-pandemic ridership records, with more than 200,000 riders using the system each weekday last week, but the agency still faces a $300 million budget deficit and possible service reductions if a proposed sales tax measure fails in November.
Former SFPD sergeant kills wife, daughter in double-murder suicide at Marin Co. home: Authorities
Sources have confirmed to ABC7 Eyewitness News that former San Francisco Police Sergeant Kevin Mannix is the shooting suspect. Sources also say that his wife, Ann Mannix, a former San Francisco Police Department Deputy Chief, was shot and killed, along with the couple's 25-year-old daughter.
2 older adults dead in Monte Sereno house fire, Santa Clara Co. officials say
Investigators are trying to figure out what led to a house fire that killed two people in Monte Sereno. Firefighters say the two who died were "older" and crews had trouble getting to them when they arrived on scene.
How this South Bay high school is keeping football program alive amid wave of canceled seasons
At least half a dozen Bay Area high schools have canceled their football programs this year because of low participation, but Monta Vista High School in Cupertino has taken a different approach to keep its team on the field.
Dublin man allegedly shot, killed by in-laws suffered anti-trans abuse, court records reveal
New details are emerging about the shocking daytime shooting death of New York Times engineer Jonathan McKinsey in a Dublin sports park, allegedly killed by his elderly in-laws. Hundreds of pages of court documents related to the man's contentious divorce reveal the victim claimed he suffered abuse as a transgender man - at the hands of the suspects and their daughter, his wife.
SF pub owner arrested for alleged baseball bat assault over parking spot dispute
"And he came and smacked the desk with the bat, like overhead 'pow,' right on the desk. And then Tony Soprano-style was like, "'Don't you ever disrespect me ever again,'" said Drew Wood, who goes by 'Purple.'
Family, teammates mourn 19-year-old College of San Mateo football player killed in crash on Hwy 101
"People just gravitated towards him." A community is mourning the loss of 19-year-old Ja'Marion Grace, a College of San Mateo football player who was killed in a car crash early Sunday morning on Highway 101 in San Jose.
49ers Faithful take over Melbourne as Niners dominate Rams in season opener Down Under
The San Francisco 49ers opened their season with a victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia and the Faithful showed out with strong support, as fans in red filled the stands.
