Nick Allard joined KIRO 7 in October of 2015 as the morning and noon meteorologist. Before coming to KIRO 7, Allard was most recently the weekday morning meteorologist at KGW in Portland from 2009-2015. Before that he was weekday/weekend morning meteorologist for KING 5 and NWCN in Seattle. He covered all the major storms of the past few years, including the Hanukah Eve storm, and the major flooding.
Before moving to Seattle he was a weather anchor at KVEW-42/KAPP-35 in the Tri-Cities and Yakima Washington from 2003-2006. At KVEW, he reported for about a year before becoming the main weather anchor. He produced and anchored the weather casts for the 5, 6, and 11 for both stations, but was based out of the Tri-Cities. He also hosted Ultimate Yard Makeovers, Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethons, and reported live from Detroit the week leading up to Super Bowl XL and during the game.
Allard received his B.A. in Broadcast News & Production from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University. He also finished his Meteorology Certification Program at Mississippi State University. Allard has a seal from the American Meteorological Society.
He enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons and his dog. He also enjoys playing all sports and spending time outside.
Michelle Millman anchors the morning and noon news at KIRO 7, the TV station she grew up watching.
Michelle is a UW grad and former KIRO 7 intern and is thrilled to be working with such great co-workers and journalists.
She got her TV start in Lewiston, Idaho where she did just about everything to get a story on the air. A fond Idaho memory is skydiving, although she hasn’t jumped from a plane since!
From Idaho, it was on to Yakima for a few years and soon, Michelle was part of the Emmy award winning morning news team at KIRO 7.
Since she’s a big football fan, Michelle was thrilled to head to Detroit in 2006 for KIRO 7’s coverage of the Seahawks historic Super Bowl game. She’s hoping to do it again -- SOON!
In July of 2009 Michelle was diagnosed with Stage 2b breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy and five months of chemotherapy, followed by radiation. From day one after her diagnosis, Michelle felt a responsibility to share what she was learning and began writing about her experience. Michelle is still involved with a number of organizations -- trying to do all she can to raise breast cancer awareness and the importance of self-breast checks. Her ultimate goal, though, is helping raise money to find a cure.
In her spare time, Michelle enjoys volunteering with Seattle Humane Society’s Tuxes and Tails and co-hosting the Miss Washington pageant. Another “tough” duty is judging the annual firefighter calendar contest for the Northwest Burn Foundation.
Michelle’s husband is a captain with the Everett Fire Department. (And no, they didn’t meet when she was reporting from a fire; they were high school sweethearts in Renton.) They love raising their two sons right here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
Tracey Leong joined the KIRO 7 Morning News team in October 2019, working alongside veteran Morning News Anchor Michelle Millman, Meteorologist Nick Allard, and Traffic Reporter Tracy Taylor.
Tracey began her journalism career in Humboldt County, Calif. where she worked as a multimedia reporter, producer, weather forecaster and anchor at KIEM TV. She stayed in Northern California for her next stop in Redding, Calif., as a multimedia reporter and evening anchor at KRCR TV. Tracey then moved across the country to WJZ TV in Baltimore, Md., to work as a general assignment reporter and morning anchor. Most recently, she worked in Los Angeles at FOX 11 KTTV as a general assignment reporter.
Born and raised in Southern California, Tracey is a proud graduate of Cal Poly Pomona. During college she was an intern for Late Night with Conan O’Brien in New York and also taught English in China.
When Tracey is not at work, she volunteers to help rescue animals, increase awareness against animal abuse, and promote healthy heart initiatives. She enjoys exploring the outdoors hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, snowboarding and biking and is thrilled to discover the many activities and adventures available to her in the Northwest. Tracey also loves spending time with her adventurous dog, Bella.
Matthew Smith anchors the live desk during KIRO 7’s morning news and reports for various shows.
He’s a long-time runner and an avid outdoorsman.
Born in Michigan, Matt is a long-suffering Detroit sports fan. He and his brothers grew up cheering on local sports teams, playing baseball and getting sent outside so they didn’t break anything indoors. Now an adult, Matt is still practicing not breaking cameras as he hikes his new surroundings in the Pacific Northwest while snapping photographs.
Before coming to KIRO 7, Matt worked as both a reporter and anchor in various cities: Detroit, Omaha, El Paso and Beckley, West Virginia.
Matt is a self-professed news nerd. While in Michigan, he was honored with an Emmy for Best Reporter by the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2019 – he’s also won and been nominated for a variety of reporting and photography awards over the past decade.
An early starter, Matt got into television as a high school student, convincing his hometown TV station to hire him as an intern in 2005 while he was dual-enrolled in college. He worked as a news writer, photographer and reporter throughout his college years and he’s stuck with news ever since.
Matt has been spent a fair share of time on the road, being sent to various national news stories including wildfires, hurricanes and winter storms.
While he’s packed his bags to report the news, Matt loves telling stories in his own community – noting that when the national news reporters leave town, local reporters continue to share real experiences right along with viewers following tough stories.
In 2010, Matt covered the Upper Big Branch mine disaster that claimed 29 lives – he spent more than 36 hours reporting from the ground without break.
If Matt isn’t at KIRO 7, you’ll likely find him exploring/hiking, cooking or trying a new craft beer. Matt moved to Seattle with his fiancée and two cats.
Monique Ming Laven co-anchors KIRO 7 News at 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, and 11pm, Monday through Friday alongside Steve Raible and Dave Wagner.
Monique joined KIRO 7 News in June of 2006 and has covered a wide range of stories during her tenure, including the 2009 trial of Amanda Knox in Perugia, Italy. KIRO 7’s coverage received an Emmy Award and a National Headliner Award for Breaking News.
Monique has been on the desk for some of Western Washington’s biggest news stories, including extended coverage during the Lakewood police officers’ shootings, the murder of Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton and the shootings at Marysville Pilchuck High School. She also anchored coverage of a holiday season shooting at Westfield Southcenter for which KIRO 7 received an Emmy Award and National Headliner Award for Best Newscast.
Before joining the KIRO 7 team, Monique worked as evening anchor and reporter at WCMH in Columbus, OH, WKOW in Madison, WI, and 6News in Lawrence, KS. During her time in the Midwest she was in key swing states for the presidential elections in 2004 and 2008, she traveled to New York City to cover the September 11th terrorist attacks, and she biked 560 miles in six days from Minneapolis to Chicago reporting on the Heartland AIDS Ride. During her Midwest tour of duty, she also picked up an Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Series and the Associated Press Award for Best Documentary.
Monique has made a practice of living in cities with universities (Kansas Jayhawks, Wisconsin Badgers, Ohio State Buckeyes), but this is the first time she's settled into the turf of a Pac-12 rival: she is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of California, Berkeley. One of her favorite memories is watching the Battle for the Roses game between Cal and UW. Although the Huskies pulled it out, she cherished cheering on Cal alongside her grandfather, another Golden Bear and her favorite game day date.
Often the highlight of her week comes in the car. She's a volunteer driver for Sound Generations (formerly King County Senior Services), and those seniors share a lot of memories, a lot of laughs, and a lot of wisdom. Monique lives in Seattle with her husband and their puppy MeiMei.
Dave Wagner is an anchor and investigative reporter at KIRO 7.
Dave comes to Seattle from NBC News Channel where he was a correspondent covering some of the nation’s biggest stories, including the Charleston church massacre. He also covered the Olympics in Sochi, London and Vancouver.
Dave has anchored the news in Charlotte, Tampa, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Lexington, Kentucky. His passion for investigative reporting has been recognized with 36 Emmys and four Edward R. Murrow Awards.
A week after their honeymoon, Dave surprised his wife by going undercover as an inmate. He spent a month in the Fayette County, Kentucky Detention Center investigating overcrowding, the treatment of mentally ill prisoners and an alarming number of suicides.
While working in Tampa, Dave received a tip about Nazi war criminals receiving U.S. Social Security checks overseas. He traveled to Lithuania to confront the accused war criminals about the long-held government secret. His stories led Congress to introduce the Nazi Benefits Termination Act. Dave received the Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting.
After a headline-grabbing case that included murder, rape and an attempt to steal a newborn baby, Dave discovered an innocent man behind bars. As part of his investigation, Dave assembled a nationally-renowned pro-bono defense team and obtained the prison release of a wrongly-accused father serving a 20-year sentence.
Dave’s investigation of U.S. Armed Forces recruiters, lying to attract teenagers to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, led to retraining.
One of Dave’s most memorable stories started with a phone call to the newsroom from twin sisters Flo and Kay Lyman. After months of conversations, Dave was awestruck by their incredible memories and arranged to have Flo and Kay tested. Doctors revealed they are the world’s only known women to be identical twin autistic savants. Dave produced and directed a documentary about the Lyman sisters for the Discovery network.
If you are channel flipping, you might catch Dave in two movies, “From the Earth to the Moon” with Tom Hanks and“The Waterboy” with Adam Sandler. As Dave will admit, his short performances are less than Oscar-worthy.
While he grew up in Ohio, Dave’s roots run deep in Seattle. His great grandfather, William Weaver, was a prominent businessman and Seattle City Council member. Dave’s grandparents, Walter and Ethel Wagner, were students at the University of Washington and his grandfather taught at the school.
Dave and his wife love being with their two sons and exploring the outdoors. Dave looks forward to meeting you and always welcomes your story ideas.
Chief Meteorologist Morgan Palmer serves as meteorologist for weeknight editions of KIRO 7 News.
Morgan began "chasing" storms as a Skywarn severe storm spotter while a teenager and continues to pursue severe storms when time permits. He also served several years as a moderator of Stormtrack, the world’s largest online forum for storm chasers. Morgan is also a licensed amateur radio operator and enjoys hiking and exploring, especially in the mountains.
He completed advanced meteorology studies at Mississippi State University. He also holds a prior degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and spent the early years of his career at a Texas television station as a news anchor, reporter and meteorologist.
Morgan has family who have called Western Washington home for many years.
A self-described "Twitter addict," Morgan tweets very frequently about weather and other interests at @MorganKIRO7 and loves to hear feedback from viewers. He is also on Facebook.
Morgan Palmer joined KIRO 7 in April 2011 from WBBH in Fort Myers, Florida where he served as meteorologist for various weekday newscasts. He holds the television Seals of Approval from both the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the National Weather Association (NWA).
Claire Anderson started working at KIRO 7 as Weekend Meteorologist in April 2018.
Claire is a native of Enumclaw, Washington and went to Enumclaw High School.
She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in communications and is a certified Meteorologist through Mississippi State Broadcast Meteorology Program.
While going to school at UW, Claire had four internships, two of them with large news stations in Seattle. She was also very involved with her sorority Delta Gamma and leadership programs.
Claire’s first job was at KRTV in Great Falls, MT as Weekend Meteorologist. She then moved to Santa Barbara, CA to work at KCOY as the Weekday Morning Meteorologist for 2 years.
Her most recent stop before Seattle was in Portland, OR where she started working at KOIN as Weekend Meteorologist, filled in as Evening Weekday Meteorologist for 6 months then became the Weekday Morning Meteorologist.
Claire is excited to be back home in the Pacific Northwest and to forecast for family, friends and the Greater Seattle Area.
When she's not forecasting the weather, she loves to play volleyball, tennis, meet new people, and explore the outdoors.
August of 2019 marks the second tour of duty for Chris Francis at KIRO 7 News. A veteran of 26 years in local broadcasting, Francis is the Sports Director at KIRO 7, producing and anchoring all of the station's sportscasts and special programming. This includes GameDay Live, coverage of March Madness and the Emmy-nominated Steve Raible Scouting Report, seen every Saturday night during the NFL season.
Prior to rejoining KIRO, Francis was in the Bay Area for three years as an anchor for the PAC 12 Network where he delivered highlights and reports on everything from volleyball and soccer to the Network's flagship football and basketball shows. A perk of covering the PAC 12 -- he was able to keep a keen eye on the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington State University Cougars.
At KIRO 7 from 2009 to 2016, Francis wore two hats: the weekend sports anchor and a general assignment news reporter. Other previous stops include Milwaukee, Washington, D.C., Wilmington, N.C. and Norfolk, Virginia. Francis began his broadcast career waking up early (when the alarm was loud enough) to edit tapes for the morning show at WGME in Portland, Maine.
He is a proud University of Akron graduate and, yes, he can tell you why they chose Zips as a nickname.
On the rare day there is no sporting news in Seattle, Chris spends his time in Issaquah with his wife, Alexis, son, Connor, and daughter, Danielle.
Gary joined KIRO 7 Eyewitness News in June of 2003, moving west after a five-year stint at KWTV in Oklahoma City.
In his 22 years of street reporting, historic news just seems to happen around Gary. As soon as he arrived at KWTV, a mile-wide F-5 tornado ripped the Oklahoma City metro in half. During this time, Gary took pride in finding hope and human courage in stories we all find difficult to watch. Much of his inspiration came from the courageous stories of the Oklahomans who survived 1995 Murrah bombing. Gary's weekly "Strangely Named Towns" segment was also a very popular, award-winning exploration, uncovering the myths and curious legends hidden in every tiny dot on the map.
Before moving to KWTV, Gary reported for 5-years at WBAY-TV in Green Bay, where he covered everything from two consecutive Super Bowls, to a propane-train disaster which forced the Army to evacuate a little cheese-making town for an entire month.
Gary began his career at WISN-TV in his home town of Milwaukee. Just after starting an internship there in 1991, Gary followed a tip which broke the Jeffrey Dahmer serial-killer story to the world. He won several awards that year, while still an intern. Three years later, Gary was the first reporter "live" from the prison where Dahmer himself was murdered.
Gary studied Journalism at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He and his wife Elizabeth have two boys and are very proud to call Washington their new home.
Graham Johnson joined KIRO 7 Eyewitness News in April 2005.
Graham came to KIRO 7 from WPTZ-TV in Burlington, Vermont, where he worked for five years as a reporter. Before that, he worked as a reporter and anchor at KOBI-TV in Medford, Oregon, and as a writer for Northwest Cable News.
While in Vermont, Graham received honors for his work, including a Regional Edward R. Murrow award for a hidden-camera investigation of Quebec puppy mills and a national award from the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Graham is a Northwest native. He grew up on Vashon Island and graduated from Pacific Lutheran University.
In his off hours, Graham enjoys traveling, reading and exploring Puget Sound by kayak or sailboat.
Siemny Kim joined KIRO 7 in January 2015 as an anchor/reporter. She's excited to call the Pacific Northwest home!
She spent the last two years at KXTV in Sacramento, California, where she worked as a weekend anchor/reporter. During her time there, she launched a technology segment called "Inventures," which profiled innovative startup companies in the area.
Before that, she worked as a reporter at WDSU in New Orleans, Louisiana. While at WDSU, Siemny was part of the team that earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news coverage of a missing university professor. She was also a part of the station’s wall-to-wall Hurricane Isaac coverage, which garnered an Associated Press Award for Story of the Year.
Before, that she worked at KBAK/KBFX in Bakersfield, California, where she anchored a four-hour morning show, and produced and anchored the noon show. But she got her start at KIDK in Idaho Falls, Idaho, as a "one-man band," which is TV talk for reporter, photographer, editor and producer all in one.
She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a double major in Political Science and Mass Communications. Although Siemny grew up in the Los Angeles area, she was born in Thailand in a refugee camp after her family fled the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
Her background has always been a driving passion for her interest in journalism. She’s grateful for the many opportunities and freedoms she’s had growing up in the United States and she hopes to make a difference, giving a voice to those who need it -- one interview, and one story at a time.
In her spare time, Siemny enjoys running, and exploring all the delicious eats in the area! She also loves baking, and curling up with a good book.
Jessica joined the news team in September 2017. You can catch her stories during the week on KIRO 7's newscast at 11 p.m. As a bilingual general assignment reporter, she covers a variety of stories that impact people throughout Washington.
Before coming to Seattle, Jessica spent four years reporting and anchoring at KUSA in Denver, Colorado. Yes, she is a Broncos fan, but she's slowly coming around to the Seahawks!
Jessica learned how to shoot, write and edit her own stories at her first reporting job at WTVC in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After spending a couple years there, she began reporting for WLKY in Louisville, Kentucky, where she discovered her love for the Derby and the Kentucky hot brown. Jessica grew up in Southern California and graduated from Biola University.
Jessica is a passionate, energetic and dedicated reporter who looks forward to serving the people of Washington as a journalist. One of her favorite things about the job is the ability to meet new people every day.
If Jessica's not playing with her cat Milo, she's exploring the stunning and endless sights that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Jessica is always looking for story ideas or cat photos. You can email Jessica at: joh@kiro7.com or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.
Linzi Sheldon anchors KIRO 7 News Saturday and Sunday evenings and is a general assignment and investigative reporter.
She joined KIRO-TV in August of 2013 and is excited to be part of the team. Linzi was born in Richmond, British Columbia and grew up in the Okanagan Valley, so she's also thrilled to be back home in the Pacific Northwest.
Before coming to Seattle, Linzi reported for WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C., where she covered in-depth the controversial fight for control of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. She also broke the story that a highly-paid city tourism CEO was continuing to receive $20,000 a month even after he was replaced. While at WSOC-TV, Linzi covered the Democratic National Convention, the John Edwards federal criminal trial, and Hurricane Irene making landfall on the North Carolina coast.
Prior to WSOC-TV, Linzi worked as a reporter for WHEC-TV in Rochester, N.Y. She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Creative Writing and with honors from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism with a Master of Science in Journalism.
In her free time, Linzi enjoys running, playing tennis, traveling, and searching for the perfect meal.
Ranji Sinha joined KIRO 7 in August 2017 and has spent several years covering the Pacific Northwest for KIRO 7’s evening and morning newscasts. He’s been part of KIRO 7’s Emmy nominated coverage of the Dupont train derailment in December 2017 and the Port Orchard Tornado in December 2018. He’s also been part of our continuing coverage of the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, as well as the hunt for suspects who have attacked several Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls in the South Sound. After years of working nights, Ranji shifted to KIRO 7 Mornings and was part of our marathon snow coverage in February 2019.
Ranji came to KIRO 7 from News 12 New Jersey, the 24-hour news in Northern New Jersey, where he honed skills for breaking news and quick story turns. He’s also worked at the CBS affiliate in Western Michigan, as well as NBC stations in Burlington, Vermont-Plattsburgh, New York and Charlottesville, Virginia.
Ranji is a native New Yorker, who grew up in Long Island, about 40 minutes outside Manhattan, New York City. Even though Ranji hails from the East Coast, both he and his family were excited to move cross country to join KIRO 7. He lives in Seattle with his wife and daughter and is now proud to call the Pacific Northwest home.
When he’s not working, Ranji enjoys spending time with his family but is a huge fan of TV and film, and also a big sports fan. He’s enjoyed exploring nature here in the Pacific Northwest and loves sampling the great food and drinks our region has to offer.
Deedee Sun is a multimedia journalist / reporter who joined the KIRO7 team in August 2017.
She was previously reporting and anchoring for KWCH12 in Wichita, Kansas another CBS news affiliate.
Deedee is a journalist who believes local news can drive change for the better in communities - that's why she she's always searching for the stories that matter.
If you have any stories or news tips you'd like to share with Deedee, you can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/DeedeeKIRO7, on Twitter @DeedeeKIRO7, or email her at dsun@kiro7.com.
Before Kansas, Deedee was reporting for WICU & WSEE (now called Erie News Now) in Erie, PA. There she also filled in as anchor and producer.
Her other experiences have taken her to other major markets across the country and even across the pond. She interned with KABC in Los Angeles, WCVB in Boston, and CBS Network’s London Bureau. She also landed a Meredith-Cronkite fellowship with KPHO in Phoenix.
She’s reported on major news events, covering the Hesston, KS mass shooting at Excel Industries in 2016, the manhunt for the Tsarnaev brothers after the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013, President Obama’s 2013 Inauguration, and the Occupy Wall Street movements in Los Angeles and in Boston.
Deedee is a graduate from Boston University, double majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Economics. She grew up in Illinois, was born in Harbin, China, and speaks Mandarin Chinese - somewhere between fluent and conversational.
Her second passion after journalism is cooking! She also loves being a big through Big Brother Big Sister. Her other hobbies include traveling, hiking, skiing, and DIY crafts.
She's very happy to call Seattle and the Pacific Northwest "home!"
Lauren Donovan was raised in Sammamish but feels most at home on the beaches of Lopez Island. This Eastlake High School graduate takes great pride in her Pacific Northwest roots.
Donovan graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. While at Mizzou she reported and anchored at the local NBC-affiliate, KOMU-TV. During college, she had the opportunity to intern overseas for European media outlet, ViEUws. Located in Brussels, Belgium her work focused largely around the European Union. Interviewing members of Parliament she covered trade relations, Brexit and the unsettling aftermath of three suicide bombings.
The cornfields of Des Moines were her next stop, reporting and anchoring for KCCI-TV. While at the CBS-affiliate, Donovan received an Emmy nomination and an Iowa Broadcasting Association award for her tornado coverage. Beyond the doppler, Donovan covered the Iowa caucuses and the dozens of political candidates who visited the state vying for a Presidential nomination. That included our own Governor, Jay Inslee. She is most proud, however, of her investigative pieces on COVID-19 outbreaks at local meatpacking plants. Through her reporting, she revealed that top state officials including the Governor were withholding critical information from the public and putting workers at great risk. It was also at KCCI that Donovan fell in love working the morning show. She is committed to helping people wake up and feel informed as they begin their day.
Now she’s back! Donovan is over-the-moon to be in the city she loves and working for KIRO! She shares that she’s been blown away by the warm welcome given by her co-workers, including former neighbor, Alison Grande.
When she’s not on air you can catch this hop-head sampling IPAs, grooving out to her parents’ music (Fleetwood Mac and CCR are her favorites) and *attempting* to take her cat Darcy on hikes.
Alison Grande is a Reporter for KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. Alison joined KIRO 7 Eyewitness News in 1996.
She is an Emmy Award winning journalist with twenty years of experience reporting across broadcast and digital media. Alison received an Emmy Award in 2015 for her reporting on the Ride the Ducks crash in Seattle.
She began as a producer and received several awards, including an Emmy, in 1997. Other awards include: first place from the Society of Professional Journalists (1998) and "Best of the West" awards in 1997, and 2000. She has numerous Emmy nominations.
Alison grew up in Redmond and graduated with honors from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. She received her degree in Broadcast Journalism, with a minor in Business Administration.
Deborah Horne has been a reporter at KIRO 7 since 1991 and the executive producer of KIRO 7 InColor.
Horne created InColor, a public affairs show about the diversity of the Pacific Northwest, in 1994. The show, which she also hosts, has been honored with four Emmy awards and received national recognition.
In 2005, she also created KIRO Backstage, an Emmy-nominated show about women in the Northwest.
Deborah has served on the boards of Seattle Emergency Housing and the Seattle City Council’s Domestic Violence Committee, where she hosted forums looking at the issue of domestic violence across every population group. She also served on the boards of Big Sisters of Rhode Island and the Urban League of Rhode Island. In addition, she has volunteered at a battered women’s shelter.
Deborah is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia and The Ohio State University.
Community Involvement:
New Beginnings
Deborah returns as emcee for the New Beginnings Benefit Lunch on Tuesday October 22, 2013. For more information on the event and how to reserve your seat at It’s Everyone’s Business to Stop Domestic Violence, please visit the New Beginnings website .
New Beginnings’ mission is to provide shelter, advocacy and support for battered women and their children and to change attitudes and social institutions that foster and perpetuate violence. It provides services to those whose lives have been affected by domestic violence—physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Some are in physical danger. Others are living with controlling partners in relationships that are emotionally abusive. Learn how to get help, how to get involved, how to donate and how to learn more about domestic violence in our community at New Beginnings.
If you stumbled across this page it means you are about to be bored to death. So I’ll make this quick. I’m KIRO 7 TV's Consumer Advocate. I'm from Tacoma and went to college at Montana State University. My degrees were in staying warm and Film and Television Production. Yes, don’t laugh, I got a B.S. in it. I started my TV career in 1989 at KSTW-TV as a teleprompter operator and receptionist. Imagine walking into a TV station and seeing my face? Scary. I got promoted to a Sports Reporter then to News Reporter ending as a Special Projects Reporter and Producer.
A few years later, I left my home town for WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Maryland. I spent seven as an Investigative Reporter in Charm City. In 2001 I went to work for WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the same capacity. And in 2005 I got opportunity to return to the Northwest. I've been married for 25 years to my wonderful wife Kim. Just a side note, if you really want something done, call her, not me. And I have a daughter named Cydney. She is pretty and smart like her mother. My mom, brother and sister all live in the South Sound. I’m a blessed man. I hope to make you and my family proud.
Got a consumer complaint or want to report government waste?
You can contact me with a problem or story idea at 1-844-77-JESSE. Email me at: consumer@kiro7.com
Ilona McCauley joined KIRO 7 in October 2020 as the weekend morning meteorologist. Before coming to KIRO 7, Ilona was most recently a freelance meteorologist at NWCN in Seattle.
Before moving to Seattle in 2014, Ilona spent 14 years as a meteorologist at KVUE-TV in Austin, TX. Ilona covered a wide range of weather events there including severe weather outbreaks, historic flooding and ice storms. She contributed to severe weather specials produced by KVUE-TV and also produced a commemorative story on the anniversary of the F5 tornado that hit Jarrell, TX in May of 1997. In September of 2005, one of the most active hurricane years the U.S, Ilona traveled to Houston to cover Hurricane Rita as it moved onshore.
Ilona was first introduced to the Pacific Northwest shortly after graduating college when she accepted a position as the morning meteorologist at KDRV in Medford, OR. Ilona immediately fell in love with the northwest! In fact, Ilona and her husband loved this area so much they travelled from TX to get married in Hood River, OR.
Ilona is a proud Wildcat earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Arizona and has a seal from the American Meteorological Society. Ilona also holds a teaching certificate in middle school science.
Ilona enjoys spending time with her husband, two girls and beloved rescue dog, Rudy. She is involved with the special needs community and loves watching their older daughter play volleyball.
Essex Porter covers government and politics for KIRO TV. He began his broadcast career at KLMS Radio in Lincoln, Nebraska, then served as a television reporter at KETV in Omaha,and KATU in Portland, Oregon before joining KIRO.
He was one of the first reporters on the scene of the Mt. St. Helens volcanic eruption in 1980. He also reported from the scene of the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles in January 1994.
Essex has served as co-anchor of the KIRO Morning News, anchor of KIRO's Puget Sound Business Report, and Eastside Bureau Chief. He has earned three Emmy nominations for his reporting and anchoring.
Essex is a graduate of Radford High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, the University of Nebraska, and the William Benton Fellowship for Broadcast Journalists at the University of Chicago.
Ryan Simms is thrilled to be making a return to Washington State!
He joined KIRO 7 as a reporter in January 2020, joining the station from KPHO/KTVK-TV in Phoenix, Ariz..
Prior to his time in the scorching southwest, Ryan is proud to have reported and anchored the news from every television market in Washington State.
He began his career as a reporter and anchor at KIMA-TV in Yakima, Washington. From there, he worked as an anchor/reporter for KEPR-TV in the Tri-Cities. Three years later, he went to KREM-TV in Spokane, where he worked as both an anchor and a nightside reporter.
While in Spokane, Ryan reported live from such critical events as the 2014 Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting, the 2015 Okanogan Complex Fires, the 2016 Washington gubernatorial election.
Now that Ryan is back in the Northwest (where he says he belongs!), he cannot wait to go running along the beautiful Puget Sound!
An avid aviation geek, you can always find Ryan plane spotting at Sea-Tac as well.
If you have a story idea, or would just like to say "hello", Ryan would love to hear from you!
It took leaving Seattle for Michael Spears to fully appreciate the beauty of the city; the smell of salty, sea air along the waterfront and sweet, blossoming flowers in the spring; the view as you emerge from one of the I-90 tunnels onto the floating bridges (when there’s no traffic) with Mount Rainier off in the distance on a sunny day.
After 11 years away, Michael returns to Seattle where he was born and raised – having lived in neighborhoods around the city from Capitol Hill to Beacon Hill, Ballard to Lakeridge and Rainier Beach.
He is a proud Renton High School graduate who went south in pursuit of sun and palm trees, graduating from the University of Miami. He later returned to South Florida, most recently working for NBC’s O&O WTVJ, where he reported on several national stories including Hurricanes Irma and Matthew, the Parkland mass shooting and the Fort Lauderdale airport mass shooting – coverage that earned him a breaking news Emmy.
Trading warm weather to return home to the PNW felt right for Michael. A chance to not only tell his hometown’s stories, but connect with old friends and spend time with family.
Jacqueline Fell came to the Washington Bureau in June 2012 from Orlando, Florida.
As Cox Media Group's Washington Correspondent, she's responsible for covering important local stories in Congress, the White House and explaining how decisions made by federal agencies impact viewers.
Jacqueline enjoys focusing on matters related to aviation and transportation, as well as veterans issues.
While in DC, Jacqueline has covered some major news stories, including President Obama's second inauguration, the Pope's visit and the Navy Yard mass shooting. She also was at the Supreme Court when major rulings came down on the Affordable Care Act, gay marriage, and immigration.
Growing up in Baltimore, Md., she had an early interest in journalism and hosted a news magazine show in high school. Jacqueline reported and anchored in upstate New York, Flint, Mich. and Dayton, Ohio. She spent much of her career in Orlando as the lead reporter on the Casey Anthony case.
Jacqueline's inside-the-courtroom-Twitter coverage has been recognized with various industry award nominations.
Blair Miller can be seen weekdays covering news from Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Washington Bureau, Blair was a weeknight anchor in Boston. Blair covered the 2016 Presidential election extensively, reporting from both political conventions and traveling across the country to report live from the Presidential Debates and primaries. Blair regularly reports from the White House and Capitol, covering President Donald Trump.
He recently produced and anchored primetime programs, "Boston's Bravest" that focused on occupational cancer in the fire service and the Emmy Award-winning "Deep Sea Drug War" that took Blair to the Pacific Ocean with the US Coast Guard to see their crackdown on major drug cartels. Blair recently appeared as a guest on the Dr. Oz show and was invited to the White House to talk about his reporting in "Boston's Bravest."
Prior to being in Boston, Blair was a main evening anchor in Charlotte, North Carolina. Blair's reporting has taken him to the scene of major news stories including the Boston Marathon Bombings, the Virginia Tech Shootings, and the Super Bowl. In addition to covering live breaking news events, he has traveled the world with the US Military reporting from Afghanistan, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Ramstein, Germany. Blair has also landed numerous exclusive interviews with newsmakers including Presidents and political candidates.
Blair has received many honors for his reporting and anchoring including seven Emmy awards. He has been honored extensively by local fire departments for his coverage of "Boston's Bravest." He was also named Anchor of the Year by the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters.
Blair recently joined the Board of Directors of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a charity for Wendy's that focuses on help foster care find families across the United States and Canada. It's a passion that hits close home for Blair, considering he and his husband adopted their three children. Blair also sits on the Board of Directors for the Rescue Ranch in Statesville, NC, a non-profit foundation by NASCAR driver Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie to help improve the lives of animals and educate the public.
Blair is a graduate of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. He lives in Northern Virginia with his husband, along with their three children and boxer dog, Laguna.
Samantha Manning joined Cox Media Group's Washington D.C. Bureau in October 2019.
She's responsible for covering important developments from Capitol Hill, federal agencies and the White House that impact local viewers.
Samantha previously worked as a reporter for the Cox station in Orlando (WFTV), and as an investigative reporter for the Cox station in Jacksonville, Florida (WJAX/WFOX). During her five years in Florida, Samantha covered the 2016 Republican National Convention and the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She also provided in-depth coverage of the multiple recounts in contested Florida races in the 2018 midterm elections which led to recognition by the Florida Society of Professional Journalists for best political coverage.
Samantha was a political reporter in Knoxville, Tennessee covering the Tennessee General Assembly prior to her time in Florida. She also often hosted a weekly political affairs show that dove into political topics and held lawmakers accountable.
Samantha is a New York City native having grown up in Brooklyn and Staten Island. She attended Hofstra University.
