Professional Experience:

I worked for two football seasons with HighSchoolOT as a videographer and worked with WRALSportsFan with live football updates during the 2022 college football season. Prior to that, I spent two years working at the Raleigh News & Observer as a sports clerk and freelance writer from 2016 to 2018. I worked as a freelance writer for FanSided from 2019 to 2020. I also worked as head collegiate baseball writer and wrestling writer for NC State’s student run newspaper, Technician. I worked as a waiter and bartender for 11 years while I was getting my degree and working these jobs.

Giving people the news of the day and holding people in power accountable is a civic duty and responsibility.

I got my bachelor’s degree in English, with a focus on language, writing and rhetoric, from NC State University. I also minored in creative writing with a focus in screen writing and poetry. Prior to that I got my associate degree from Central Carolina Community College in 2013.

I was born in Panama while my dad was stationed there on an Air Force assignment, but I call North Carolina home since 1996. Pittsboro is my hometown which is about 20 minutes away from Chapel Hill.

I love video games and sports. I recently built a PC so I can play video games on PC with my friends and occasionally stream video game commentary on Twitch.

Sports will always be my passion as it helped me build solid relationships with my family, whether it be my dad and I celebrating the St. Louis Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series, or my mom taunting my brother and I when the Pats won the Super Bowl against the Greatest Show on Turf Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

I have an older brother, Kennedy, who is a 12-year army vet stationed in Arizona; My parents, Katie and Mark. My parents divorced in ’96; My mom lives in Durham; My dad resides in Swansea, Illinois, with my stepmother, Linda. I also have one stepsister, who resides in Norfolk, V.A., with my brother-in-law, Joe, and my niece.

Like Best About North Carolina:

The food. I’m a huge fan of BBQ and I love both western NC style and eastern style BBQ. I’m always on the search for good BBQ joints to eat at as well, so any recommendations are appreciated.

Most Memorable Assignment:

I was tasked by the News & Observer with covering NC State’s women’s basketball team at the 2018 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Greensboro and my computer crashed mid-assignment. I had to type the game recap from my cellphone on the last day of the Wolfpack’s run.

Joseph Ochoa

It's a big issue that law enforcement is trying to get a handle on. Thousands of cars have been stolen across our area in recent months, and only a fraction of the crimes are getting solved. WRAL Investigates' Sarah Krueger is asking law enforcement why.

70 IN THAT AREA FACING SEVERAL CHARGES, INCLUDING THOSE OUTSTANDING WARRANTS. >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, BRIAN. KIDS STEALING CARS. IT'S A BIG ISSUE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON THOUSANDS OF CARS HAVE BEEN STOLEN IN OUR AREA IN RECENT MONTHS, ONLY A FRACTION. THESE CASES HAVE BEEN SOLVED. THE BUREAU INVESTIGATES SARAH KRUEGER IS ASKING LAW ENFORCEMENT WHY? >> THE LATEST DATA FROM THE DURHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOWS MORE THAN 1100 CARS STOLEN. THAT'S IN 2025. THROUGH SEPTEMBER. AND IT SHOWS A SOLVE RATE OF ONLY ABOUT 6 AND A HALF PERCENT. WELL, IT MAY BE A PROPERTY CRIME ON PAPER. THE VICTIM SAY THE DAMAGE IS VERY PERSONAL. SURVEILLANCE VIDEO CAUGHT THE SUSPECTS IN THE ACT. >> SHOWING A CAR VANISHED FROM THIS SOUTH DURHAM DRIVEWAY. AND IT WAS HEARTBREAKING. I MEAN, CRUSHING. WE CRIED FOR A WEEK OVER IT. >> THE CAR BELONGED TO ROBBIE WEBB AND HIS FIANCE, NIKKI SAWYERS WHO SAY THEY WORKED REALLY HARD AND OVERCAME MANY CHALLENGES TO BUY IT. THAT'S ALL A CAR THAT AND THEY SAY THIEVES FIRST CAME DECEMBER 13TH AND STOLE A PURSE FROM THEIR CAR, WHICH THEY HAD ACCIDENTALLY LEFT UNLOCKED. WE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WE HADN'T LEFT A SET OF KEYS AND THE BOTTOM OF HER POCKETBOOK. 2 DAYS LATER, THEY SAY THE THIEVES USE THOSE KEYS TO COME BACK AND DRIVE OFF WITH THE WHOLE CAR SURVEILLANCE VIDEO. WEBB'S DAUGHTER GOT SHOWS THE SUSPECTS USING THEIR WHITE SUV TO DRIVE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD, TAKING THINGS FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S CARS. AND THIS ONE IS MY DAD'S CAR. A LEXUS WEBB SAYS LATER THAT NIGHT POLICE FOUND IT CRASHED IN A DITCH. IT WAS COMPLETELY TIED. OUR SMELL LIKE WEED POLLEN. YOU COULD TELL I WAS JUST HAVING A BIG GUY. HE SAYS THERE WERE SEVERAL WALLETS, ALL KINDS OF KNIVES, SCREWDRIVERS, A BATON AND EVEN A BAG AND LAPTOP LABELED DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. I ACTUALLY TRIED TO CALL THE GENTLEMAN HE WAS TRYING TO BOOST MALE WITH THIS IS SUCH AS HOMELAND SECURITY. POLICE BELIEVE JUVENILES ARE BEHIND THIS CRIME AND OTHERS LATER CHARGING 2 KIDS WITH A COMBINED 156 COUNTS. I WANTED TO ASK DPD RIDE. THESE CRIMES HAVE SUCH A LOS ALL GREAT AND WHAT POLICE ARE DOING TO PREVENT THE THEFTS. THEY DECLINED MY REQUEST FOR AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW WHILE THE COUPLE'S GRATEFUL THE SUSPECTS WERE FOUND, THEY TELL ME THE JUVENILES HAVE ALREADY BEEN RELEASED. THEIR FAMILY WANTS MORE ACCOUNTABILITY. WE'VE ALL BEEN YOUNG ONES AND WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES. BUT THESE ARE MISTAKES THAT ARE AFFECTING OTHER PEOPLE. SO I THINK THERE HAS TO BE CONSEQUENCES FOR

Sarah Krueger

Jamie Munden

WRAL Investigates: Thousands of cars stolen, few cases solved

A Durham artist sent off a group of Buddhist Monks from Raleigh by showing them a painting he did of their Walk For Peace.


A warm moment breaks the icy cold in Raleigh. I feel like we just kind of connected. The group of Buddhist monks heading to Washington DC on their walk for peace posed with Robert Mahaley and the painting he made of them. The first time our paths intersected, I caught up with him on High Point, and people would just hand them flowers as they walked. And then you know that's my territory. Those instant moments of beauty. He made sure their paths would cross again hours after finishing the painting and in spite of the winter storm. You know, I brought, I brought my wet painting. It's completely wet. You could just smear it like, like icing, a risk worth taking for a moment of recognition, you know, they, I was really just hoping for a. nod or a smile. I would have been thrilled with that. But they just started like smiling and laughing and, and their eyes lit up and they, and they came up and they, um, like sort of one at a time, they um hugged me. He hopes this memory will keep the monks warm as they continue on a cold stretch of their journey in Raleigh, Grace Holland, WREL News.

Grace Holland

Sydney Ross

Monks gifted painting by Durham artist during 'Walk for Peace'

Durham artist gifts Walk For Peace monks painting as they leave Raleigh

Jordan Lake (Chatham Co.) has one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the region, especially during the winter months. With 14,000 acres of water, an abundance of fish, and few humans, it is an eagle's paradise. This weekend and next at the lake is Eagle Fest.  

MATTRESS. >> EAGLE FEST IS TAKING PLACE NEXT WEEK AT JORDAN LAKE. THE LAKE IS JUST INSIDE CHATHAM COUNTY AND HOME TO ONE OF THE REGION'S LARGEST POPULATIONS OF BALD EAGLES. BEAUTIFUL. TONIGHT WE FIND OUR TAR HEEL TRAVELER IN LOCK YOUR. >> SCOTT MASON GIVES US SOME FASCINATING VIEWS. >> DO YOU KNOW ANY WHEN YOU SEE ONE? THEY'RE PRETTY DISTINCTIVE OUT HERE. THEY'RE WINGSPAN IT CLOSE TO 7 FEET BIG AND BOLD. THEY'RE REALLY DISTINCTIVE BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THAT BRIGHT WHITE TAIL AND THAT BRIGHT WHITE HEAD, JORDAN LAKE NEAR ALL, THEY LITERALLY MADE A BALD EAGLE PARADISE. ALMOST 14,000 ACRES OF WATER. >> AND FULL OF FISH. OH, YEAH. A LOT OF FISH IN THIS IS A RELATIVELY SHALLOW LIKE A LOT OF EASILY ACCESSIBLE FISH FOR THE BIRDS. EAGLES. >> THE LAZIEST THING IN THE AVIAN WORLD. THEY DON'T LIKE TO GET THEIR FEET WITH A WEEK. IT ALWAYS LOT WILL HAVE TO WORK HARD FOR IT. WE HAVE A LOT OF VULTURES OUT HERE AS WELL. AND WE HAVE AN EAGLE RIGHT THERE. IT IS A BALD EAGLE. HOW MANY EGOS HAVE YOU HERE AT ONE TIME? 32 IN ONE DAY. >> NO. AND ONE TREE. YOU MUST HAVE BEEN WHY WAS IT? SO IS EVERYBODY ELSE THAT THE PAIR THEY MATE FOR LIFE, THE MALES DON'T HAVE FAILURES EVER NOT GOING OFF AT JORDAN LAKE. WE'VE GOTTEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A FEW SETS OF TRIPLETS RANGERS KNOW OF AT LEAST 26 NESTS AT THE LAKE THIS TIME OF YEAR. WE ALSO HAVE MIGRATORY GOALS THAT JUST PASSED THROUGH THE AREA. HE'S GETTING READY TO GRAB A FISH RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME IS EXQUISITE THE DANCE THAT THEY DO WELL AS GOODLAND CARRYING A FISH, BEAUTIFUL LIGHTING. THANK YOU. AND THEY ARE ALSO SCAVENGERS. THEY WILL EAT ROADKILL ON THE SIDE OF THE ROADS AND THEY'LL STEAL FROM OTHER BURR. IT'S THE EAGLES WILL GO AFTER THE OSPREY FOR SURE. THERE ARE SOME TIME SOME NOT PRETTY EXCITING FIGHTS OUT HERE BETWEEN THOSE EAGLES AND OSPREY YOU GO JUST CAUGHT A FISH. THEIR TALENTS ARE SO STRONG THAT THEY CAN SIT ON YOUR ON A CLOSER TALENTS AND BREAK YOUR FALL ON. I AM SEEING SOME SOMETHING THAT IS NATURAL. WE'VE LOST THAT ABILITY. >> TEAM TO GIVE WAY TO SAY. HANDFUL. THAT'S WHAT'S A PERSON TO WATCH THE CLOUDS. WE JUST DON'T IN A LOT OF VOTES ARE UP THERE. AND BY THE WAY, HIGH-LEVEL TURF. >> BUT IT'S THE EAGLES THAT STEAL THE SHOW K THERE LIKE A 16 YEAR-OLD IS JUST THAT THE KEYS TO THE CAR. EVERY TIME I SEE ONE, IT'S JUST SUCH A SPECTACULAR SIGHT. COOL. IT'S ALWAYS I THINK IS AN FASCINATING JORDAN LAKEWOOD'S DO TO CELEBRATE. YOU'LL FASHION THIS SATURDAY BUT WEATHER IS POSTPONED. IT TO NEXT SATURDAY. WE'RE HEARING A LOT OF THAT WITH THINGS PLANNED FOR THIS WEEKEND. IT'LL BE JANUARY 31ST

Scott Mason

Sean Braswell

Tar Heel Traveler: Moncure Bald Eagles

WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell explains how different types of winter precipitation form with the help of augmented reality.

A winter storm is in the forecast this weekend, and that means it's looking like we'll see some ice. Unfortunately, let's talk about the different types of precipitation we could see fall in order for it to be all snow. It would have to be 32 degrees or less all the way from the cloud down to the ground. Unfortunately that is not likely to be the case in our area. What we will see happen is some freezing rain, and what freezing rain is, is it starts as a snowflake, but then it goes into a layer of. Warm air in the mid levels of the atmosphere, it melts into a normal raindrop and freezing rain when it falls from the sky looks like normal rain. It doesn't actually freeze into ice until it hits the ground or any surface, and this is the most dangerous one because it forms a glaze of ice. Unfortunately it's looking like we'll see quite a bit of freezing rain. We may also see some sleet, so this is why sleet is different again, it starts as a snowflake, but it falls into that layer of warm air. Melts into a raindrop and it's got a slightly thicker layer of cold air at the surface, so it has time to form into a little bitty ice ball, you know when it's sleeting because it makes a distinctive noise, it sounds like little pings as those sleet pellets actually hit surfaces. Sleet can be dangerous in driving as well, but freezing rain is even worse. We could see a mix of all three of these types over the course of the weekend, and we'll keep you up to date with the totals as we get closer.

Kat Campbell

How snow, sleet and freezing rain forms

A model of how snow forms

On Wednesday, they gave out bracelets like this one to the hundreds of people who gathered in Liberty to see them.

IS ALREADY UNDERWAY. CONSTRUCTION CREWS ARE EXPECTED TO START EROSION CONTROL SOON. THE BUDDHIST MONKS ARE CONTINUING THEIR 2300 MILE JOURNEY FROM TEXAS TO WASHINGTON, D.C., ON THEIR WALK FOR PEACE. THEY ARE NOW LESS THAN 50 MILES FROM RALEIGH, WHERE THEY WILL STOP ON SATURDAY. SO MANY PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING THIS. AND TODAY THE MONKS MADE A STOP IN LIBERTY AND ARE ON THEIR WAY TO SILER CITY WERE THEY WILL SPEND THE NIGHT WRAL'S. HEIDI KIRK HAS BEEN FOLLOWING A LONG WITH THE MONKS THIS WEEK AND JOINS US LIVE TODAY. HEIDI, THE MONKS CHAIR GIFTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA AND TO COME NORTH CAROLINIANS WITH THEY GET THEM. WELL, DAN MICHEL, OFTEN THE MONKS WILL GET ABOUT THINGS LIKE FLOWERS LIKE I'VE GOT RIGHT HERE. BUT TODAY THEY DID SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL TO THE PEOPLE OF LIBERTY. >> THEY GAVE OUT BRACELETS NOW ANY MINUTE NOW WE'RE EXPECTING THEM TO COME HERE TO THIS HIGH SCHOOL. THIS IS IN SILER CITY AND THESE EVENTS ARE REALLY WHERE YOU GET THOSE MEANINGFUL MOMENTS >> YOU KNOW, THE LOW HUM OF THE MONKS CHANT A SOUND ENOUGH TO STOP THE HUNDREDS FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND THEM IN LIBERTY ON THEIR WALK FOR PEACE IN THE HEART OF THAT CROWD. CHARISMA, BLEVINS. >> DOWN TO HER WHEELCHAIR FIGHTING A RARE BRAIN DISORDER. BUT STILL CATCHING THE MONKS EYES. SHE CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 200 SEIZURES A DAY. WE ARE. WORKING TOWARDS GETTING HER MEDICINE RIGHT IN JUST PRAYING THAT WE GET A MIRACLE. THAT MIRACLE CAME IN THE FORM OF A BLESSING FROM THE MONKS SURROUNDING HER AS THEY CHANTED, GIFTING HEARD THIS BRACELET THAT I MEAN A LOT TO THEM. A PRETTY SPECIAL HER THE MONKS SHOWING FEW SIGNS OF EXHAUSTION ON DAY 88 OF THEIR JOURNEY. >> EACH STEP LOOKING STRONG AND PURPOSEFUL AS THEY MARCHED TOWARD RALEIGH AND THEN ON TO DC ALL OF THIS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT STEPPING UP TO ARRANGE MEALS AND MEDICAL CARE ALONG THE ROUTE THAT WE TREND IS PART OF ONE GROUP HELPING THEM OUT. YOU CAN TELL THAT I'M IT DEFINITELY TAKING A TOLL ON THE PHENOL YOU THE FEE. BUT YOU KNOW, >> ALL THE JOY AND THE SNOW FROM THAT ANGLE AS TO THE NEEDS THAT HEAD, DESPITE ALL THOSE ACHES AND PAINS, THE JOURNEY CONTINUES ON THROUGH DROPPING TEMPERATURES AND SNOW IN THE FORECAST. THE MONKS WILL KEEP GOING WITH THEIR TRAILER OF WARM CLOTHES AND PROTECTION SHARING THEIR MESSAGE OF PEACE OVER AND OVER UNITING PEOPLE IN THESE SPECIAL MOMENTS, EVEN FOR THOSE LIKE CHARISMA, WITH FEW WORDS TO SHARE. >> BUT A LOT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS. I MEAN, THIS IS SO WE COULD SEE HIM MOVE HIS ONE FOOT AFTER THE OTHER MAKING THEIR MARK ON OUR STATE. >> AND YOU CAN SEE THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE LINED UP OUTSIDE OF THE THAI SCHOOL AWAITING THE MONKS. NOW WE'VE TOLD YOU IN THE PAST THAT PEOPLE HAVE TRAVELED HERE TO NORTH CAROLINA FROM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE EVEN TALK TO SOMEONE JUST YESTERDAY WHO CAME HERE FROM ALASKA TO SEE THE MONKS. NOW TONIGHT, THEY DO HAVE THOSE VISITING HOURS FROM 6 TO 9 O'CLOCK AND WE WILL HAVE A CREW HEADED INSIDE TO DOCUMENT THAT

Heidi Kirk

Josie Zimmer

Monks gift North Carolinians bracelets, flowers

This year marks the 67th annual lighting of the WRAL-TV tower in Raleigh, an annual tradition that has grown to include celebrations with towers at American Tobacco Campus in Durham and Rocky Mount Mills.


WRAL Tower Lighting: WRAL lights the towers in Raleigh, Durham and Rocky Mount

Get ready for a warmer winter as La Niña makes a comeback, bringing below-normal snowfall to our area. 

Joseph Ochoa

Recent Work

Watch · 2:37WRAL Investigates: Thousands of cars stolen, few cases solved

Watch · 1:18Monks gifted painting by Durham artist during 'Walk for Peace'

Watch · 2:58Tar Heel Traveler: Moncure Bald Eagles

Watch · 1:27How snow, sleet and freezing rain forms

Watch · 3:06Monks gift North Carolinians bracelets, flowers