William Rioux
Evening Anchor/Investigative Journalist
William Rioux is a weeknight anchor and investigative reporter at News 12 26. He is a graduate from the University of South Carolina with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2020.
Zayna Haliburton
Evening Anchor
Zayna joined the WRDW team as an anchor and producer in June of 2020, and is excited to meet new people in the area.
Meredith Anderson
Weeknight Anchor/Investigative Journalist
Meredith is an EMMY and National Murrow Award-winning journalist who anchors News 12 Live at 5/5:30. She joined News 12 in 2007 and is one of the founding members of our I-Team. You can watch her I-Team investigations on News 12 at 6 0'clock.
Brett Buffington
Weeknight Anchor
With a reporting resume that has taken him across the country, Emmy Award-winning journalist Brett Buffington returns to WRDW and WAGT to lead our evening news team.
Liz Owens
Senior Investigative Journalist
Liz Owens is an Emmy-nominated and Murrow award-winning investigative journalist with a passion for helping people in her community.
Nick Proto
Morning and Digital Anchor
Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Nick moved down south for school. He went to the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks) where he studied broadcast journalism with a minor in sports management. Nick Proto joined the WRDW team as a multimedia journalist in June of 2019.
Ashley Jones
Morning/Midday Anchor
Ashley Jones joined the WRDW News team in September of 2025. She is a native of the Augusta area and lived here for most her life.
Ethan Hunter
Multimedia Journalist
Ethan Hunter joined the WRDW team in July 2025 as a multimedia journalist. He graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Journalism and Digital Storytelling in May 2025.
Kayla Lopez
Digital Anchor/Multimedia Journalist
Kayla Lopez is a Georgia native who was born and raised in McDonough. She stayed in the South and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a certificate in sports media from the University of Georgia in May 2024. She joined the WRDW team as a digital anchor/multimedia journalist in July 2024.
Kalei Nash
Multimedia Journalist
Kalei Nash joined the News 12 26 team in October 2025. She serves as a weekday multimedia journalist and the weekend morning anchor. She graduated from Florida A&M University in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism.
Sydney Palmer
Weekend Anchor/Multimedia Journalist
Sydney Palmer joined the WRDW team in June 2026 as a weekend anchor and multimedia journalist. She graduated from the University of Georgia in May 2025 with her bachelor’s in public relations and then received her master’s in journalism in May 2026. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, shopping, and trying new restaurants.
Sydney Hood
Multimedia Journalist
Sydney Hood grew up in Swainsboro, making her no stranger to the CSRA. Sydney interned for WRDW/WAGT during the summer of 2022 and is now full-time.
Robbie Patla grew up in Colorado and graduated from Colorado State University in 2024 with a degree in Journalism and Media Communications. Robbie began his broadcast journalism career in Colorado before joining the WRDW team in July 2026 as a Weekend Anchor/Multimedia Journalist.
Jamey Tucker
Reporter
Jamey Tucker has worked in television news for stations across the South for over 25 years. A graduate of Carson Newman University Jamey has worked as a news anchor and reporter in Huntsville, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Nashville, Tennessee. Jamey is one of the first reporters in the country covering the consumer technology beat.
Riley Hale
First Alert Chief Meteorologist
First Alert Chief Meteorologist Riley Hale has loved weather since he was young. While living in Charlotte, N.C., as a kid, he endured one of the worst ice storms in North Carolina history that left him and his family without power for two weeks. Ever since that storm, he has been hooked.
Tim Strong
First Alert Morning Meteorologist
First Alert Meteorologist Tim Strong grew up in Columbia, S.C., and joined the News 12 team in 2005 from a station in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Chris Still
First Alert Meteorologist
Chris Still joined the First Alert Weather Team in January of 2022, but he is no stranger to the Augusta-Aiken television market. Prior to officially joining our team, he was Chief Meteorologist on Channel 26 from 2011 to 2016 and has filled in numerous times here on WRDW over the past few years.
Emily Acton
First Alert Meteorologist
First Alert Meteorologist Emily Acton grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and joined the News 12 Team in July of 2023. Emily started off her career in Dothan, Alabama, after graduating from Mississippi State University's award-winning Broadcast Meteorology program back in 2021.
Born and raised in Perry, Ga., Malik has always been fascinated by the weather. This passion would lead him to the University of Georgia, where he earned his degree in atmospheric science. Malik is an avid NASCAR fan, loves to participate in and watch musical theater, and of course cheer for the Dawgs on game days.
Hayden Smith
Sports Director
Hayden Smith is News 12's sports director. He joined the station in July 2026.
Tyler Lane
Sports Reporter
Tyler Lane is a weekend sports anchor and multimedia journalist at News 12.
Anna Werner
Senior Investigative Reporter
Anna is an award-winning Senior Investigative Reporter with Gray's National Investigative Team, InvestigateTV. Anna has been consistently recognized for producing impactful journalism that has driven reform, prompted civil and criminal investigations, and profoundly influenced public and corporate policy.
Lee Zurik
Anchor/Gray Media SVP
Lee leads Gray Television’s National Investigative Team. He also is a Senior Vice President within Gray and is an anchor on both InvestigateTV+ and InvestigateTV+ Weekend.
Jamie Grey
Director of Investigations
Jamie is InvestigateTV's Director of Investigations. She coordinates content and produces stories with a particular passion for digging into government programs and waste, health care policy and education.
Greg Phillips
Managing Editor of InvestigateTV+
Greg is the Managing Editor for InvestigateTV+. Before joining InvestigateTV, he was News Director at WMC, Gray Television’s NBC affiliate in Memphis, TN.
Joce Sterman
Senior Investigative Reporter
Joce is a national senior investigative reporter focused on accountability reporting on the failures of government agencies, product flaws and other transparency issues.
Rachel DePompa
Consumer Investigative Reporter
Rachel is an investigative journalist with more than 20 years’ experience.
Caresse Jackman
Consumer Investigative Reporter
Caresse Jackman is a national consumer investigative reporter with a focus on exposing scams and digging into consumer concerns.
Chris Nakamoto
Investigative Reporter
Chris is an award-winning investigative reporter with nearly two decades' experience in South Louisiana.
Kristin Crowley
InvestigateTV+ Reporter
Kristin Crowley is an award-winning investigative reporter for InvestigateTV+.
Heather Graf
InvestigateTV+ Reporter
Heather Graf is an award-winning journalist for InvestigateTV+, working as a national reporter based in Washington, D.C.
Brendan Keefe
Investigative Reporter
Brendan Keefe is a Peabody, duPont, National Murrow & National Emmy winning national investigative reporter and the Chief Investigator of Atlanta News First Investigates.
Brandon Wissbaum
Executive Producer of Investigations
Brandon specializes in crime, consumer and data-driven investigations. Before joining InvestigateTV, he was assistant news director at WECT, Gray Television’s NBC affiliate in Wilmington, NC.
Michael Buckner
Digital Content Manager, InvestigateTV
Michael Buckner serves as the Digital Content Manager for InvestigateTV, which includes overseeing the distribution of all content across multiple platforms.
Wade Smith
Corporate Director, Podcast & Livestream Strategy
Wade Smith serves as Gray Media's first Director of Podcast & Livestream Strategy, helping stations transform great local journalism into modern, video-first storytelling that reaches audiences wherever they watch and listen. He started his digital career in Atlanta, GA in 2008 after graduating from the University of Alabama.
Andy Pierrotti
Investigative Reporter, Executive Producer of Documentaries
Andy is an award-winning investigative reporter with a background in reporting on the criminal justice system.
Jill Riepenhoff
Senior Investigative Producer
Jill is a senior investigative producer with decades of experience reporting on health, safety and corruption.
Emily Featherston
Investigative Producer
Emily is an investigative journalist with a background in several forms of media and an MBA in business management.
Daniela Molina
Investigative Producer
Daniela is a bilingual investigative producer for InvestigateTV.