Veteran journalist returns to anchor El Paso Channel 9-KTSM newscasts
El Paso native and Del Valle High School alum Cristina Rodda returns to the airwaves to anchor weekends and noon newscasts on Channel 9-KTSM. You may recognize the UTEP grad from Channel 4-KDBC, where she started her journalism career in 2004.
"If you ask most journalists, they'll tell you that their news career is their first love — their professional first love," Rodda said. "It's a privilege to serve my community."
News media buzz: El Pasoan Marcel Clarke joins KVIA-TV weeknights
More than two decades ago, Rodda worked her way up at KDBC, first as weekend reporter, then morning anchor and finally, leading the station's evening newscasts. Rodda eventually ventured out of Sun City, covering stories across the Southwest, including in Albuquerque and Las Vegas.
Rodda left the news industry when she was appointed by the New Mexico governor to direct public affairs at the state's corrections department.
Despite her successful career in government relations, her passion for the news industry remained.
"I'm happiest when I'm helping people and I really feel like I'm doing that when I'm working in news," Rodda said.
While developing her journalism career, Rodda said her family rallied behind her, helping her raise her then-young children, who now are ages 21, 22 and 26. With her strong conviction, she's finally found her way back to the anchor desk.
"I have a very strong faith in our savior lord Jesus Christ," Rodda said. "So I always thought whatever his will is in my life, I know he's guiding my steps. Right now, he's guiding me to KTSM and I'm truly happy about that."
Journalism: Iliana Limón Romero receives UNM Zimmerman Award: 'They saw my work as having an impact'
Rodda made her anchor debut on June 25, alongside KTSM chief meteorologist Robert Bettes — the two worked together at KDBC.
The KTSM team is thrilled to add Rodda to the team, said KTSM 9 News Director Chris Babcock.
"With established journalists like Andy (Morgan), Monica (Cortez) and Estela (Casas) and the entire crew, Cristina further strengthens our commitment to local anchors and reporters sharing local stories and covering our hometown with perspective and in-depth knowledge of the community," Babcock said.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso journalist Cristina Rodda returns to Channel 9-KTSM newscasts
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
County Emergency Official Says He Was Ill and Sleeping as Texas Floods Hit
The emergency management coordinator of Kerr County, which bore the brunt of the deadly July 4 floods in the Texas Hill Country, testified on Thursday that he was sick and asleep when the floodwaters rose in the middle of the night, eventually killing 108 people in the county. The admission by the official, William B. Thomas IV, came at the start of an extraordinary hearing held by state lawmakers in a packed convention center in city of Kerrville, a short walk from the banks of the Guadalupe River, which surged to record levels in the predawn darkness of July 4. Hundreds of residents attended the hearing, and many of them hoped to testify in what was expected to be an emotional session lasting for more than 12 hours. The hearing began with statements from county officials, including Mr. Thomas, the county's emergency management coordinator since 2015. Mr. Thomas had not spoken publicly since the flood, as questions were raised about his whereabouts and why neither he nor anyone else in the county had issued more warnings about the rapidly worsening situation along the river. 'I want to directly address questions about my whereabouts,' Mr. Thomas said. He explained that he had always planned to be off work on July 3 'to fulfill a commitment to my elderly father,' and that because of a 'progressing illness,' he had stayed home. 'I stayed in bed throughout July 3 and did not participate in the regularly scheduled 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Texas Emergency Management Coordination Center coordination calls,' he said. Those calls included hundreds of participants, according to state officials, and went over the impending severe weather for the holiday weekend. At that time, it was not clear where the strongest rains would fall in the Texas Hill Country and Central Texas. Mr. Thomas said his supervisors were aware that he was off that day. He testified that he slept through most of July 3; awoke briefly around 2 p.m., when he said there was no indication of local rainfall; and then went back to sleep again until his wife woke him up at 5:30 a.m. on July 4. By that point, the worst of the flooding had already surged through low-lying communities in the county, including the unincorporated town of Hunt and the summer camps and recreational vehicle parks that sit near the river's banks. Mr. Thomas said more alerts from the county would have been duplicative since the National Weather Service had already triggered several alerts as the water rose, and that those seemed sufficient. As the county's emergency management coordinator, Mr. Thomas oversees the area's preparations and response to fires, floods and other natural disasters along with the county's judge, Rob Kelly, who is the top ranking official in Kerr County. Mr. Thomas has years of experience in disaster response, having previously worked at the Texas Department of Public Safety and helped coordinate the response to Hurricane Katrina. But the criticism did not abate. 'The three guys in Kerr County who were responsible for sounding the alarm were effectively unavailable,' Representative Ann Johnson, a Houston Democrat, said at the hearing. The judge was away at a second home in Lake Travis, she said, the sheriff didn't wake up until 4:20 a.m., and the emergency management coordinator was sick. The contrast with neighboring Kendall County, Texas, seemed striking as officials from both counties testified. Kendall County's top elected official, County Judge Shane Stolarczyk, testified on Thursday that his county's emergency manager, Brady Constantine, was on the July 3 state coordination calls and came away with 'an uneasy feeling that night about the weather conditions.' Mr. Constantine began making phone calls around 4 a.m. July 4, Mr. Stolarczyk said. Even by then, much of the water's deadly force was at work. Witnesses at the hearing testified that a call for help from Camp Mystic, outside of Hunt, came in at 3:57 a.m. At least 27 Mystic campers and counselors would perish in the floods, most of them from two cabins near the river. The hearing on Thursday as the second held by a select committee of the State Legislature, part of a special legislative session called by Gov. Greg Abbott to address a range of issues, including flooding response but also partisan redistricting. Among those attending the hearing were Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the State Senate, and the speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burrows. Both men promised action and said they would be listening to what residents asked for. Mayor Joe Herring Jr., of Kerrville called for a flood warning system, potentially including sirens, to be designed and installed before next summer, and asked the state lawmakers for assistance. 'We will need your help to achieve this goal,' he said. But some local officials doubted that an improved warning system with sirens would have made a meaningful difference on July 4. 'I don't know if sirens would have changed the outcome,' said the Kerr County sheriff, Larry Leitha. 'The water came too fast.'
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Storms could bring heavy rain and flash flooding from Virginia to Connecticut
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Strong storms with the potential to cause dangerous flash flooding on Thursday sparked multiple alerts by the National Weather Service from northern Virginia to Connecticut. New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency for the state in advance of the storms. 'Flash flooding is possible with fast-moving thunderstorms, especially with already saturated ground. Please take all necessary precautions,' Way wrote in a post on X. Forecasters said the strongest storms were expected later Thursday afternoon and night. The National Weather Service said heavy to excessive rainfall and potentially severe thunderstorms were expected along the Washington-Philadelphia-New York City corridor. Some areas in the southern part of the corridor could see rainfall rates of 2 inches (5 centimeters) per hour, the service said. The weather service issued flash flood warnings early Thursday afternoon for parts of Berks, Lancaster and York counties in Pennsylvania and parts of Baltimore and Hartford counties in northern Maryland, meaning heavy rain was falling. The service said flooding was possible in small creeks and streams and urban areas, along with highways, streets, underpasses and poor-drainage and low-lying areas. Flood watches and severe thunderstorm watches were in effect in the region until late Thursday and Friday, with 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain possible in some areas. The weather service posted a severe thunderstorm warning for an area of eastern Pennsylvania between Allentown and Reading, saying 60 mph (97 kph) wind gusts and penny-size hail were possible. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on social media that state emergency management officials were preparing potential response and recovery efforts. New York City officials warned that heavy rain could flood some streets, parts of the subway and basements. They urged people living in basements to move to higher floors and issued an advisory asking New Yorkers to avoid travel from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon.
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Section of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado reopens; South Rim Fire remains active
A portion of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is back open after wildfires forced park officials to shut the park down earlier this month. The North Rim of the park in western Colorado is now accessible to the public. It reopened on Wednesday after having been closed since July 10 when lightning strikes started two wildfires. The North Rim Fire didn't wind up causing big problems, but the South Rim Fire grew to more than 4,000 acres. On Thursday it was 52% contained and remained active in some areas. The South Rim of the park remains closed due to the ongoing firefight, along with the East Portal campgrounds. Earlier this week, Rep. Jeff Hurd, who represents Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, visited with crews inside the park who have been battling the South Rim Fire. "Federal, state, and local crews in (District 3) are working in close coordination to protect lives and land," Hurd wrote in a social media post about his visit.
