Kathy Vara co-anchors NBC4’s weekend evening newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. She also co-anchors the weekday NBC4 News at 11 a.m. and is a general assignment reporter during the week. A Los Angeles television veteran, Vara relocated from the East Coast to Southern California in 1994 to become the co-anchor of “Today in LA,” the station’s early-morning newscast. Since then, she has become widely-respected for her versatility and journalistic integrity.
During her tenure at NBC4, Vara has been live during a number of significant breaking news stories, including the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, the North Hollywood bank robbery shoot-out, the Columbine High School massacre, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Conrad Murray trial, and the Chilean Miner Rescue.
She also has won three Golden Mike Awards for Best Daytime Newscast, and was also part of the team that won two local-area Emmy Awards for Best Regularly Scheduled Daily Morning Newscast.
Vara is also known for her dedication to organizations that promote Lupus awareness and education. Her passion for equestrian sports has helped local non-profit organizations utilizing horses and riding skills to teach inner-city youth life skills. One of these organizations, the Compton Junior Posse, honored Vara in 2011 for her work with the after-school program that helps Compton youngsters stay off the streets and out of gangs.
Vara has also been honored by the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Local Impact Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. The award honored her for her many contributions to local television and to the community. She is a proud recipient of the prestigious Hispanic Heritage Award from President Clinton and the Women of Courage Award from the City of Los Angeles.
Vara began her broadcasting career at North Texas State University in Denton, where she was a producer and host of “North Texas Scene,” a thirty-minute magazine program featuring college and local life. She also interned at the Dallas NBC affiliate, where her interviews aired on the station’s newscasts.
Vara is married and lives in the Los Angeles area with a menagerie of pets, including two dogs, horses and a very outspoken Cockatiel named Prince Harry. A competitive equestrian, Vara has won regional titles in Dressage. She is a native of San Antonio, Texas.
The Latest
-
New video disputes federal agents' account in shooting at family truck, attorneys say
The footage captured by surveillance cameras from a business across the street shows the driver, Francisco Longoria, pulling away as armed individuals surrounded the truck. The family attorneys argued the video proves Longoria was not trying to run over officers, unlike what the Department of Homeland Security had claimed. “We don’t know who these masked individuals actually were, who they...
-
3 female California pilots aim to inspire more women to join aviation careers
Three young Southern California women are looking to inspire other women to consider a career in the skies as they share their experience in being pilots.
-
911 calls detail chaos, fear and life-saving efforts in Cook's Corner shooting
Newly released 911 calls detail the terrifying moments in which a gunman opened fire at Cook’s Corner bar and restaurant in Trabuco Canyon – and people’s desperate attempts to get help and save their loved ones.
-
First Mexican-Born Woman in Space Describes Her Journey
Katya Echazarreta made history as the first Mexican-born American woman to earn a ticket to space.
-
Therapy Dogs Provide Comfort for Inland Empire Firefighters
It’s the first day on the job for therapy dog Henry, but it’s not his first time around the block. Dogs like Henry provide companionship and comfort, a little normalcy while firefighters are away from home.
-
A Beautiful Place to Spend Eternity: Cremated Individuals Can Rest in San Bernardino National Forest
A new alternative to cemeteries and traditional funerals has arrived. Cremated individuals can spend eternity under a tree in the San Bernardino National Forest, thanks to San Francisco startup Better Place Forests.
-
Man Survives 7-Month Battle Against COVID-19 and Meets 3-Month-Old Son for First Time
An Orange County man was discharged from the hospital after being there for more than seven months due to complications of COVID-19.
-
New Exhibit Reckons With Glendale's Racist Past as ‘Sundown Town'
Because the effects of such systemic racism continue to resonate, the city of Glendale made an historic move in 2020, passing a resolution acknowledging and apologizing for the city’s racist past.
-
Off-Duty Deputy and Good Samaritans Rescue Woman From Burning Car on 60 Freeway
An off-duty Chino Hills deputy and group of good Samaritans helped pull a woman from a burning car Sunday.
-
Community Gathers to Support Family of Mother Gunned Down in South LA
Community leaders in South Los Angeles Wednesday joined police in support of a family that lost a young mother to violence on Father’s Day. “Whoever did this, let’s pray for them because they probably have nothing and no one,” said the daughter of Tajanae Nelson, the victim. Darryl Lindsey, Nelson’s father, said, “My daughter was 28 years old, a...
