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Israel returns home to El Paso after 18 years, with nearly 15 of those years working as a journalist. He paid his way through college by working for KOTV, the CBS affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a member of the production team, he volunteered wherever he could to acquire producing skills. After teaching Spanish for one year, he returned to local television, working as a producer/reporter for the WB affiliate (now the CW) in Nashville, Tennessee. Unfortunately, the station cancelled all local programming, so he moved across town to work as a producer and assignment editor for the CBS affiliate.
It was there at WTVF where he got a job offer from a Washington, D.C. based cable network to be a Capitol Hill reporter. Eventually he was promoted to host and anchor several programs, including a daily one-hour political news and guest-driven show. This experience led to another offer from a start-up cable network to be a political correspondent, first reporting on the 2000 presidential campaign and later covering the White House. Here, he won a New York Festival award for producing a documentary special on AIDS in America. Israel also fell in love with constitutional law given the contested presidential election. This led him to attend the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and eventually become a licensed attorney. His experience during law school includes doing legal work for U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, a summer associate at a communications law firm, and working as a media advisor for the Federal Communications Commission, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.
Prior to his legal studies, Israel worked for several international news organizations including Reuters Health Video Online and the Associated Press TV/Latin America. Most recently, he worked as a political journalist during the day while attending law school at night, producing for FOX News Sunday and the FOX News Channel.

“It was here in El Paso as a young kid where I saw a future in news reporting. One day returning home from visiting my grandfather in Juarez, we were driving North on Copia St. getting ready to cross Alameda Avenue. All of the sudden, we saw several fire trucks heading towards downtown when I asked my mom to follow the sirens. She obliged and eventually we arrived to the scene of the fire.
As we got out of the car, I walked towards the crowd to get the 4-1-1-. My mom didn’t mind me being gone (a prelude of things to come or perhaps not having a choice), and within 10 minutes, I ‘reported’ back to her and those standing around what had happened.
She will tell you that it was my eagerness to chase the story that led her to also envision a journalism career in my life. Often when I visited family in El Paso while on vacation from the daily news grind, my mom would reminisce about that day. Now years later, I’ve come full circle, getting to chase the story and report the latest news at KFOX.”

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FACT FILE:

Position: KFOX Morning News Anchor/Reporter

Hometown: El Paso, TX

Education: Faith Christian Academy (formerly Agape), Oral Roberts University and The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law

Family: Beautiful and Understanding wife Jill

Place I’d Most Like to Visit: China, during the 2008 Olympics

Favorite Country Visited: Israel

Person I’d Most Like to Interview: Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi economist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient whose pioneering work with microcredit has helped millions of people get out of poverty

Most Memorable TV Moment with a “Famous Person”: Appearing on “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher” as a political analyst

Most Exciting "On the Scene" Moment: Chasing tornadoes coming through Tulsa, Oklahoma and arriving where they touched down

Story I'm Most Proud Of: Doctors at Nemours Children’s Clinic in Florida performing a life-saving, experimental medical procedure with titanium metal (developed by NASA for space shuttles) to mend a hole in an infant’s heart

Favorite Food: Beef ribs from State Line

What I Want to be When I Grow Up: A Dad

Shout-outs: I appreciate all those who get up early in the morning

Funniest On-air moment: getting a facial and my nails buffed when reporting on male pampering spas

Favorite Football Team: The Dallas Cowboys (the most important thing Noreen and I have in common)

Favorite Football Player: Tony Romo, for now

First on-air package: Covering the opening of Planet Hollywood in Nashville and interviewing Sly Stallone

Favorite book: The Count of Monte Cristo

Favorite Author: John Grisham

Favorite Hobbies: Running, playing tennis and reading

Why I Work at KFOX: The station and its parent company have committed resources to being the best news station on air and the Internet. This will give viewers the opportunity to stay informed throughout the day

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