Todd’s Take: My Nieces Will Be on the News Tonight
(TSM/Todd Lyons)
A local celebrity that listens to me and Timmy in the morning that you might find surprising is KIMA-TV sports anchor Alan Sillence. I've gotten to know Alan over the years and can tell you that, not only does he do a great job covering local sports, he's a genuinely good guy as well. He and I have co-hosted the Yakima Sports Commission's annual awards luncheon for years and years. I've come to trust his professionalism at those events.
Because, obviously, there just simply hasn't been much in the way of live sports to cover, I thought I'd give him a call about a potential story for him involving two young women that are doing something unique that hasn't been done before. They also happen to be my nieces, Kaleigh and Harlie!
Kaleigh graduated from Selah High School this year and was a member of the Viks Girls Cross Country State Champion squad as a freshman. Harlie will be a senior at Selah this coming school year and has been a cheerleader for much of her time there.
At the behest of my dad (the girls grandpa, of course) I gave Alan the tip. He said he liked the story but I wasn't sure if he was just saying that to me because we are friends. Lo and behold, yesterday afternoon I got a text message from him that said the "Lyons niece report on KIMA at 6 & 11 pm".
I don't want to spill the beans quite yet so if you want to find out what my nieces are the first two females to ever do at a certain location here in the Yakima Valley, tune in to KIMA News at 6 or 11 tonight!
I'm super proud of them both and thankful for a great local news source like KIMA that still covers kids in our area. Thanks, Alan!