Leslie Rubin

Hi, y'all. I have been working at Eyewitness News since 2010. The years have gone by really fast and this "news junkie" has loved every second of it.

I worked for nearly 8 years as a reporter here before being promoted to Assistant News Director in 2018. I'm still a reporter at heart, though, and continue to report and investigate stories while managing the newsroom. In 2020, I started a series that investigates cold cases across the state.

I'm a West Virginia girl, born and raised and cherish the fact that I get to report the news in my hometown of Charleston. I graduated from George Washington High School and earned my bachelor's degree at West Virginia University, majoring in broadcast news. I graduated magna cum laude in 2008 and quickly got my foot in the door at WDTV in Bridgeport.

At WDTV, I worked as a one-man-band reporter for over two years. I consider Clarksburg my second home and had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the best people in the business. There, I was able to learn and grow as a reporter and understand what is important to you, the viewer. From one West Virginian to another, I truly care about what's going on in your backyard. It's my backyard, too. I have no plans of leaving this great state and I want it to be the best it can be for my family and my children.

While in Clarksburg, I reported many memorable stories including the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in 2010. For a week, the satellite engineer and I lived out of the news car. I saw firsthand the grace and compassion that comes from my home state and consider UBB to be the most impacting event of my career. I was privileged to be able to tell their stories. For years, I closely covered the events following the disaster including the high-profile trial of former CEO Don Blankenship.

Since joining the Eyewitness News team, I've been honored many times for my work, including more than a dozen Emmy nominations and more than two dozen Associated Press and West Virginia Broadcasters Association awards.

In 2013, I was nominated for an Emmy for the "In-Vest Initiative." Since In-Vest was launched in November 2012, great strides have been made in making sure West Virginia law enforcement officers are as protected on the job as possible. With support from amazing viewers and backed by the West Virginia Sheriffs' Association, we were able to shine a light on an issue many never knew existed. It is now state law that all deputy sheriffs be provided bulletproof vests. I consider In-Vest one of my greatest accomplishments but there is still work to be done. I hope to one day see a law that protects all law enforcement in the state. In-Vest was also awarded best community service awards by both the West Virginia Broadcasters Association and The Associated Press.

I hosted the Fugitive Files for nearly 10 years before hanging up the weekly series to focus on cold cases. Fugitive Files was recognized many times for its community service.

I am a diehard country music fan (real country) and you will likely find me at any concert (hopefully front row) I can find time to attend. One of the most awesome days of my career was when I got to interview Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood but Eric Church is my #1. :)

Please feel free to e-mail me at larubin@sbgtv.comif you have any story ideas or just want to say hello. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.