Joel Connable facts for kids

Joel Connable (born February 5, 1973 – died November 6, 2012) was an American TV host, news anchor, and reporter. He worked for KOMO-TV in Seattle, Washington. Joel was also a travel journalist. He ran a travel website and a company called Travel TV Inc. Before that, he was an evening news anchor at NBC6 in Miami. In 2009, New Times Magazine named him "Best News Anchor." Joel often appeared as a travel expert on Fox News, CBS, KTLA, and the BBC. He also anchored and reported news for CBS in Los Angeles and South Carolina. He worked for MSNBC and Early Today on NBC. Joel was also a private pilot and a former paramedic from Long Island, New York. He wrote for the Huffington Post and had a weekly travel radio show.

Early Life and School Days

Joel Connable was adopted in 1973 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His parents lived on Long Island, New York. He grew up in Roslyn Estates. He went to the Roslyn Public Schools. His father is a writer. He used to write speeches for the president of Columbia University. Joel's mother is also a writer and works in politics. His parents met at the University of Michigan. Joel's brother, Ben Connable, was a Major in the US Marine Corps. He was an Arabic linguist and served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

High School Adventures

Joel was an editor for his high school newspaper, The Hilltop Beacon. He almost got suspended in his last year. This happened because he wrote a story about not having enough fire extinguishers in the school. He was known for fighting against school censorship. He wanted to make sure important stories reached the students. While in high school, he won second prize in an essay contest. This was the Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage Project Essay Contest. It took place at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

College and Early Career

Joel went to the University of Southern California. He studied broadcast journalism at the Annenberg School for Communication. He also studied at Tulane University in New Orleans and Columbia University in New York.

Before becoming a journalist, Joel worked as a paramedic. He worked for the Nassau County Police Department. He got his paramedic license in 1992. He trained at St. Vincent's Hospital. Joel often worked alone in an ambulance. Police officers would help him on emergency calls. He also volunteered as a Captain/Paramedic in Nassau County, New York. He worked for a local ambulance corps.

Joel Connable's TV Career

Joel's first TV job was at CBS station WLTX in Columbia, South Carolina. He had a segment called the "Restaurant Report Card." In this segment, he shared the health inspection scores of restaurants. Each week, he gave a "Golden Spatula" to the restaurant with the best score. Today, over 200 Golden Spatulas hang in restaurants in South Carolina.

Helping People Get Their Money Back

Joel also had a segment called "Big Money Monday." He traveled with State Treasurer Grady Patterson. They told people they were owed money by the state. This was money that had not been claimed. Joel and the 82-year-old Treasurer would surprise people at their homes.

Joel worked in a special consumer unit called "The On Your Side Team." He and another reporter, Adam Murphy, helped people. They answered calls about scams and rip-offs. They helped people get their money back. They also warned the public about bad businesses. This team helped News19's ratings improve a lot.

Moving Up in News

After three and a half years at News19, Joel moved to CBS2/KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, California. He worked there for three years as a reporter. In 2005, Joel moved to WTVJ, the NBC station in Miami. He became an evening news anchor there. He also worked as a consumer and investigative reporter. He filled in as an anchor for Early Today on NBC News in New York. He also anchored for MSNBC.

Awards and Recognitions

Joel Connable won several Emmy awards for his reporting. The Los Angeles Press Club and the Associated Press honored him. They recognized his excellent work in breaking news and feature reporting.

His Fight with Diabetes and Passing

Joel had Type 1 diabetes since he was 13 years old. He used an insulin pump 24 hours a day. In 2005, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation named him "Volunteer of the Year." This was for all his hard work to help find a cure for diabetes.

On November 6, 2012, Joel Connable passed away. It was believed he died due to a seizure. This seizure was likely caused by his diabetes pump not working correctly.

Movie and TV Shows

• Paparazzi (2004)
• Threat Matrix (2002)

Awards He Won

• Los Angeles Press Club - 2004 - Best Feature Story
• Nominated for 2010 Emmy Award - Best Human Interest Story - "The Ladder Shop" (a story about San Francisco firefighters)
• Los Angeles Area Emmys - News Feature Reporting - 2004
• Emmy Award - 2003 - Outstanding Feature Reporting - Los Angeles
• Emmy Award - 2004 - Best Breaking News Coverage - Los Angeles
• Emmy Award - 2002 - Best Spot News Reporting
• Emmy Award - 2000 - Best Series Reporting
• Emmy Award - 2001 - Best Feature Reporting
• Emmy Award - 2001 - Best Breaking News Report
• Associated Press Award - 2000 - 2nd Place - Investigative Reporting
• Associated Press Award - 2005 - 2nd Place Investigative Reporting
• Edward R Murrow Award - 2004 - Best Feature Report
• Commendation from the State of South Carolina - 2000 - Consumer Advocacy
• Volunteer of the Year - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - 2004
• World Travel Awards - 1st Place Travel Reporting

Personal Life

Joel Connable married his longtime girlfriend, Angela Shlyakhov. She was a paralegal. They got married just two weeks before he passed away.