Heather Hegedus, Boston 25 News

Emmy award-winning journalist Heather Hegedus anchors the weekday editions of Boston 25 Morning News. She joined Boston 25 News in 2012 as a weekend anchor/reporter. Heather has covered some of the area's biggest stories including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the trial of organized crime boss Whitey Bulger, and the arrest and trial of Patriots player Aaron Hernandez. She reported live from the Boston Marathon bombings minutes after the blasts went off. She covered every step of the investigation and was live on the anchor desk, and later, on the ground during the manhunt and shootout with the suspects in Watertown. In 2017, Heather won an Emmy for her work covering the opioid epidemic. She's also won Emmy nominations in the categories of best general assignment reporter, consumer reporter, series, and spot news. Prior to joining Boston 25, Heather was an anchor/reporter at WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut. While working there in 2011, she won Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists awards for breaking news, general assignment reporting, and investigative reporting. She was the first anchor to live go on the air, and later anchor from the scene, of a power plant explosion that took the lives of six workers. Heather started her career at WIVT in Binghamton, NY, and later at WSYR in Syracuse, where she was part of breaking news coverage that was honored with an Edward R. Murrow award. Heather was born here and raised in Lynnfield, Mass, on the North Shore. In high school, she was a trolley tour guide in historic Salem. She also beat out high school students from across the state and won the title of Massachusetts State Debate Champion. Heather graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University with a degree in Government and, while in D.C., worked in the Washington Bureau of NBC News and "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer." She spent a year at the London School of Economics in England and has a Master's Degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where she received the Dean's award. Heather and her husband, who works for a competing news station, have a boy and a girl. Her son has autism, and her personal experience has led to her becoming an advocate for special needs families. She is a frequent guest speaker and emcee for autism charities, schools, and family support organizations. She also wrote and produced a half hour special on Boston 25 about the waitlists and challenges facing autism families, as well as the research happening here in Boston to learn more about the disorder and what causes it. The special was nominated for an Emmy Award.