Candese Charles joined the 8NewsNow team in August of 2022 as a reporter. This California sweetheart came to Viva Las Vegas after reporting in the “Big Easy” New Orleans, a transition that’s come with a whole of excitement.
Born and raised in sunny Los Angeles, California, Candese enjoys all of the things your typical “Cali girl” does: the beach, In-N-Out, and tacos.
While Candese’s spark for storytelling started at the tender age of six with the publishing of the “Charles Gazette”, Candese’s on-air debut was way later and in a far colder place: Minot, North Dakota. While there, she dug into the community by reporting on their everyday struggles and triumphs and leading the noon newscast. She flexed her investigative chops by going undercover for a four-part human trafficking series and meeting with local families impacted by the opioid epidemic for a three-part series.
Before long she was on to her next journey: Grand Rapids, MI.
At FOX17 news in Grand Rapids Candese blossomed as a reporter. She reported for the morning show, helped lead the evening newscast, produced content for the black history month specials, and facilitated a natural bond with the community.
She was happy to return home to California in 2019, landing a freelance reporting position at KTVU in the Bay Area. A UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Alumna and Cal State East Bay graduate, Candese considers the Bay to be her second home.
2021 she moved to a new home with historical swag: New Orleans. While there, she reported on missing people of color, hurricane Ida, and the return of music festivals and parades like Jazz fest and Mardi Gras.
Candese is as versatile as they come. She reports on everything from politics to crime to education to fun local events that you want to enjoy with her!
When she’s not reporting, she’s either with her family or traveling. Her first trip out of the country was for study abroad in Seoul, Korea and she’s been traveling ever since! If you have a story for her, a tip, want to chat about travel or food, or just want to say hi, stop by her social media platforms (all the same) @candesecharles.
She looks forward to hearing from you!
