Right out of the gate, Kristin Kelly got the stories that mattered. First as a night reporter in 1996, covering everything from a controversial strip club in South Burlington to Santa's wardrobe malfunction during the tree-lighting on Burlington's Church Street.

Never afraid, she went undercover to expose the state's heroin epidemic. When natural disasters hit the state, Kristin was there, like during the ice storm of 1998.

She broke news time and time again: the massive layoffs at IBM, questioning leadership at the Vermont National Guard.

Kristin always pushed politicians for answers and became one of the most respected journalists in the state: a business reporter, a Statehouse reporter, a crime reporter.

But there were the fun stories, too. Like the day Richard Simmons stopped by Channel 3 to say hi! Or the hunt for David Hasselhoff in Burlington, when criminals swiped big cutouts of the aging heartthrob.

"I, myself, would like to have a life-sized Hoff in my home. But it's still a crime," Burlington Police Ofc. Kim Shelley told Kristin.

She got a kick out of that. Kristin also became one of the most recognized anchors ever. She started Saturday nights and then moved to the morning show. Then to the 11 p.m. news with Roger Garrity and the 6 p.m. with the legendary Marselis Parsons in 2005. She was with Marselis when he said so long to broadcasting.

Kristin helped produce our series "Foreigners on the Farm," revealing how Vermont's iconic dairy industry relies on undocumented workers to keep going.

"They're not scared of police; they're scared of immigration getting them and deporting them back to Mexico," farmworker Saul Moreno told WCAX News.

The series won the prestigious DuPont-Columbia Award.

And there was her heartwarming story of Barb Bardin.

"Now I'm looking at a-- looking at a very serious reality, and that's death," Barb told Kristin.

It looked at end-of-life choices and followed the longtime Burlington businesswoman through her battle-- and loss-- to ovarian cancer. The story earned an Emmy nomination.

I'm Darren Perron and I joined Kristin at the anchor desk in 2009, a dream job, really, next to a woman I've admired for years. She is perhaps the best writer I've ever met. Our newscast was nominated for an Emmy, too. An honor for our whole team.

But we've also had some silly moments. When you're anchoring next to one of your best friends, sometimes laughter is contagious. Kristin, who we all call KK, started at WCAX at about the same time I did. We were the cub reporters at WCAX. And dear friends out of work, as well.

We've shared a lot with you, too: the good times and the heartbreaking times when we've cried with you at home. We've all been through a lot over the last 20 years.

Her hairstyles may have changed but she never did-- a solid journalist from the get-go. And boy, this is bittersweet. We're happy that KK gets to spend more time with her family and is starting an exciting new career at Green Mountain Power. But it's tough to say goodbye to such talent and such a wonderful friend. We will miss you, KK.