Sarah Al-Shaikh
After graduation, Sarah pursued her passion for storytelling at Syracuse University, earning a master's degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism. She began her professional journalism career as a weekend anchor and reporter in Lansing, Michigan. During her time there, Sarah covered major stories including the race for Governor of Michigan, the Oxford High School shooting, and Black Lives Matter protests. While she loved the mid-Michigan community, Sarah was ready to move back home to Texas to be closer to family.
Sarah joined KXAN in Austin as a multimedia journalist, initially covering Hays County - one of the fastest-growing regions in the state. There, she closely followed the fentanyl crisis affecting a local school district, where multiple student overdoses rocked the community. After about a year, she was promoted to a reporter role focused on business, workforce and development in Austin. Sarah also covered several major breaking news events - from wildfires to a funeral home director accused of experimenting on corpses.
Outside the newsroom, Sarah loves spending time with her family and friends. When football season rolls around, you'll likely find her glued to the TV, cheering on her Houston Texans. GO TEXANS!
Sarah is incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to tell the stories of Houstonians - hoping to give back to the city that has given her so much.
ABC13's Stories
Houston police officers asked an Uber driver to help in a chase. Was he required to say yes?
What would you do if police suddenly asked to borrow your car in the middle of a chase? That's exactly what happened to an Uber driver in Houston earlier this month.
Houston officers get in Uber to chase running suspect, video shows
A police chase in Houston didn't happen in a patrol unit, but in an Uber. Dashcam video shows the rideshare driver helping the HPD officers who hopped in his vehicle.
'It's unfair': Mother says teen's wrongful arrest had him in jail for 48 hours
Harris County Constable Precinct 4's Office posted a photo of a teen's arrest in connection with a crime it later admitted he didn't commit.
Houston City Council passes ordinance requiring rental units to provide air conditioning
With the passing of the ordinance, all landlords must install air conditioning within 120 days.
More than half of people in the Harris County Jail have mental health indicators, data shows
More than half of people in the Harris County Jail have some indication of mental health issues, according to the county's jail data. But what options are there to stop a cycle of crime and protect the public?
Emergency petition asks to block Galveston County's new redistricted map
The Texas Supreme Court rejected an emergency request to stop the map from moving forward, but the justices did not decide whether the map itself is legal.
Monument near Johnson Space Center honors Black trailblazers of NASA
Blocks away from NASA's Johnson Space Center, a new monument titled "Earth Rise" is bringing some of Space City's hidden heroes into the light.
Alleged intruder shot, killed by 911 caller inside apartment in north Harris County, HCSO says
Investigators said they believed the 911 caller inside the unit was the current boyfriend of the woman who lives in the apartment, and the alleged intruder was her ex.
34 calls for service led to HPD contacting federal immigration authorities
A call to police is supposed to be a call for help, but for some Houstonians, that call could lead to contact with federal immigration authorities.
ICE arrests witness who helped Houston police in active shooting investigation: HPD
A man was taken by federal immigration agents after reporting a crime that ultimately helped officers find a convicted felon.