Biography:

Val Thompson joined the Newsplex in December 2012 as a producer/reporter.

Val grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and got his degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. While at Northwestern, Val met and married his wife, who convinced him to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. Val later interned at CBS and WGN-TV, both in Chicago.

Between 2007 and 2011, Val anchored the evening newscasts at WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, Va. It was during this time that Val fell in love with Virginia. While living in the Shenandoah Valley, Val visited dozens of historic homes, picked hundreds of pounds of peaches, and figured out how to operate a wood stove.

He spent 2012 working as a reporter/producer at ABC4 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Then, he was very excited to get a chance to return to his favorite state and work in Charlottesville.

In his free time, Val likes to hang out with his wife and two daughters, read biographies, and go for a jog. He's still trying to figure out Charlottesville's street system, and he hopes to learn all the different names for Rugby Road before the end of the year.