The morning anchor for Peoria’s CBS and Fox affiliates is leaving the stations, with plans to take a job in Wisconsin.

Kyreon Lee said last week that she would be leaving WMBD and WYZZ, where she has served as morning anchor for the past three years. In a Facebook post, she said that the decision to leave Peoria and Bloomington would provide her with a better opportunity for her and her growing family.

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“This decision wasn’t made lightly, but it truly is an amazing opportunity and advancement for myself and my family,” Lee said. “Thank you for embracing change and allowing me into your home.”

Her next stop will be WISC, Madison, Wisconsin’s CBS affiliate, where she will serve as the morning news anchor for the capitol of America’s Dairyland.

Lee has been with the two stations since June 2021, serving as anchor of WMBD’s morning show and Good Day Central Illinois, WYZZ’s morning topper. She also leads WMBD’s news coverage at noon.

She came to Peoria after a stint at KRCG, the CBS affiliate in Jefferson City, Missouri, where she worked as a multimedia journalist and fill-in anchor.

She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2018 with a degree in journalism, emphasizing radio/TV anchoring and reporting, and a minor in sociology. While at Mizzou, she worked for the university-owned NBC affiliate in Columbia, KOMU, working as an anchor, reporter and producer.

Lee thanked many of the people who had worked alongside her in her farewell message on Facebook, giving credit to her producers and co-anchors on the morning show, along with many of the people who she had the chance to meet throughout her reporting over the past three years.

“It truly has been my pleasure to serve this community,” Lee said. “I’m grateful for the supporters I’ve met out in the community and ones who have interacted consistently here on Facebook. To the small business owners, thank you for allowing me to share your stories. And to everyone that I have met along the way, you all are amazing! I have made so many genuine connections from the community to church and beyond.”

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In addition, she noted that her two daughters grew up in Peoria during her tenure and that the city would hold a special place in the hearts of her and her husband.

“This has been home for three years!” Lee said. “Our oldest daughter, Mahlani moved here when she was only nine months old and she is now 3.5 years old! We have watched her hit so many milestones and grow here. Same for our second daughter Harmoni. This is where she was born just last year. Peoria truly is where they got their roots.”

Her fellow morning anchors, Sheridan Hurtig and Nathan Kitchens, will remain onboard the morning show for the time being.

WMBD has been the CBS affiliate for Peoria since it was established in 1958 and is the second-oldest TV station in the city. WYZZ became its sister station in 2001 after WMBD’s owners, Nexstar Broadcasting, reached a local marketing agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group, the owners of WYZZ.

Originally established as an independent station in 1982 by members of Grace Presbyterian Church, WYZZ became a Fox affiliate in 1986, a charter member of the fledgling network.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria TV journalist Kyreon Lee leaves WMBD after three years for new job