PITTSBURGH -- Wendy Bell anchors WTAE Channel 4 Action News every weeknight at 5 and 11 p.m.

Wendy has been with WTAE Channel 4 since September 1998. She originally hails from Calabasas, Calif., and holds a master's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Wendy got her start in television straight out of grad school by landing a reporting job for the nationally-syndicated show, "American Journal." She also worked for several years at KSDK-TV in St. Louis -- the same city where she met her husband, Joe. They moved back to his hometown of Pittsburgh in 1998.

Wendy enjoys creative writing, long-form reporting and grabbing viewers' attention by telling unusual stories.

She's a six-time Emmy Award winner and a National Headliner -- winning first place for an expose on airline ticket prices. Her favorite moment was covering the rescue of the nine miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset, Pa.

In May 2005, Wendy tested the politeness of everyday Pittsburghers. She transformed her appearance and posed as an 80-year-old woman to see if people would come to the aid of an elderly lady in need. Click here to watch the story, which won her an Edward R. Murrow award.

Wendy's husband, Joe, is an interventional cardiologist at UPMC Shadyside. They have five young sons -- Michael, Jack, Ryan, Bobby and Christopher -- and they live in Point Breeze.

On Friday nights, Wendy can usually be found at Dunning's Grill in Regent Square. She also likes to eat at Buffalo Blues in Shadyside.

Golfing, barbecuing, gardening and taking family trips to the Carnegie Science Center & the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium are among Wendy's hobbies.

Her favorite movies are "The Shawshank Redemption," "Diggstown" and "Groundhog Day."

You can e-mail Wendy at wbell@hearst.com and read her archived baby blog here.

Here's a family picture that she asked us to share: