Casey Klaus is a staff photographer (video) and editor for WLS-TV, ABC-7, Chicago. "There is no doubt that I work for the station with the 'greenest grass' in town and probably the country" Casey says with appreciation. He has been with WLS for more than 10 years and has been working in broadcast television for more than a 12. In that time, he has traveled the country and world covering news events that have shaped American history. Some, though not all, of the stories he has covered have been the war with Iraq from Kuwait City, the Opening of the 2000 Major League Baseball season with the Cubs and Mets in Japan, Presidential Elections from Candidate Headquarters, and the funeral of President Ronald Reagan.

“Experiencing the history of our time is one of the main reasons I got into this business,” says Casey, “I didn’t want to watch life happen on TV, I wanted to be there; allowing future generations to see what was taking place through my video.”

Not all of Casey’s travels took him to historically significant world events, some were just good stories. For instance, a farmer in Huron, Ohio who is supplying high end restaurants with vegetables that surpass “organic” standards and are picked at vaious points of the growing stages. In each stage of growth, vegetables have a unique flavor that many people never enjoy. Another story of note is the Andros Iguanas that has been a delicacy in the Bohemian food culture for years. Now a group of researchers and eco-tourists are trying to prevent the extinction of this species. Casey spent a week documenting the tagging and recording of the iguanas.

“[The reporter] and I thought we scored a vacation in the Bahamas, but I have never worked so hard before or since” confesses Casey.

Of course most of Casey’s professional story-telling happens in the Chicago area, and while these stories often lack thrill, Casey tries to make his finished product stand out in every newscast.

In his free time, Casey enjoys still photography, SCUBA diving, country music, and riding his 2008 Honda Shadow Spirit. He lives in a north suburb of Chicago with dog Chumba, and three fish all named Marj.