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KARE-11 anchor Cory Hepola announced Thursday that he's leaving what he once considered his dream job. He'll depart the station on Jan. 6.

"All I ever wanted to do since I was eight years old was to be a TV journalist in the Twin Cities," said Hepola, 37, after laying his three young kids down for a nap. "But I feel like I accomplished everything I ever set out to do on TV. I'm ready for a new challenge."

He was not ready this week to announce his future plans.

Hepola, who grew up in Perham, came home in 2015 to co-anchor "KARE 11 Sunrise." Last year, he began anchoring the weekend news with his wife, Camille Williams. Hepola insists it was coincidental that Williams left the station in October.

Hepola said he was "incredibly blessed" and "grateful" for his time at KARE.

He also posted the news on Facebook Thursday night: