It’s Paula Francis’ last night at KLAS-TV

It’s your last day to watch Paula Francis in the anchor chair at KLAS-TV, Channel 8.

In case you’ve missed the farewell festivities over the past few nights — her first co-anchor, George Knapp, sat in with her on Wednesday; her longtime colleague Gary Waddell did the honors Thursday — Francis is retiring after a 30-year-career on the valley’s airwaves. The last 28 of those were spent at Channel 8.

“I’m going to get into things that I just never had time to do,” Francis told the Review-Journal shortly after announcing her retirement on Feb. 17. “I’m sort of an amateur photographer. I’m going to start riding a bicycle much more. Hiking. Seeing the country. My husband (Steve) has been retired for a year, and he’s just been bugging me to quit. So, finally, I did.”

Reflecting on her legacy, Francis remained humble. “I never thought I would have a career on-air this long. And I think that says a lot about the viewers more than me. It says that they want someone who knows something about the town they live in, and that a few wrinkles don’t bother them, which is great.”

Francis’ final newscasts will be Friday at 5 and 6 p.m.

Denise Valdez will take over for Francis on Monday, anchoring the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts alongside Dave Courvoisier.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. Find him on Twitter: @Life_OnTheCouch