Brackett attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, and earned an undergraduate degree from See more

After graduating from Our Lady of the Lake College, Brackett worked part-time as a social worker at the YMCA in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. She also worked for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Ser… See more

In 1977, Brackett took a job as a researcher on the assignment desk of WBBM-TV in Chicago. In 1979, she joined WGN-TV in Chicago. She later became a reporter at WLS-TV in Chicago. She then joined the forerunner t… See more

Brackett married Peter Martinez on September 27, 1998. A previous marriage ended in divorce. She had two children from her first marriage: Elisabeth (born circa 1967) and Jon (born circa 1970). She lived in the … See more