Britt, who has been with WAFB for over 37 years, has announced she will retire from the local news station after being diagnosed with ALS 11 months ago. Syndicated programming on WAFB (as of September 2022) includes Tamron Hall, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Inside Edition, 25 Words or Less, TMZ and Access Hollywood. Former Baton Rouge television news icon Donna Britt, who ended her 37-year run on WAFB in 2018 due to her battle with ALS, has passed away. Detectives with the Baton Rouge Police Department are still searching for answers regarding a man who was found dead last year. Photo provided by Sonya Gordon Participating in the Phi Delta Kappa Walk for Education on Nov. 7 are, from left, front row, Jayne Fleener, Donna Britt, Gwen Hamilton; back row, W.T. A Gray Media Group, Inc. Station - 2002-2023 Gray Television, Inc. 2002-2023 Gray Television, Inc. CBS affiliate after eight years. VIPS pins -- At Volunteers in Public Schools pinning ceremony are, from left, Executive Director Judy Bethley, emcee Donna Britt and VIPS Reading Friends Sharee Harris and Marc Goldstein. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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So, I think both of the major TV stations have benefited from John Mahaffey having been there.". Vernon Roger, former WAFB-TV anchorman and Cajun chef, died this weekend in what police say was a suicide. She was born while her parents were in the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft Worth Texas. Bottom row, left to right: Kathy Fergus, captain Donna Britt, Allison Gustavson, Ginger Bishop, Katherine Jensen, Becky Terkel, Tanya Arnold, Sonya Godwin. During an investigation, police say evidence was found to place the babys mother under arrest. Donna loved to travel and she and her family saw much of the world together. Authorities say the individual could have information about the incident. LTC Widner presented the award to St. Amant High School with its near perfect synchronization as champion, and first runner up was Broadmoor High School with its specialized marching footwork. WAFB was one of a handful of stations that shifts the air times of various CBS programming. Click to become an INSIDER for under $2.00 a week, Andre Moreau parts ways with WAFB after eight years, 2022 Welcome: Official Visitors Guide to Greater Baton Rouge. Photo provided by LAURIE HARDISON --- Volunteer breakfast --- Salvation Army Capt. Youll have the chance to attend a unique educational presentation using world-class projector equipment at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Officials have caught the inmate who escaped deputy custody while working with a crew at Southeastern Louisiana University on Friday morning, March 3. She is a good journalist and if WAFB fired her, they let one get away and one of their competitors will scoop her up quickly. The beloved former WAFB-TV personality died Thursday after a battle with ALS. 6,529 talking about this. I'm an Emmy & Murrow Award Winning Investigative Reporter who simply loves my job!. A family is grieving one week after 41-year-old Jeross Banks was hit and killed while riding his bike to work along LA-1 in Iberville Parish. If theyre looking for a woman to replace her they can give her spot to Jim Engster. Despite becoming rarer among other television news operations, WAFB occasionally broadcast an editorial that was usually delivered by the station manager. Donna Britt, third from left, has always been a supporter of community events, like the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. STAFF PHOTO BY PAM BORDELON George and. Longtime WAFB anchor Donna Britt checks out a cake held by coworker Derron Daquano as she is joined by friends, family, and coworkers, Wednesday, June 13, 2018, after signing off for one last time at WAFB studios in downtown Baton Rouge, La. "And, if you think about it, those of us who knew him so well knew that Mahaffey did sort of have this presence and manly swagger about him that was not unlike a John Wayne persona." Jun 1 "That was inappropriate. Britt first announced her ALS diagnosis to viewersduring a newscast in 2017. Valley Rail Depot), Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American Museum, sorted by primary channel network affiliations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WAFB&oldid=1132905661, Television channels and stations established in 1953, Television stations in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using infobox television station, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, derived from former radio sister stations, This page was last edited on 11 January 2023, at 05:47. She was eventually teamed up with George Sells and the two of them became one of the most successful news anchor teams in the country. His last day on the air will be Friday, Sept. 2. The station began broadcasting on April 19, 1953, as the first television station in Baton Rouge, and the second television station in the state of Louisiana. The fourth candidate, U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, did not participate. A Gray Media Group, Inc. Station - 2002-2023 Gray Television, Inc. 2002-2023 Gray Television, Inc. Through two gracious campaigns from his show, Buckskin Bill helped to start the Baton Rouge Zoo. Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer for more than 25 years. SI Predicts Three Permanent Opponents For Each SEC Team If League Moves To Nine-Game Model, NCAA Proposing Timing Rules Changes In College Football To Shorten Games, Four-Star Destrehan LB Kolaj Cobbins Commits To LSU, Skenes Tallies Career-High 13 Strikeouts In 12-2 Victory Over Butler, Lady Tigers Set For Matchup vs. Georgia In Quarterfinals Of SEC Tournament, Nick Saban Not Happy With Proposed SEC Schedule, Incredible Sucker Punch Landed In Yesterday's SIU-Edwardsville vs.UT Martin Game, Checking In On Mississippi State Softball Player Brylie St. Clair At The Farm, XFL QB Reportedly Cut For Leaking Plays To Other Team. Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING. I feel so fortunate to be able to find that and to be able to find that at home. In 2003, Raycom acquired former The Box affiliate WBXH-CA, which became a sister station to WAFB when the channel became Baton Rouge's third UPN affiliate and later MyNetworkTV affiliate in 2006. In the recent ratings period, it beat the others stations' combined weeknights at 5, 6, and 10. Id like to share some personal news with you tonight, Donna said. [4][5][6] The sale was approved on December 20,[7] and was completed on January 2, 2019.[8]. They can irritate your throat, nose, and eyes, some may even cause cancer. In 1988, Guaranty sold the station to AFLAC. "He was a steady hand and a steady voice,"Hodge said Friday. Former WAFB reporter Kiran Chawla says her love of investigative reporting and the viewing public sparked her to start her new YouTube channel. BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Longtime Baton Rouge news anchor John Mahaffey has died. Tisha Powell's new job as an afternoon anchor at WAFB in Baton Rouge is something she didn't think was possible. Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. For those who dont know, Delta-8 is a form of cannabis different from marijuana that contains a higher concentration of THC. From left, longtime WAFB anchor Donna Britt on set as she is watched by her son, Louie Ballard, and husband Mark Ballard, Wednesday, June 13, 2018, as Britt signs off for one last time at WAFB studios in downtown Baton Rouge, La. She attended numerous scouting Camporees and was fiercely proud of carrying a canoe over mountains and paddling the Northern Tier Extreme Boy Scout Adventure on Americas Northern border. During that time, she spent 8 hours every week in December those 17 years manning a Christmas kettle. . Upon being taken over by AFLAC, station management canceled the daily Storyland on September 30, 1988 and converted it to a Saturday morning hour-long program called Buckskin Bill and Friends that began airing on November 5, 1988. It's made worse by other officers standing by. Murdaugh, 54, faced two counts of murder and two weapons charges in the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and . Donna played the piano and organ in multiple churches starting in the fourth grade. College football is exploring a new clock operating rule that could significantly impact games next season. Powell anchored the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts at ABC11 a schedule which made for very long days. [9] However, on September 9, 2019, WAFB resumed airing TPIR and Y&R at their respective network-recommended times of 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.[10] The station aired Jeopardy! One person was injured in a shooting in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, March 1, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Office. We've received your submission. Investigators say Maili Morris made 136 purchases using her 73-year-old aunts debit card, which she had linked to her personal DoorDash account. WAFB (channel 9) is a television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. Average NC teacher pay is nearly $58,000, state says. She had joined the station in 1980 and appeared on the air as an anchor until her deteriorating health from the disease forced her to retire in June 2018. Those relatives she moved back to Louisiana to be near can now watch her on TV. Longtime Baton Rouge news anchor John Mahaffey passes away, LSU WR Malik Nabers arrested in New Orleans; prosecutors refuse to charge with condition. She reigned as Queen of Spanish Town in 1990.Another big passion for Donna was her service to the Boy Scouts. But educators argue many earn less. Patio music was provided by Mike Fontenot. Thats nothing controversial in the least. and Hibernia National Bank. The Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriffs Office caught a juvenile driving a stolen vehicle from an area where law enforcement officials say they have been investigating a string of vehicle thefts. Photo 2 - Ms Donna Britt, WAFB 9 News Anchor, the MOC guest speaker, is greeted prior to the program by LTG Middleton Chapter Vice Commander, LTC Reginald Brown, USA Retired. Gates started his career at WAFB-TV in March 1977 . Squires of Denham Springs donated the formal wear and Good Times Event Planning coordinated. Neither Moreau nor station executives will discuss what led to th And, it's a proud legacy. Asians arent immune from cancel culture. The cash-and-stock merger transaction valued at $3.6 billion in which Gray shareholders would acquire preferred stock currently held by Raycom will result in WAFB gaining new sister stations in nearby markets, including CBS/ABC affiliate KNOE-TV in Monroe and NBC/CBS affiliate KALB-TV in Alexandria, in addition to its current Raycom sister stations. Probably stumbled on something they wanted to keep quiet. Donna Britt,who worked for Baton Rouge station WAFB for nearly four decades, succumbed on Thursday at age 62 to the neurological disease, which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, according to the news outlet. She is survived by her husband, Mark Ballard, in addition to her daughter, Annie, and son, Louie, the outlet reported. I have ALS, Lou Gehrigs disease. Photo shot on 3/17/2003. WAFB also airs the Sunday services from the First United Methodist Church in the city. There were several characters that were regulars on the show including "Seor Puppet" (a marionette voiced by Sid Crocker) and "Whatsyourname" (another puppet voiced by Mary Hillen). "He not only had the camera-ready looks including a million-dollar smile, but he was a born story-teller. Copyright 2021 WAFB. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Good for whoever hires her next and shame on you . Brett Meredith, left, presents the Above & Beyond Award to Donna Britt at the organization's Volunteer Recognition Breakfast. Photo 1 - LSU Pershing Rifles, Company D-17, Color Guard of Elijah Jones, Todd Dixon, Chris Scheuermann, and Ethan Nicosia. Nielsen Media Research ratings showed that 16.2% of all households in the Baton Rouge area watched the show. The station made this change to give its noon and 5 p.m. newscasts a strong lead-in. George Sells, third from left, with former newsdesk anchors Andr Moreau and Mike Graham on hand for Donna Britt's final newscast. WCCO has addresed the situation both during newscasts and online, with a statement saying: "WCCO-TV anchor/reporter Liz Collin is married to Bob Kroll. Louis S. Prejean and associates (Modern Broadcasting of Baton Rouge) were the first owners of the station, and they sold it to Royal Street Corporation of New Orleans in 1956, which owned WDSU-TV, the first television station in Louisiana. and Wheel of Fortune until 1995 when the shows moved to WBRZ. show--"Great Day at 9A." Caitlin Francis Traffic. Perhaps doing so made her grow close to the families in their difficult aftermath and seeing basically a repeat of 2016 prompted her to say something that "wasn't acceptable" by the social media mob. 18 jersey from LSU, AD Joe Alleva, Our Views: WAFB-TV's Donna Britt's good works are too many to name; you're in our prayers, Donna Britt remembered: Share your memories of the beloved Baton Rouge anchorwoman. Davis was one of the first Black officers in the elite Army Green Berets. In an interview with The News & Observer the week before her final broadcast on ABC11, Powell said that she had worked nights for about 15 years at the station, and that working from home some during the pandemic had opened her eyes to the time she was missing with her youngest daughter, who is 7. WAFB also has a Cox cable channel devoted to airing simulcasts and rebroadcasts of its news broadcasts. Top row, left to right: Stephanie LaBlanc, Cherrie Bell, Judy Hignight, Tammy Norton, Lynet Lewis, Gloria Sylvia, Hillary Holmes, Susan Ford, Beverly Lemley. [3] In 1965, the station moved its transmission tower from Zachary to south of LSU's campus, allowing viewers in a 90-mile (140km) radius to receive its signal; it was also in that year that the station started broadcasting in color. PROVIDED PHOTO "I'm moving on," Kiran Chawla said. Pennington Biomedical Research Center is hosting a wellness day for women on March 4th from 7:00am through 1:00pm. Volodymyr Dorogobid, 38, and Tigran Avetisyan, 39, both of Brooklyn, New York, were booked on three counts of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system and also for obstruction of justice for tampering with evidence. "They just looked for somebody who looked all right . Had to be about the Hammond stuff, that was the last thing she covered. Lawhon says Mahaffey had a love for first family first but his second love was for television news. Golden Deeds -- With this year's Golden Deeds Award winner Donna Britt, seated, at a VIP reception before the dinner are, from left, Bob and Judi Terzotis, Larry and Dee Munzler, and Leslie and Scott Berg. Whether in a nearby gas station or your local smoke shop, youve likely seen kratom on the shelves of one store or another. All rights reserved. So, now I know whats been paralyzing muscles all over my body all these months and shows no signs of stopping, she said. The station aired the syndicated version of Family Feud hosted by Steve Harvey until 2020 and aired the versions hosted by Louie Anderson, Richard Karn, and John O'Hurley, with the exception of Karn's first season, which aired on KZUP-CD, and Harvey's second through fifth seasons, which aired on WVLA. Her family moved as her father first preached in small-town Texas, then on to church fields in Georgia peanut country as well as along the Florida panhandle. It's not standard. Mahaffey, a graduate of the University of Texas, retired in 1999 and continued living in Baton Rouge. BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Longtime Baton Rouge news anchor John Mahaffey has died. What are we talking here? Carys biggest bookstore turns the page. Andre Moreau is leaving WAFB-TV after eight years behind the nightly anchor desk. For the last nine months, doctors have tried to diagnose it, however many of the symptoms are the same for other diseases. He called her in for an interview and hired her right away. From: Clay Le Grande [mailto:c.legrande@cox.net] Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2015 12:38 PM LTG Middleton Chapter Massing of the Colors Parkview Baptist School gym was ablaze with Old Glory on Tuesday, November 10th as the Military Order of the World Wars LTG Troy H. Middleton Chapter hosted its annual Massing of the Colors ceremony for the student body and public at Parkview Baptist High School.