A longtime Louisiana news anchor has died following a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease, her former employer said Thursday. Longtime WAFB anchor Donna Britt waves as she sees her husband and son in the studio, Wednesday, June 13, 2018, as Donna Britt signs off for one last time at WAFB studios in downtown Baton Rouge, La. Media departures are always strange. Im sure her employer hasnt been thrilled with her dating partner being a news topic on multiple occasions in the past few years. Longtime friend and former co-anchor Margaret Lawhon smiled as she spoke of Mahaffey's nickname "The Duke" and how he got the name. Beloved WAFB anchor Donna Britt passes away, Donna Britt's last newscast - June 13, 2018 (end of show farewell), LSU WR Malik Nabers arrested in New Orleans; prosecutors refuse to charge with condition, Health experts, former athletes respond to NCAAs proposal to reduce game time and plays. Investigators say Maili Morris made 136 purchases using her 73-year-old aunts debit card, which she had linked to her personal DoorDash account. show--"Great Day at 9A." Caitlin Francis Traffic. The East Feliciana Police Chiefs Association held an appreciation luncheon on April 8 at Centenary Inn in Jackson. (WAFB) - Longtime WAFB anchor Donna Britt, a dedicated journalist and beloved member of the community, has passed away after her courageous battle with ALS. Owned by Branson Visitors TV; Gray holds a 50.1% interest in this company. Patient advocates have long called for insulin price cuts to help uninsured people who would not be affected by price caps tied to insurance coverage. They can irritate your throat, nose, and eyes, some may even cause cancer. If theyre looking for a woman to replace her they can give her spot to Jim Engster. I don't know if either of those things have any truth to them. One locally produced show that brought years of enjoyment to children was hosted by "Buckskin Bill" Black (William Black) that ran in different formats from 1955 until 1990. Tisha Powells new job as an afternoon anchor at WAFB in Baton Rouge is something she didnt think was possible. He was worried about how he'd get his car fixed. Submitted by SVCINC COL Clay C. Le Grande, Jr., USA (Ret) Baton Rouge, LA 70817-3432 H - (225) 752-9780 c.legrande@cox.net. So, now I know whats been paralyzing muscles all over my body all these months and shows no signs of stopping, she said. what role does individualism play in american society. Donna passed away. Oprah moved to WBRZ but since then aired on WVLA until the show ended its run in 2011. Had to be about the Hammond stuff, that was the last thing she covered. When longtime WAFB-TV weathercaster Diane Deaton first began in the news business, the role of weather reporter hadn't really been defined yet. At a luncheon to honor area volunteers are, from left, guest speaker, Mayor bobby Simpson and Donna Britt, Ron Winders, Janet Rack, Rob Stuart, Noel Parnell and Nick Simonette, representatives of sponsors WAFB-TV, Volunteer Baton Rouge! He was 51. For the last nine months, doctors have tried to diagnose it, however, many of the symptoms are the same for other diseases, she said at the time. 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. The only station to get a bigger share of the local audience was KCCI, the CBS affiliate in Des Moines, which was watched by 17.9% of area households. Honestly, I didnt think this was possible, Powell said. For nearly four decades, Donna Britt was a constant presence on televisions across the Baton Rouge area. Former WBRZ News. Golden Deeds -- The 'first lady of Baton Rouge broadcasting' Donna Britt, center, is honored as this year's Golden Deeds winner and is congratulated by WBRZ's Whitney Vann and Sylvia Weatherspoon. Mark Ballard: My wife Donna Britt has ALS. This is exactly what you wanted, so why not? he responded. Louisiana native and veteran journalist Tisha Powell will join the WAFB 9News team in August 2021. Pets may be the ones who impact people the most. Lawhon says Mahaffey had a love for first family first but his second love was for television news. CBS affiliate after eight years. 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 was 77 years old. Donna rode in countless parades across South Louisiana. Mahaffey started his career in Baton Rouge television at WAFB-TV. WAFB's Donna Britt writes a thank you letter to a viewer before the 6pm newscast, Wednesday, June 6, 2018. Based on the BRPD press conference the other day, it is abundantly obvious that BRPD needs no help looking like fools. Mahaffey paid to get his car fixed and, when it broke again, he bought him a new car,"Hodge recalled. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power, Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CD (channel 39). Those relatives she moved back to Louisiana to be near can now watch her on TV. The station also aired Time for Beany during its early years on the air from the Paramount Television Network and was briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network, airing programs Sheriff of Cochise, How to Marry a Millionaire, and This is Alice. One person was injured in a shooting in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, March 1, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs Office. 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. WAFB also airs the Sunday services from the First United Methodist Church in the city. Royal Street owned the station until 1964, when it sold the station to locally based Guaranty Corporation. The penny campaign was successful enough to purchase two. My whole family is in this viewing area, even my dad who lives in North Mississippi, Powell said. Through two gracious campaigns from his show, Buckskin Bill helped to start the Baton Rouge Zoo. Authorities say the individual could have information about the incident. Longtime WAFB anchor Donna Britt is surrounded by friends, family, and coworkers, Wednesday, June 13, 2018, as she signs off for one last time at WAFB studios in downtown Baton Rouge, La. ADVOCATE STAFF PHOTO BY PAM BORDELON -- Golden Deeds -- Golden Deeds winner Donna Britt, seated, with son Louie and husband Mark Ballard. Davis was one of the first Black officers in the elite Army Green Berets. From what I can tell, the Tulliers got involved because his wife started saying things on FB, which got a lot of people fired up. This includes two newscasts on sister station WBXH-CD (weeknights at 9, which began on January 8, 2007, and Saturday mornings). I feel so fortunate to be able to find that and to be able to find that at home. She told them it would have to be a part-time job that would allow her to finish working on her Leadership and Communications Masters of Science degree at Purdue University, and also give her time with her family. Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with, "WAFB Official Says NBR to get Super Service from Station," North Baton Rouge Journal, April 29, 1948, Page 1. She physically trained on an elliptical machine for two months, morning and evening, to build her stamina for the grueling push. Parkviews choir performed the military service songs as veterans from the services stood in turn to the applause from the audience. Catch the moving sale to save on books, CDs. Donna Britt, beloved WAFB news anchor and 'a rare breed,' dies after battle with ALS. All rights reserved. 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. Jun 1 "That was inappropriate. [2] It launched as a television counterpart to local radio stations WAFB and WAFB-FM, which both signed on in 1948 and were affiliated with MBS. Gates started his career at WAFB-TV in March 1977 . Following her diagnosis, thousands of viewers and well-wishers showed up for Donna Britt Day, a charity event hosted by Chef John Folse to raise money for ALS research. WAFB (channel 9) is a television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS.It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power, Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CD (channel 39). Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING. Submitted: Annie Fugler 225 802-6454 anniefugler@aol.com, 1978 LSU Flag Line -- listed by MAIDEN NAMES. I always enjoyed the WAFB news promo ad where she's standing there with her microphone held out and the guy says "Please LEAVE" and shuts the door in her face. transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts, https://www.linkedin.com/company/wafb-tv/, "GRAY AND RAYCOM TO COMBINE IN A $3.6 BILLION TRANSACTION", "Gray Acquiring Raycom For $3.65B, Forming No. WAFB's weekday morning news is repeated on that station. The fight happened in front of Camille Shade Hall on Southerns campus, jail records show. and Wheel of Fortune until 1995 when the shows moved to WBRZ. A write-up slip from elementary school showed she called a fellow 2nd grader poo-poo face. Renee Kozak is the Relay for Life Volunteer Coordinator of the annual fundraiser. 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. Donna Britt, Herb Vincent among this year's Manship School Hall of Fame inductees. Visiting at the Baton Rouge Pan-Hellenic Council's annual banquet Aug. 9 are, from left, Co-Chairwomen Twana Malveaux and Geraldine Simms, Distinguished Citizenship Award recipient Donna Britt, Distinguished Service Award recipient Elmer Roy Burris and council President Mary Alice Darby. 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. Never be too sure. After years of your input and suggestions, BREC is putting your vision into your parks. Its happening at the Maurice A. Edmond Livestock Arena. Picture shot on 3-13-01. 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. her last tweet regarding the guy crashing his car into target in hammond, The guy who ran his car through the Hammond Target. There was a problem saving your notification. Continue reading this story and get ACCESS to all our content from any device with a subscription now. She is the service journalism editor and writes about TV and local media for The N&Os Happiness is a Warm TV blog. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Average NC teacher pay is nearly $58,000, state says. For those who dont know, Delta-8 is a form of cannabis different from marijuana that contains a higher concentration of THC. What are we talking here? Photo 3 - US Coast . Whether in a nearby gas station or your local smoke shop, youve likely seen kratom on the shelves of one store or another. If they are not WAFB viewers now, they will be.. Patio music was provided by Mike Fontenot. 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. 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. Id like to share some personal news with you tonight, Donna said. Shes a great investigative reporter. 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. A man is behind bars in Livingston Parish for allegedly robbing a man at gunpoint while he was at an ATM Tuesday night, February 28. It's made worse by other officers standing by. A familiar landscape in Central Louisiana left devastated by Category 4 Hurricane Laura is given new life in the upcoming film 65 thanks to Sony Pictures. Britt first announced her ALS diagnosis to viewersduring a newscast in 2017. He was a giant figure in television news and he will be sorely missed, even after being retired for nearly 17 years.". 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. The beloved former WAFB-TV personality died Thursday after a battle with ALS. Neither Moreau nor station executives will discuss what led to th In the recent ratings period, it beat the others stations' combined weeknights at 5, 6, and 10. They did not release the mans name or the reason for the arrest, but the stationmaster is responsible for rail traffic on that stretch of the tracks. The station has always been a CBS affiliate but carried some NBC programming until WBRZ-TV signed on in 1955. Keyword Fashion Clothing Association Communications. I'm an Emmy & Murrow Award Winning Investigative Reporter who simply loves my job!. Donna passed away on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Former WBRZ News Director John Spain hired Mahaffey away from WAFB. 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. WAFB-TV television anchor Donna Britt, whose fight against breast cancer included a lumpectomy to cut out the cancer and 33 shots of radiation, helped to emcee the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure in Baton Rouge. Another bonus? Photo shot on 3/17/2003. BATON ROUGE, La. "He was a remarkable guy in that he had no ego and that's really rare in the news business," Spain said. Mahaffey started his career in Baton Rouge television at WAFB-TV. A large storm system took aim at the Northeast on Friday, threatening heavy snow and coastal flooding after heavy winds and possible tornadoes damaged homes and buildings, left thousands without power and caused five deaths in a wide swath of the South and Midwest. A married mother of two, she was a member of First United Methodist Church in Baton . 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. The extra pandemic food stamps have officially stopped. WAFB 9News is Louisiana's News Channel, servicing breaking news, weather and traffic coverage for Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Assumption, Livingston, East Feliciana, West Feliciana . In total, the station's news department produces 25 hours of news programming each week. Remembering Donna Britt: Look through pictures of her time at WAFB, volunteer work and more. From left, Dot Thibodeaux, Cynthia Whitaker, master of ceremonies Donna Britt and Constance Walker attend the 21st annual Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference. She commended the group on their publication of two issues of a race and ethnic studies journal titled 'America the Beautiful In Spite of It All.' Donna loved to travel and she and her family saw much of the world together. "They just looked for somebody who looked all right . She did different themes highlighting different kinds of books. Donna Britt, third from left, has always been a supporter of community events, like the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. "He not only had the camera-ready looks including a million-dollar smile, but he was a born story-teller. Because of concerns about COVID-19, the family plans to wait to hold a memorial service for Donna at a later date, he said. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Bill Black later became involved with the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools Board and other civic organizations until his death on January 10, 2018. 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. 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. When her father retired from the church ministry, the family continued to preach by rescuing failing churches. Regis and Kelly (now Live with Kelly and Ryan) continues to air on WBRZ. Its a multimillion-dollar project that has been met with more delays than promises. That means dinner at home every night with her husband and daughter. Donna passed away on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. "At one point in time, there was a meteorologist who made a low salary and his car broke. 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 . The East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Office made three arrests after a months-long drug investigation on Wednesday, March 1. 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. Donna retired from the station and anchored her last newscast nearly one year after publicly announcing her diagnosis. Carys biggest bookstore turns the page. In addition, the new owners cancelled the station's beloved 33-year-old half-hour local weekday program Storyland, then the longest-running children's program, hosted by Buckskin Bill Black, and rechristened it as Buckskin and Friends, an hour-long show that aired on Saturday mornings until it was cancelled in September 1990. 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. Bond set at $1.5 million for Walter Allbritton III, man accused of driving into Target in Hammond, La last Friday. Thats nothing controversial in the least. Get access to our searchable data center of TOP LISTS. When they told her they could make that happen, she asked her husband: Do I really want to go back?. There you go. His last day on the air will be Friday, Sept. 2. Like house plant? "But he was a solid journalist, he loved the news business, and he loved to beat the competition. I know she was banned from going after BRPD's Chief Murphy Paul. WAFB's Donna Britt, a breast cancer survivor, has been a fervent supporter of the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Broome does not like Kiran Chawla of WAFB Just Baton Rouge 1.53K subscribers Subscribe 31 Share 12K views 5 years ago Mayor Sharon Broome of Baton Rouge tells WAFB they. This launched such a voracious battle to win the party, that the schools reading comprehension scores on standardized tests went up 4.7% the very first year and continually improved. Powell, who said she is still in the middle of unpacking at her new home, will co-anchor the 4 and 5 p.m. newscasts at the station starting Aug. 9. Donna adapted the same promise and always signed her name with lower-case letters, what she called a sign of continued commitment to serve God in the most enthusiastic and excellent way possible. Over the years, Donna supported numerous charities including those tied to research for ALS, Sickle Cell disease, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Does anyone know why she was let go? Then shelter shared desperate plea. Multiple people have been arrested following an investigation into prostitution happened at Baton Rouge area massage parlors. 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. It was also in 1988 that the owners petitioned CBS to air the network's daytime programs in a different orderairing syndicated programming at 10 a.m., The Price Is Right at 11 a.m., and The Young and the Restless at 3 p.m. (later 4 p.m.) as a way to boost ratings as a lead-in to the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts. Jeanne Burns is a veteran broadcaster with 25 years of experience in news. Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer for more than 25 years. Donna Britt speaks to the crowd after receiving the Golden Deeds Award Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, at the Baton Rouge Marriott. Those are some big shoes to fill. The show had a way of educating young children while making it fun to learn. Known for her bubbly personality and community involvement, WAFB news anchor Donna Britt shows off her red wig in 2016's Red Wig Walk, which raises awareness for HIV prevention, treatment and supportive services. BATON ROUGE, La. Distinguished Citizen -- With Boy Scouts of America Istrouma Area Council 's inaugural Distinguished Citizen honoree Donna Britt, seated, are, from left, Scout Executive Gary Mertz, John Turner, Jerry Fischer, Louie Ballard, Mark Ballard, Franklin Foil, Paula Davis and Jay Grymes. 99% of people agree with all that. A longtime Louisiana news anchor has died following a battle with Lou Gehrigs disease, her former employer said Thursday. Pennington Biomedical Research Center is hosting a wellness day for women on March 4th from 7:00am through 1:00pm. I have ALS, Lou Gherigs disease. She reigned as Queen of Spanish Town in 1990.Another big passion for Donna was her service to the Boy Scouts. Winfield, Mary Irma Cormier-Thomas, Linda Johnson and John Dilworth. And, it's a proud legacy. Guests were served a variety of appetizers, entrees and dessert prepared by DeAngelo's of Denham Springs and served by Livingston Parish Celebrity Waiters, Sen. Dale Erdey, Assessor Jeff Taylor, Sheriff Willie Graves, Walker Mayor Bobby Font, Denham Springs Council members Annie Fugler and John Wascom, Walker Police Chief Hunter Grimes, Denham Springs Police Chief Scott Jones, Greystone Managing Director Ron Menville and architect Jay Labarre.