Diane Deaton - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Weathercaster
9 News This Morning at 5am 9 News at Noon Monday - Friday

Birthplace: St. Joseph, Missouri

Arrived in Baton Rouge: I moved to Baton Rouge in 1983.

Education: Missouri Western State College/Elementary Education; emphasis in Early Childhood and Remedial Reading Certification.

Awards/Accomplishments: Honored by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters with the prestigious "Lifetime Achievement Award"; CAAWS (Capital Area Animal Welfare Society) Holly Reynolds Humanitarian of the Year Award; Ulli Goodman Volunteer of Year Award presented by the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater; certified as a DELTA Society Pet Partner, nationally recognized in the field of animal assisted activities and animal assisted therapy.

Family Info: Mom and Dad, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in Missouri; brother and sister-in-law and twin nieces in Oklahoma.

Community Involvement: Serves on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity; the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater; Friends of the LSU Costume and Textile Museum; a charter member of the newly formed Pearls and Tiger Paws, the Volunteer League for Veterinary Medicine at LSU.  Also enjoys a close affiliation with the Baton Rouge Battered Women's Program as well as the Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus.  An ongoing volunteer with VIPS (Volunteers in Public Schools) serving as a "reading friend" to first and second graders at Buchanan Elementary School.  Visits Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital as the "handler" of a Champion Golden Retriever volunteering with Pet Therapy for children and adults.

Hobbies: Shopping (of course), visiting flea markets (especially those in Iowa and Minnesota), needlework and would like to learn to play the violin.

Big Stories: Weather stories impact our viewers and community everyday; however, when weather becomes "news" we're here 24/7.  Hurricane Gustav was one of those events folks reference by "I remember where I was that day"!  Personally, I was assigned (and pretty much "imbedded") at the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness; reporting and observing, first hand, the best of EBR Parish critical disaster response.  While doing continual updates from MOHSEP throughout the initial impact/and aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, we were the first station in the city to report breaking news of a never before implemented "curfew" for East Baton Rouge Parish!

Favorite Quote: "Shoot for the moon--even if you miss, you'll still land among the stars!"

Email: ddeaton@wafb.com