Rick Portier

2 months ago | wdam.com | Gabriella Mercurio |Rick Portier

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Don Allison got the call to be a Deacon in 2017 and through his journey, he’s learned more than he thought he would about the value of forgiveness and redemption. “I’m in the process of becoming a different person. It’s all intertwined, I know it is,” explained Don. It started back in April of 1996. Don was working late one night and headed to his car just before midnight.

Jul 30, 2024 | wafb.com | Rick Portier

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - While you may be glued to your set and your phone tracking the medal count in Paris, you probably missed a recent double-gold medalist right here in Baton Rouge. Amy Maggio could not have done what she did without a special gift from a total stranger. On a sunny day when the heat index reached well over 100, Amy Maggio took to the BREC tennis courts for practice. "I was always athletic" She said as she aced one. For Amy, tennis is a new sport. Running was more her game.

Jun 8, 2024 | wafb.com | Rick Portier

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Brad and Stacey Casso know that putting together an art show can be a lot like building a puzzle. "You have to visualize what you want to see in the end," Brad said from the top of a ladder. The couple is measuring, hammering, and hanging a lifetime of artwork inside The Gallery at the Manship. And when that lifetime spans nearly seven decades of watercolors, every decision matters. Brad's dad, Larry Casso saw Louisiana through the eyes of a lover.

Apr 13, 2024 | wafb.com | Rick Portier

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - When Garth Brooks sang about the rodeo, he probably didn't have a group of kids in the Capitol Region in mind, but the Greenwell Springs Youth Riders are galloping their way into rodeos across the Gulf Coast. The group has called BREC's Shady Park in Central home since the 1950s. In the midst of the snorts, whistles, and pounding hooves, you'll find nine-year-old Kathryn Raye, the youngest of this year's riders, straddled across her black mare Annie.

Mar 23, 2024 | wafb.com | Rick Portier

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The year was 2008. Elcanah Senevour of Geaux Crossfit had just graduated McKinley High when he failed his first CrossFit workout. Sixteen years later, he's training some of the fittest athletes in the world. "I was just laying around doing nothing," said Senouvor in a gym filled with professional fitness athletes. "It was $100 for two months of fitness. So, I signed up. Did a class.