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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 174
BY REPRESENTATIVE BADON
A RESOLUTION1
To commend Dennis Woltering, long-time WWL-TV Channel 4 newscast anchor and2
reporter in New Orleans, upon his retirement after more than thirty years as one of3
the city's most respected television news journalists.4
WHEREAS, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Woltering studied journalism,5
political science, and constitutional law at Oregon State University before earning his6
master's degree in journalism and communications at American University in Washington,7
D.C.; and8
WHEREAS, Mr. Woltering's first job at a small station in Fargo, North Dakota, as9
a weekend anchor and reporter gave him the opportunity to learn everything about preparing10
television newscasts, both behind and in front of the camera; and11
WHEREAS, the leap to major market broadcast journalism occurred for12
Mr. Woltering in 1977 when WWL-TV in New Orleans hired him as a reporter and weekend13
anchor, a job that honed his journalistic skills as he covered stories on politics, government,14
and corruption in Louisiana and Central America, environmental issues, and the state's foster15
care system; and16
WHEREAS, among the more famous news stories Mr. Woltering brought to New17
Orleanians during his career at Channel 4 were the New Orleans police strike of 1979, which18
caused the cancellation of Mardi Gras parades that year; the crash of Pan Am Flight 759 in19
1982, which he reported live from the south Kenner neighborhood leveled by the disaster;20
and real-time, continuous coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, for which he and the21
WWL-TV news team earned the prestigious George Foster Peabody, duPont-Columbia, and22
Edward R. Murrow awards; and23 ENROLLEDHR NO. 174
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WHEREAS, while Mr. Woltering was able to expand his journalistic horizons by1
accepting a job in the larger Philadelphia TV news market in 1984, he and his family missed2
the sights and sounds of the south, and ten years later, he was called by WWL-TV to return3
to New Orleans; Mr. Woltering answered that call, resuming his reputation for detailed news4
investigations by covering stories on contractor fraud, restaurant inspections, school bus5
drivers, a chemical leak in Bogalusa, EMS response time, and the Pope's visit to Cuba; and6
WHEREAS, the gift Mr. Woltering displayed for both hard-edged reporting and7
compassionate storytelling will be sorely missed with his departure from the anchor desk at8
WWL-TV upon his retirement on May 30, 2014, and his pursuit of integrity in newscasts9
leaves a standard of excellence for any who would sit in the news anchor chair after him.10
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the11
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Dennis Woltering for more than thirty years12
of outstanding news reporting in the city of New Orleans for WWL-TV and does hereby13
extend to him best wishes for a long and happy life of retirement.14
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted15
to Mr. Dennis Woltering.16
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES