A tribute to one man's 49 years in the news; God Bless Sioux Falls firefighters: Your letters
Your letters to the editor for June 11, 2023:
Tribute to Jerry Oster
On June 1, 2023, Jerry Oster will retire from our Big Friend Wnax radio as News Director. For 49 years, Jerry has gotten up at 4 a.m. to get to the studio to get his work done. Despite this and many other challenging issues as news director, he and his wife Cheryl [who also has retired this spring] have always made time for their family.Jerry’s integrity, when it came to reporting the news of the state, region and nation is above reproach. We did not see him ad-libing his personal views or any certain political or special interest groups “spin” on the story. He reported the facts and if by chance he made an error he was quick to correct it. His wit dry humor and straight guy approach when bantering with the other announcers at WNAX served him and his listeners well.I remember well calling Jerry in the morning about a possible news story. I would wait until after 6 a.m. to call. His dry humor came through when he asked why I was calling so late in the morning. Sure enough, I called the next time about six months later at 4:30 a.m. and he answered! Dedication to doing a good job with just the facts is the norm for Jerry Oster, in a profession that is getting more and more sensationalized and polarized. Clearly some other “so called news folks” put their twist in a news item. That clearly is not news.Jerry was also a teacher in some respects. He made it very clear one should always write “News Release on their news worthy items instead of “Press Release!” The news is not just disbursed in our beloved newspapers but also on radio and television.Thank you Jerry for your 49 years of professionalism and respect in the news industry. Enjoy your retirement. You certainly have earned it.− Frank Kloucek, Scotland
God bless Sioux Falls Fire Rescue
I wish to thank the fire dept., first responders and anyone else that was here for me and my family on May 10. God bless each one of you that helped me and my family on that deadful day. marian rieffer and family.
− Marian Rieffer, Sioux Falls
Opinions are necessary in a democratic newspaper
I was very glad to see that the Argus Leader still provides a forum for the average Joe's opinions in a "letter to editor" fashion. I was informed by my local paper staff (Nate) that the Argus Leader had stopped "letters" because of the controversy it generated and that my local paper would follow suit and phase out "letters" (which they have pretty much done) to keep things from getting out of hand. Though I have no absolute evidence, I am thinking that my local paper may be getting bullied by those who only want a one sided view on the editorial page. Anyways, I can say for sure that "I was misled by false information that I received from my local paper staff."
Our two party system of government works quite well in maintaining an essential balance, one that keeps a popular "strong man" in check while covering all of the constituency, not all at once mind you, but sooner or later. When one party gains too much power, the country (in this case our state) as a whole suffers the consequences of our public servants becoming our oppressors. This has been happening in our state for a couple generations now where the party in power, not being answerable to all of it's constituents because of a lack of a strong second party (like Colorado and Montana have), does not police itself. Our leaders do not honor our democracy as they stifle our wishes by overruling our "public initiatives" on technicalities or by declarations of so called moral (religious) tenets. The vote simply matters little when there is one party rule. We are killing our best chance to keep self government on the table by the apathy of the voters which ,by the way, conservatives love the fact that the poorer struggling masses don't want the hassle of a vote that holds no power anyway. It still appears that the best answer to this dilemma is "mandatory voting" that, at the very least, gives us all a voice in government even if we just hand over our vote to the popular person who bought it.
− Dave Freytag, Rapid City
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The CO2 pipeline is about generational freedom on the range
I object to C02 pipelines. Objections will grow as people see how these threats could deny their rights and open doors for other greedy, private investors to take their property.Currently property owners are saying “NO” to having an area of their land permanently taken, devalued, damaged, controlled, accessed, and later sold at a profit by private investors. Taxes and maintenance of the area remain the responsibility of the original landowner. Liability has not even been addressed.These pipeline investors are seeking areas that are close to communities, homes, and water sources. This is an even greater problem as the pipelines carry hazardous material that is under extreme pressure and is pumped over great distances. This process has never been tested and shorter pipelines have questionable track records for their effectiveness. When they leak or burst, they have caused destruction, health issues, and death. These pipelines do not benefit the public. Government money would be used to build them and demands for things such as water, electricity, and emergency response would be ongoing costs to local communities.Ethanol and corn are words connected with the pipelines. Ethanol plants are private businesses. They produce C02 twice--once when processing the corn and then again when ethanol is burned in use. Producers need to look at new innovations in production for lowering C02, and seek uses for their product. This should be done on site. Now C02 can even be altered so it can be safely transported and sold. Pipelines are not necessary.Farmers grow vegetation that absorbs C02 and are working to absorb even more. Farmers also need to look to the future. They need to protect the irreplaceable land. Should they grow different crops, change farming practices?Eminent domain does not apply to private for-profit projects. It would only open the door for private connected investors who are looking for easy, not for sale, land grabs. Any attempts to arbitrate the emphatic “NO” are ridiculous.The Range Wars were settled by honoring property rights. Barbed wire, and railroads helped make this possible. There is no Constitutional basis for these projects to continue. We just celebrated Memorial Day. Our ancestors fought, and some died, for our rights and freedoms. Should people with power be allowed to dictate and do what they want? We need to continue to protect those rights, or else our loved ones died in vain.Is ethanol a viable product or is it temporary? It is up to the plant owners to deal with answers on site. Will farmers continue to produce large amounts of corn? They, too, must adjust for the future and, hopefully, pass their freedoms and legacy on to future generations.− Rose Mather, Yankton
More: New T. Denny Sanford affidavits tie child pornography image to California home
Argus Leader should let the child porn investigation into Sanford go
Another article in the Wednesday, May, 31, 2023 Argus Leader relating to an investigation into cell phones and properties affiliated with T.Denny Sanford and their possible involvement in some type of child pornography. Exhaustive investigations were undertaken by the South Dakota DCI. Subsequent investigations were conducted in LaJolla, CA, Nebraska, Colorado and Arizona. Not one has resulted in charges being filed or an indictment, that is anywhere but in the home town newspaper that is shipped to DesMoines to be printed.Let it go, Argus. There obviously is no reason to continue to pick this scab. There was no crime committed.One can think of T.Denny Sanford as they choose. I, personally, do not care for the method the man chose to make his money. He has, however, shared a large portion of it with human kind to make the world a better place.
−Randy Amundson, Sioux Falls
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How to submit a letter to the editor:
Letters need to be roughly 300 to 500 words, and will need to include first and last name, address, city and title. Addresses won’t be publicized, of course, but it’s a way for us to make sure those who submit a letter are who they say they are.
Letters will run on Sundays in print and online as we receive them. There may be moments, however, when we don't have any as we work to solicit interest and actively rebuild this part of our coverage for readers.
You can submit those to News Director Shelly Conlon by emailing sconlon@argusleader.com or submit them through our online form here, which also is sent directly to the news director.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: A tribute to one man's 49 years in the news; God Bless Sioux Falls firefighters: Your letters
