Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • Page 9

Argus Leader Hi jTV- 1 1 OPINION COLUMNS COMMUNITY OBITUARIES WEATHER FRIDAY, DEC. 29, 2006 ARGUSLEADER.COM SECTION VU Lund joins KELO pantheon Personable newsman brought spark to everyday stories ToeL Floyd used Don't mess with bunny Asa retired and loyal employee of 42 years and a contributor of some magnitude to the tradition and dignity of South Dakota State University, I feel a right to respond to the hare-raising inci KELO-TV personality Doug Lund is retiring after today's newscast. to say he was "one helluva salesman." fats? it? in his time at the helmofKELO-TV, sions on the SDSU bunny mascot to LLOYD B. CUNNINGHAM ARGUS LEADER meet Division I DAVID KRANZ of Recognizable Faces. It is the station's Mount Rush-more of sorts, with four faces etched in the station's history: the late sportscaster Jim Burt; Dave Dedrick, the weatherman and superman of the station who could mysteriously change into his blue and yellow Captain 1 1 attire; and Steve Hemmingsen, their most memorable news anchor.

Add to that the originals such as Leo Har-tjg, Bart Kull and Murray Stewart When Lund wrote his thoughts about the experience, he described it this way: ther of South Dakota television, "As a kid, I dreamed of being on television. The KELOLAND personalities were my heroes. My dream came true, and I've had the chance to work with many of my childhood idols. It's hard to believe I've been here for over a quarter-century, but I still love this business and never get tired of having people come up and say they've been watching me since they were kids." Lund is known mostly for his features that helped give the station its personality. See KRANZ, Page 5B standards.

I am wondering when they will I start tinkering I with the Bum- accumulated a wealth of memorable on-air personalities who made the station a popular viewer's choice. Today, after 32 years, Doug Lund will leave the building and join the others in that informal KELO Hall I mobile and Weary Willie. Milo A. Potas Brookings FARM SHOWCASES SCULPTURES To contribute to the daily Reader Rant, e-mail rantargusleader.com or call 331-2326 for more information. Rants must be 50 words or less.

More Letters, Page 2B ARGUSLEADER.COM FT f- f. V', (-Hi IJ i vl i 1 1 Roy Bobbi's Cafe is at 101 S. Main Ave. The address was incorrect in Thursday's Argus Leader. PHOTOS BY NESTOR RAMOS ARGUS LEADER Over the past decade, Lyle Telkamp of rural Brookings has continued to add to his collection of metalwork, which includes a homemade sculpture park near his house.

Telkamp doesn't advertise his park; people either find it by accident or come because someone told them about it. 81-year-old finally has time to work metal into art 7 Global justice 2006 has been a baaad year for dictators, torturers and all-around nasty guys. Charles Taylor of Liberia is in the Hague awaiting trial. Chile's Augusto Pinochet and Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic died awaiting trial. Saddam Hussein will hang, most likely this weekend, after a long and bloody rule.

Few are sorry to see such war criminals brought to a just end. But some columnists argue that despite this banner year for human rights, it is getting more complicated to bring perpetrators of genocide before a jury. See Page 4B BY NESTOR RAMOS nramosargusleader.com BROOKINGS -The dragons that stand guard near Lyle Telkamp's farm have two heads. An alligator sits on the bank of the river that runs through his property, a pair of tiny feet protruding from his metal jaws. Telkamp, 81, has spent thousands of hours in his shop crafting these creatures and many others, cutting and bending and hammering.

He's not the type to advertise himself, so if you don't have a reason to get off Interstate 29 at the exit before Brookings, you might not know about the sculpture park he built ROVING REPORTER and maintains all by himself. Those who have stumbled upon it either accidentally or brought here by those who've seen it before -sometimes sign the guestbook in the kangaroo's pouch (an old mailbox). One of the messages is in Chinese. Telkamp came to sculpture late, once the daily grind of running the farm his grandfather and father owned had been passed to his son. Now he works on his creations as if he's making up for lost time.

See SCULPTOR, Page 5B Telkamp's metalwork started with his wrench collection and ended up with large-scale sculptures such as this two-headed dragon. -i. ARGUS LEADER EDITORIAL Change counties' jail system? Maybe QUESTION: Should the city take people to court for having too many pets? To vote yes or no, go online to argusleader.com. Vote by 7 p.m., and see results in Saturday's newspaper. THURSDAY'S RESULTS Should the Wal-Mart in Mitchell have stayed open during a recent bomb threat? YES: 17.6 percent NO: 82.4 percent TOTAL VOTES: 2,493 For the latest local news, log on argusleader.com THE FACTS A USD student is looking at jail costs.

The focus is on whether more cooperation -or even a system of regional jails -could save money. We already have that cooperation in South Dakota, but that brings problems, too. The broader question might be that of all county responsibilities social services and law enforcement, especially -and how to pay for them. Counties have been crying for years that their obligations keep growing, but their ability to raise revenue hasn't significantly increased. In fact, options were limited a few years ago, when voters dumped the inheritance tax.

Those are issues that can be resolved only by legislators who have avoided the problems or voters, through initiative. Even so, Webb's study has value. It can tell us what counties are doing and perhaps guide the way toward new options. At worst, it can't hurt. cooperation in South Dakota.

Of our 66 counties, fewer than 40 have full-service jails. The others farm out their prisoners to larger counties, paying a per-day fee. That sounds good. The down side, though, is that sheriffs deputies in those counties without jails spend an outrageous amount of time transporting prisoners. That means we're paying those deputies to drive but not patrol.

Good? Or bad? It is what it is, and right now there's no solution. A system of regional jails -as we have the Unified Judicial System for courts might seem attractive, especially if state-funded, but we'd still have the problem of time and costs for travel. Trudi Webb has taken on a worthwhile task. With surveys sent to sheriffs in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska, the University of South Dakota student is trying to figure out whether there's a more cost-effective way for counties to house prisoners. Maybe more cooperation would help.

Maybe we could use a formal system of regional jails. Any such study is worth doing, because jail costs are rising just one factor in a growing financial crunch for our counties. But with solutions come problems, and those need to be figured into any such study. For instance, we already have great.