This I know: My friend Myron, floods and the death penalty – Sioux Falls Live

Myron Wachendorf was a great guy.

We all knew him as Myron Lee – who died over the weekend at the age of 82 – the first man from Sioux Falls to become famous in rock’n’roll in the 1950s.

The stories of Myron’s rise to fame are well known by now, including a few years as the backing band for Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars in the early 1960s before the British Invasion threw everything into disarray.

I knew Myron Lee and the Caddies as a kid as arguably the biggest attraction you could book in Sioux Falls. However, in the 1970s and 80s, the idea of ​​old school rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t as appealing to a young guy like me.

But I still saw the band from time to time, including at some big parties in the basement ballroom of the old Elk’s Club on Russell Street, where I worked as a dishwasher and busboy.

For a high school student, hanging out until the wee hours of the morning was a great education, and the pay was pretty good.

But it wasn’t until much later that I got to know Myron through his daily lunch visits to the downtown YMCA.

We played a little racquetball, chatted between laps in the pool, and told stories in the locker room.

Myron had great stories to tell about various musicians, and not just contemporary bandleaders like Fargo native Bobby Vee, who had a major influence on the guitar-playing boy from Sioux Falls.

When we sat in the locker room at the Y, he would tell me about how he played with or met everyone.

“Tell me, that’s a nice story…” and then he tells how he ended up on the Dick Clark tour, missed out on a big record deal or bought the rights to a song for $20 that is still played on jukeboxes in the Netherlands.

It seems that Myron Lee and the caddies are somehow still a topic of conversation in Sweden.

He was in Dallas on November 22, 1963, and heard the shots that killed President John F. Kennedy.

Need tickets to a Minnesota Vikings game? Talk to Myron.

There are some great videos on YouTube where Myron narrates old home videos he shot on the road. They’re great.

The photo above is my favorite. It has been used many times and I believe it is in the South Dakota Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in the Washington Pavilion.

It was taken in 1961 in front of 10,000 people in Montreal by a local photographer who promised Myron would send him a print for $10.

“He told me to stand on the balcony behind the stage and to signal me when to take the photo by turning towards me. It turned out perfect,” Myron wrote of the photo.

However, it wasn’t the music that made him a great guy.

It was his demeanor. Myron could tell you a story about a concert or a song without it sounding like he was bragging. In a way, it was, but it didn’t seem like it.

Finally, he said, “How about this?” because he knew you would think it was pretty cool, too.

He gave me story tips about things he had heard because, like I said, he knew everyone.

“Hey Pat, I was talking to a guy I know…”

Normally this worked.

I don’t like writing stories about people who have died. I prefer to write about them when they are still alive.

I missed my chance with Myron.

Bye, friend. Thanks for the stories.

Screenshot / Sioux Falls Police via Facebook

I’ve spent a lot of time in my life listening to people talk about sewer and water infrastructure. It’s an important part of any city’s governance, so it comes up often.

Normally it is not that interesting.

Until there is a major flood like the one we experienced at the weekend.

Still, I was a little curious when Mark Cotter, the city’s public works director, asked people not to use their dishwashers, take showers, or do laundry during the flood season.

The reason for this was that the flooding overwhelmed the sewage treatment plant at one point and untreated wastewater was pumped into the Big Sioux River.

I must be confused, I thought. Why would rain runoff from streets and lawns in the Big Sioux cause a problem in treating the water coming out of my house, including the toilet?

So I called Cotter to find out.

It turns out that during floods like ours, rainwater (drainage system) can enter the sewer system (sewerage system) in several ways.

“When there is a lot of rain, there are a number of unfortunate sources of inflow,” he said.

That includes when manhole covers become underwater or when a sump pump fails and the water runs into your utility room drain, where your home’s sewer line connects to the main line under the street. The older the pipes, the more vulnerable they are, which is why it’s so important to continue replacing and upgrading them, Cotter said.

Water can enter the system anywhere, increasing the amount of wastewater that must be cleaned before it can be pumped back into the river.

This happened over the weekend.

Cotter said the city notifies the state when there is a problem and monitors water quality both above and below the treatment plant. In this case, the problem didn’t last very long, and with so much water flowing through the river, the contaminants were diluted even further.

However, as always, stay away from flood water.

Patrick Lalley / Sioux Falls Live

A triple murder doesn’t happen very often, especially in this area.

We had two within a few weeks.

It’s still early in these cases, one each in Turner County and Lincoln County, but there’s a possibility that there could be three potential death penalty cases pending in the area at the same time.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has already stated that the state will seek the death penalty against Joseph Hoek of Sioux Falls, who is accused of killing Moody County Sheriff’s Deputy Ken Prorok during a chase on February 2.

Jackley’s office is also in charge of prosecuting former Turner County Sheriff’s Deputy Jay Ostrem, who is accused of killing three people in Centerville on May 27. Jackley’s office said no decision has been made on whether to seek the death penalty if Ostrem is found guilty of first-degree murder.

Then there’s Justin Rackley, 30, of Sioux Falls, who is accused of shooting five people, three of whom died, during a post-bar bonfire near 58th Street and Drexel Drive on June 8. The crime scene is in Lincoln County, about a block south of the Minnehaha County border.

This case remains under the jurisdiction of the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office.

All three defendants have pleaded not guilty, but in all three cases the circumstances are such that the death penalty would be imposed on them.

Jackley has told me in the past that the process of assembling and drafting a death penalty indictment is complex. There aren’t many people in the Attorney General’s office right now who have that experience, other than Jackley.

It will be interesting to see whether Lincoln County chooses to keep the case under its jurisdiction or refer it to the Attorney General. If so, the state could prosecute all three cases simultaneously.

There is currently only one inmate on death row in South Dakota. That is Briley Piper, one of three men convicted of the brutal murder of Chester Allan Poage in 2000.

Since the death penalty was reinstated in South Dakota, five men have been executed. The first was Elijah Page – also convicted of Poage’s murder – on July 11, 2007.

Contributed / Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc.

Next week may be the best week of the year in the best small town in America.

Let’s face it: Almost everyone who can takes time off around July 4. Let’s take a moment to thank the people who continue to work in the public safety and service sectors to keep the job safe and enjoyable for all of us.

I’m one of those people who, unless something major happens, has the next week off, so we’re looking forward to what happens on the actual holiday.

There’s a lot going on Thursday, including a fun run, parade and picnic at the Levitt starting at 8. Then in the evening, Kory and the Fireflies take the stage for what will likely be a very well-received show.

The annual free fireworks display at the WH Lyon Fairgrounds begins at 7 p.m. with entertainment

There will be stalls and food. The fireworks are scheduled to begin at 10 p.m.

However, you should be there at 8:30 p.m. when up-and-coming local band The Brass Holes takes the stage.

(Full disclosure: I am the tuba player)

The Brass Holes are known for their unique and amazing mix of brass band and rock ‘n’ roll music.

See you out there.