A big ‘thank you!’ to Farm Aid performers
I was surprised by the varying, and at times very negative, critiques (in the Sept. 21 Pioneer Press) of the performers who generously donated their time to perform at Farm Aid 40. My family and I were at this event and we had a very different vantage point.
We chose this concert because it was such a special event and a great cause. Not only did we get to hear amazing music from new artists, but also from living legends, like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson. The experience for our family was one of community, and bringing together people to support a greater cause, the family farm and the workers who provide food for our tables. I saw audience members (many Minnesotans and folks from outside the state), of all ages and backgrounds, singing, dancing, smiling and nodding their heads in unison to the tunes. While the artists brought different energy levels to the stage, this wasn’t a bad thing. Quite the contrary. It was the beauty of Farm Aid. Artists and the community coming together to celebrate and raise funds for an important cause.
Every artist should be given a great big Minnesota Nice “Thank You!” for donating their time and talents to Farm Aid 40! It was something special!
Nina Frost, North St. Paul
Don’t trivialize these terms
I work out regularly at the local YMCA and often see those individuals with “special needs” exercising. In 1933 Adolf Hitler passed a law authorizing the forced sterilization of hundreds of thousands of people deemed “hereditary ill.” In 1939 he initiated the Aktion T4 euthanasia program, a systematic campaign of mass murder targeting those German citizens he deemed disabled or mentally ill.
Today we live in a free and open society, one in which EVERYONE can participate. However, in today’s political climate, the terms “facism” and “naziism” are loosely bandied about. We should never forget the true — and horrific — meaning and origin of these terms so that they are not trivialized and never again become reality.
Richard M. Ryan, Woodbury
Oh, good
I want to give a shout out and a big thank you to the Ramsey and Hennepin County Attorneys. Every year I dread spending the hundreds of dollars to purchase vehicle tabs. Now, the proclamation that those laws will no longer be enforced, that is a big money saver for our family.
If they would also be so kind as to publish a list of all the other laws and ordinances that are not enforced, I would like to see what else I can circumvent that will make my life equal to everyone else.
Michael Miller, St. Paul
All that strategy
I’m sure that other readers, like me, were heartened to read, in the same issue announcing Ramsey County’s proposed property tax increase of 9.75% in 2026 and 7.5% in 2027, that the county has named Michael Soto as director of Policy and Administrative Strategy (“Soto to lead policy and strategy division,” Sept. 24). There we learned that “Soto will oversee county strategic planning and support strategic alignment in policy development and performance management.”
According to Maria Sarabia, Ramsey County chief of staff, “Michael brings a unique combination of strategic insight, technical expertise and collaborative leadership. His experience driving people-centered data strategies and building strong teams will enhance our ability to shape policies that reflect community needs.”
This appointment will help address an area that I’ve long found lacking — namely, strategy. Michael Soto sounds like just the guy we need for strategic planning and strategic alignment and strategic insight and data strategies. I think other county residents will agree that when it comes to spending our money, you can’t have too much strategy.
David Healy, St. Paul
A good and decent person
Growing up, watching television from our home in south central Minnesota always centered around the news of the day. I was so interested as I went to college in the mid-1960s that my double major was political science and speech/communications.
In my junior year, I landed a job as a dispatcher, listening to multiple police and fire radios while working out of a basement newsroom at WCCO-TV; I even met Walter Cronkite once.
For four years, I was a writer on my weekly college newspaper.
Upon graduation, I began to work for Republican political organizations within state government and the private sector and, by age 28, I was elected chair of the Republican party (the youngest in the country) with an outreach program to appeal to political independents.
Soon, I began submitting thought pieces to various editorial pages, mostly to dailies in Minnesota, and appearing on various radio and TV news programs.
Along the way, I struck up a friendship with a fellow my age who liked to ask questions about what was really going on in our mostly DFL state government. I was happy to oblige.
Stan Turner, who grew up in St. Louis Park and graduated in journalism from the University of Minnesota ,had begun his own career at the same time in various radio news assignments before beginning as a reporter/anchor at Hubbard Broadcasting KSTP-TV in St. Paul for over three decades. His work eventually included teaching at the University of St. Thomas, working at Minnrsota Public Radio and serving as president of the Minnesota Press Club. He was elected to the prestigious Pavlak Broadcasting Hall of Fame 16 years ago.
Particularly in the mid 1970-80s, Turner would contact me for face-to-face dialogue at early morning breakfasts, after news conferences or otherwise. Rarely on the phone, he liked to look a person in the face and ask the tough questions. He could also learn things “off the record” without compromising anyone.
The two of us met for early morning breakfasts for a number of years. For the last two decades or so we pretty much went our own ways.
When I learned that Stan had been battling cancer since 2022 and that he passed away at age 81 on Sept. 21, I paused and reflected on a good and decent person who lived his busy life with genuine decency and honor. Like so many others, I will miss him.
Chuck Slocum, retired owner of The Williston Group, a management consulting firm
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