We welcome letters to the Editor, a chance for members of the community to comment on issues of concern to them. All letters must be original, not duplications of letters addressed to public officials or written by others. The views and opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication, its publishers, Editor, or staff.
To the Editor:
Flowerbeds for the city of Merrill
Precipitation has not been kind to Park City Gardens, a/k/a flowerbeds, this year. Our organization pays weekly and weekends to keep them watered and are doing the best we can. Like many of us, we need rain. The Hanging Flower Basket Project, a separate group, is also struggling with this condition and paying for watering.
Park City Gardens’ upkeep requires many volunteers mulching, planting, weeding, and necessary, extra hauling of water and having to pay for it all. We do it because not only do we enjoy the activity but enjoy the beauty it brings to Merrill. These projects are done by a dedicated group of women and men who believes it helps to make our city attractive and welcoming to our visitors. We recognize homeowners’ labor with a “garden of the month” award that is featured in the Foto News each month.
We appreciate all the donations sent to us, placing money in the canisters located in businesses around town, and personal bequests. Anyone interested in volunteering is always encouraged to join, and we could use a couple people on the board of directors. People tell us how much they look forward to our summer creations in the dirt. If you need to speak to anyone from our board, feel free to contact Nancy Arndorfer, 536.3869 and leave a message. Thanks again to our citizens and friends who support our efforts.
– Nancy Arndorfter
Merrill, Wis.
To the Editor:
How lucky I feel to live in Lincoln County! On the evening of June 29th, I called my husband for dinner, who was sitting in a chair. He did not get up, so I went over by him and found him unable to speak, right side of face drooping, right arm and leg unable to move. Instant panic set in, thoughts went through my mind–do I drive him to emergency myself or do I call 911, since we live so FAR out of town. We are on N. Cty. Rd. G, eight miles from town. I did choose 911 with hopes that “they” would get here quickly. I knew we did not have much time. Dispatch was AWESOME, I said please HURRY, she said they were on their way! In about five minutes, two separate Sheriff Deputies arrived who assessed the situation. And within minutes I had THREE First Responders from the Town of Russell in my home and they immediately went to work. Then the ambulance arrived. We had HELP in our home in less than 10 MINUTES. THANK YOU to EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU involved in helping my husband. He had a mini stroke, thank GOD it was not a “full” stroke, and is doing ok. To EVERYONE, know the signs of a heart attack and signs of a stroke. Call quickly, because we have some GREAT people out there from the LINCOLN COUNTY SHERIFF’s DEPARTMENT, “VOLUNTEER” FIRST RESPONDERS, and MERRILL FIRE DEPARTMENT to help you!
– Gail Closser
Merrill, Wis.
Letters To The Editor Policy:
*Letters must be 250 words or less. (There will be no exceptions to this. Any letter longer than 250 words will not be printed.)
*The writer must include their full name, complete address, and a phone number where he/she can be easily reached for verification. Phone numbers and street addresses will not be published, but will be used for verification purposes, if necessary. Letters must be signed and the name, city, and state will be printed.
*Letters may be edited for style, grammar, and length. Form letters or those we determine to be libelous or slanderous will not be accepted. Any letter deemed derogatory, inflammatory, or involving vulgar language will not be published. We reserve all rights to reject material submitted to this publication.
*Letters will be published on a “first come, first served” basis. Any letters which we are unable to publish in the printed newspaper may be run online at www.merrillfotonews.com and/or may be printed in the paper at a later date.
*In fairness to all, and due to space constraints, there is a limit of two letters per year from an individual writer. Additional letters may be submitted to our Paid Letters to the Editor column and will require payment in full prior to publication at the same rate as Political Letters to the Editor (see policy below).
Political Letters To The Editor Policy:
All letters submitted as an endorsement for a political candidate, referendum, or political agenda will carry the same guidelines as above; however, they will be charged $40.00 per letter of up to 250 words in length. Longer political letters will be accepted but will be charged $10.00 per additional 100 words. All political letters must be prepaid prior to printing. Letters to the Editor will not be accepted from candidates running for election or representatives of an organization endorsing their own referendum, as these are clearly advertisements and not opinion letters; those submissions will be referred to our Advertising Department to be run as paid ads.