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:
Hey Guys,
The fair is over, but no Ferris wheel or merry-go-round? What’s up with that? It’s like a circus without a clown or a zoo without an elephant! I’m not much of a fair goer myself, but I do enjoy the lights of the Ferris wheel, especially at night, and the kiddos always enjoy a merry-go-round. In this crazy world we live in, please keep the simple things alive. Please bring them back next year. Thank you.
– Marsha Phelps
Merrill, Wis.
To the Editor:
To the voters of Lincoln County: On Aug. 15, 2023, I attended the Lincoln County Board meeting. The primary topic of discussion was whether the fate of Pine Crest should be decided by the voters through a binding referendum, or whether the Board should go ahead and sell Pine Crest no matter what their constituents might want. Pine Crest has been a vital resource for Lincoln County residents for some 70 years. Through that time, Pine Crest has been a safe, well-staffed facility where we knew that our elders, or we ourselves eventually, would receive good care. Our tax dollars have built Pine Crest and supported it for generations.
Now, the County Board has decided by a vote of 13-9 to have no referendum. A referendum might have decided to increase property taxes to keep Pine Crest County-owned, or it might have decided to sell Pine Crest anyway. The point is the voters should have had the chance to decide. However, the Board decided that the voters should not have a choice in what happens to this vital resource.
These are the Board memebers who said the voters don’t get to decide: Steve Osness, Laurie Thiel, Don Friske, Jesse Boyd, Randy Detert, Julie DePasse, Calvin Callahan, Marty Lemke, Dana Miller, James Meunier, Ken Wickham, Angela Cummings, and Eugene Simon. Remember these names. These are the people who got rid of Pine Crest without asking your opinion, because what you think doesn’t matter to them.
– Jean Perkins
Merrill, Wis.
To the Editor:
What is more precious than gold? Clean, cold, safe water is. Trout Unlimited and its local chapters are charged with conserving, protecting, and restoring our cold-water resources.
Because of this, the Wisconsin River Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited representing Lincoln, Marathon, Price, and Taylor counties, together with the Wisconsin State Council of Trout Unlimited, stand in opposition to open-pit metallic sulfide mining. We strongly oppose the proposed mining by Green Light Wisconsin, LLC of the Bend deposit located in the Chequamegon National Forest in Taylor County and Reef deposit located in Marathon County.
Green Light Metals, a Canadian company, received a license on Feb. 17, 2022, to create Green Light Wisconsin LLC.
We oppose open-pit metallic sulfide mining because the process is inherently hazardous to the environment and especially to our clean water resources. https://www.friends-bwca.org/wp-content/uploads/Prove_It_First_Bill_Report_Emerman.docx.pdf
We oppose open-pit metallic sulfide mining in our area because the promised “local economic boom” created by mining has often proven to be a myth. After closure of metallic sulfide mines, local communities often bear the cost of environmental cleanup, lowered property values, and potential groundwater contamination.
We oppose open-pit metallic sulfide mining in our area because gold is the primary mineral being sought and is not tied to critical or “green economy” minerals.
While we understand the necessity for proven, safe, responsible mining, open-pit metallic sulfide gold mining is simply too great a risk to take.
– John Meachen, Board of Directors President
Wisconsin River Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited
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.