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:
Rescind the proposal to sell Pine Crest Nursing Home in Merrill
To Listen, To Protect, and To Serve are the primary responsibilities of all elected officials. The majority of the Lincoln County Board has chosen to ignore those roles in order to serve a political agenda that 85% of constituents in a recent survey by our local newspaper have shown that do not wish to accept the sale. Another 1,000 names have been submitted in petitions to the County Board. Hundreds of people have attended meetings to almost unanimously oppose the sale of the Pine Crest Nursing Home.
An active group of dedicated citizens (People for Pine Crest) have continued to meet weekly for months planning phone contacts, emails, and personal dialogue with County representatives to no avail. We have repeatedly requested a referendum. They have refused. Our nursing home patients are our most fragile and defenseless citizens of Merrill. They need to be supported, nurtured, and protected from those who seek to use them, along with our handicapped adults who have lost their site (Lincoln Industries Center) as pawns in a cruel economic decision that has proven to be highly questionable.
Please contact your Supervisor and help us help our fellow citizens and stop the sale of Pine Crest Nursing Home.
– Gene Bebel
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.)
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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.