Letters to the Editor

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.

Notice: To ensure ample space for local news, sports, and information, the Merrill Foto News will not be accepting letters/opinion pieces regarding this year’s presidential election.

To the Editor:

Early August seemed a popular time to hold a class reunion, as several were taking place across Merrill. In each instance, a lot of people said “we should,” while only a few said “let’s do it” and picked up the mantle and made it happen. That is so often the case. The MHS Class of ‘74 celebrated its 50 year anniversary. Those many classmates who had a tremendous time re-connecting and remembering great times from so long ago are grateful to those who did step up. Vicki, Jane, Denise, Noelle, Joel, Tom, Paul, (and anyone else I may have missed) - we are looking at you! From your fellow classmates - THANK YOU. And I WILL see you in five years.
– Jeff Krueger, MHS Class of 1974
Bartlett, Ill.

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 Phone numbers and street addresses will not be published, but will be used for verification purposes, if necessary.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.
• We retain complete discretion to determine whether a letter is printed. The First Amendment right to free speech protects speech from government control; it does not give people the right to have their views published in a privately-owned newspaper, or anywhere else for that matter.
• We will not accept letters that make controversial or unsubstantiated claims. This is because we are liable for any false claims we publish, regardless of the source of the claim. 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 Any letter deemed derogatory, inflammatory, or involving vulgar language will not be published.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:

• Letters to the editor on political issues, with or without a candidate endorsement, including those 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 plus $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.