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.

To the Editor:
We changed Fill the Gazebo to June this year and are finally able to close that. We took in $8,169.61 and collected 1,312.24 pounds of food, which filled 52 boxes. We divided everything four ways: Merrill Community Food Pantry, Trinity’s Open Hearts Food Pantry, New Testament’s His Hands Extended Food Pantry, and the Food For Kids Program. I would like to acknowledge the contributors: Sierra Pacific, Culvers, Lions, Eagles Auxiliary, Romatoski Builders, St. Stephens UCC, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, New Testament Church, Ascension Church, United Methodist Church, Bible Presbyterian Church, and 35 individuals that dropped off food and monetary donations.
Our thanks to the many that helped make this event a success. We plan to keep our new date as the second Saturday of June in hope to help the food pantries stock up for the summer.

- Fill the Gazebo Committee
Cheryl Buck, Chairperson
Merrill, Wis.

To the Editor:
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 an armistice was called, thereby ending World War I. Armistice Day is now called Veterans Day, a day we as a nation have put aside to say thank you to those who served, both past and present. It is the right thing to do. We should never forget the sacrifices they have made. Every day should be Veterans Day, and every day we should say thank you and be grateful for their service. This should include our law enforcement officers, firefighters, first responders, and all those who put their lives on the line for their communities and country.
Our nation seems divided, but we’re not. We just have different opinions. That’s really our strength. The diversity of opinions brings about working solutions. A few years ago, I wrote The Flag Speaks. I wrote it after doing research on the service history of my husband’s grandfather. He served in the Army in WWI as a Lieutenant and as Commander for the 52nd Seabees in WWII. I would like to share with our veterans who have saluted and carried our flag into battle, The Flag Speaks, and it is dedicated to all of them. [See it in this issue.]

From my heart, thank you for your service.
- Kittie Crossen
Gleason, 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.
• 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 50 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.