Letters to the Editor

We welcome letters on local issues. National topics may be referenced only if they have direct local impact. Letters must include the writer’s name, address, phone, and email; only the name and town will be published. Anonymous or mailed letters will not be accepted or returned. Limit: 250 words. Libelous, discriminatory, inflammatory, or threatening content will not be published. Each writer may submit two free letters per year. Political endorsement letters cost $100, must be prepaid, and will not be published within one week of an election.

To the Editor:
Thank you for your coverage of the Merrill Optimists’ Law Expo at Prairie River Middle School on May 1, 2026.
Thanks to this, it is no longer the “best thing nobody knows about.”
One of the planks of the Optimist International platform is “Respect for Law.” With this in mind, this event, initially called the Law Fair, was invented in 2000, and has occurred triennually, biennually, and now annually, since then. It serves a number of purposes — civics (the schools are now integrating this into their eighth grade curriculum), career awareness, and simply familiarity with the people of all of these agencies who exist to help students. The event is intentionally for students only, though many Optimist members assist.

- Tom Burg, Optimist Life Member
Merrill, Wis.