Editor,
On Wednesday, July 14, 2010, The Lincoln County Fair Board was notified by the Emergency Management Department that potentially severe weather was heading towards the Merrill area and the fairgrounds. After consulting with Rainbow Valley Rides, the Lincoln County Fair Board made a very difficult decision to close down the fair for the evening.
At 5:10 p.m., people were asked to vacate the buildings due to our concern for public safety. Unfortunately, earlier storms had knocked out our public address system and also caused one of the larger tents on the ground to fall. This required our fair board members to physically notify people on the grounds about the pending severe weather and that the fair would be closing.
Accommodations were made for entries to be brought in the next day; adjustments were made to the judging schedule, along with the rides specials being honored the next evening.
We regret any inconvenience this may have caused to our fair vendors, exhibitors, and our fairgoers, but public safety is our number one priority. We are appreciative of the flexibility and community spirit that was demonstrated by all.
See you at next year’s fair, July 20-24, 2011.
Editor,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank 13 young men for playing some of the best baseball that I have ever witnessed. The Merrill All Star team made it to the final 3 teams in the district 5 tournament held at George street park in Weston. We were knocked out of the Tournament on Thursday night after a tough loss of 5 to 4. Posting a 5 and 2 record. These young Men played their hearts out for 7 games. And They deserve a lot of praise for their accomplishment.
I would also like to thank the parents of these players, For getting them to practices and games. All Star play is a lot of extra work that players, parents and coaches have to do. So parents Thank you!
I would also like to personally thank the Merrill Baseball Association for all of their help and support through the tournament, Without you we would not be able to do what it is that we do.
I would also like to thank the Coaching staff of this year”s team, Assistant head coaches: Mike Hoff and Kevin Golisch and assistant coaches Fred Gruetzmacher and Dom Belfiori. I would not have been able to lead this team without them and their experience, knowledge and Support.
This was a great experience for me personally. I learned a lot from my players and coaching staff that makes me a better coach in all of the sports that I coach. I am very proud of this year’s team not only for playing extremely well but for being a great, coach able bunch of young men. I am confident that they all will succeed in their future endeavors.
Sincerely
Mark C. Spoehr
2010 Merrill
Little League All Star Manager
To the Editor:
The Lincoln County Board recently approved putting an advisory referendum on the ballot this November. The referendum will ask the state legislature to create a constitutional amendment to protect the state transportation fund from being used for other purposes than maintaining roads. If elected as state representative for this area, I will support the constitutional amendment.
Over the last seven years, Governor Doyle has taken approximately $1.3 billion($65 million in the latest budget) from the state transportation fund and used it for his priorities. Most of the money for the transportation fund is generated via fuel taxes we pay every time we fill-up. It was always understood by Wisconsinites that gasoline taxes should only be used for transportation purposes. Clearly, that assumption has been violated.
Transportation fund raids for other purposes have a domino affect because the fund is being backfilled by bonding. In other words, borrowing. As a result, the states long-term fiscal health is harmed because of increased debt service. The increased debt service is eating up more of the Department of Transportation’s budget, meaning fewer road repairs are being completed.
While raiding the transportation fund may be the poster child of budgetary shenanigans in Madison, it is only one instance of improper use of segregated funds. The Patients Compensation Fund(PCF) was stripped of $200 million a few years ago by Governor Doyle. The PCF is a fund administered by the state through contributions by doctors to compensate injured victims of medical malpractice. As a result of the raids on the PCF, doctors are seeing there liability insurance rates increase. Guess who will pay for that increase??ยข????????of course, it will be you and I the consumer of health care. Just as importantly, as liability rates increase, good doctors reconsider whether they should stay in Wisconsin.
The Lincoln County Board is correct, segregated fund raids are eroding the public’s confidence in the state budgeting process. While we may need to protect segregated funds with a constitutional amendment, more importantly, we need legislators in Madison who take fiscal accountability seriously.
Tom Tiffany
Candidate,
35th Assembly
District
Town of Little Rice
Dear Editor,
I read with heartfelt interest the article of June 30, 2010, on Lt, Colonel Ambrose Nugent. I commend his daughter, Nancy Nugent Meier, for sharing this harrowing account of his first days as a POW of the North Koreans in the early weeks of the Korean War.
Lt. Colonel Nugent’s son, Patrick, was a sixth grade classmate of mine at the old St. Francis Xavier school 1950-51, the first year of his captivity. It made the war very personal to know his father was a POW.
I also remember that Nancy wrote an essay letter to her father during that time period as her submission to the “Voice of Democracy” contest.
I remember hearing that her father spoke at the American Legion Hall on his return to Merrill.
I write of these childhood memories (and hope my facts are correct) to assure Nancy that those of us who grew up during the Korean War in Merrill will never forget the sacrifices her father and his family made for our country. Through the past 60 years I have never heard the name Nugent that I have not thought of her father.
There is a powerful memorial here in Washington, D.C., on the Mall for those who fought in the Korean War. The statue of Abraham Lincoln gazes down on it from the majestic Lincoln Memorial. How fitting for the sons of Lincoln County.
Rest assured, Nancy, your country will never forget.
Kathleen O’Connor Wood
Washington, D.C.
Dear Editor,
I greatly appreciate the time businesses take in saying thank you to customers and neighbors. I was greatly impressed as were our neighbors for the fireworks display set off by the X to C restaurant and golf course on the 3rd of July. The entire program looked like a Grand Finale. The fireworks show was truly spectacular and we also appreciated everyone singing the National Anthem before the program. Great job, X to C.
I also want to point out everyone’s friend, Dennis “The Cosmo Guy” has spent three weeks sanding, touching up and painting his sign in front of the Cosmo. It takes dedication and support of your community to work that hard in maintaining the sign that lights up our Main street every night. When you see Dennis, say thank you for his hard work and dedication to our community.
Respectfully,
Kelly Collins
Gleason
Letter to the Editor,
I don’t think the river walk is going to have people who work here but live outside the town flocking to Merrill. There are people who live in Merrill who drive to Wausau and elsewhere to work and there are people who own businesses in Merrill who live outside the town.
When we were getting ready to retire, we looked at several areas before settling on Merrill. We knew Merrill was going to be the choice but wanted to check out other areas too. Wausau definitely wasn’t on the list even though we checked out the area. We like the fact that everything is easy to get to by walking and driving.
I don’t believe soil contaminations are less, considering how long the business have had to contaminate the area. That little antique shop that used to be a dry cleaning shop was tore down and such a big deal was made about the area being contaminated. Now we have the DNR and other people wanting a river walk in that area and nothing was said about contamination in the area. If the DNR didn’t want the river walk, they would be addressing the contamination problem and stopping the project. People who were employed there said there is contamination. We heard that an area that was cleaned up 20 years ago is having problems again.
Some people think that putting in a river walk is not going to cost them anything. Nothing in life is free. If grant money doesn’t pay for everything that has to be done, the tax payers will have to pay the rest. The money should be used to bring business into Merrill not wasted on the river walk going nowhere and not even scenic.
Joan Haas
Merrill