The Carroll Standard accepts timely, original letters to the editor on topics of local interest. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday for the following week's edition.

The letter must be signed, and it must include a daytime phone number for verification.

Obvious form letters will not be printed.

We ask that you limit the length of your letter to approximately 500 words and avoid personal attacks against private citizens. Comments and rebuttals to writers in other publications are accepted. Pundits, columnists and the politically connected writing in other publications are fair game.

Columnists, paid by other publications, will be barred from using this forum to spew rhetoric. If local pundits wish to respond to constructive criticism, the Carroll Standard forum welcomes an intelligent defense.

As a general rule, we ask that letter writers limit their appearance in the Letters section to about once every two or three weeks.

The Carroll Standard reserves the right to limit letters campaigning for or against political candidates during an election season (typically the two weeks prior to an election).

All letters may be edited, albeit we have a pretty liberal editing policy. The publication of letters does not place the Carroll Standard into any agreement with particular writers views or claims, letter content is the sole responsibility of the writer.

Anonymous letters will not appear, if you will not sign off on your thoughts, it is not worth reading let alone print. The feedback form is a quick way to vent, off the record, or anonymously. Some feedback comments may be included in our reader comments-section unless specifically requested not to be shared. Letters may be sent e-mail to the Carroll Standard for publication, include a name, town and contact number in your message.