Hi, Lombard calling, the land of the overtaxed. I just want to mention it’s a shame that the same people who didn’t have their flags out on the Fourth of July or Memorial Day to honor our soldiers and our country, they still don’t have them out. Isn’t that a shame? I bet people of other religions even have them out. Other than that, we’re getting out of the conflict in Afghanistan next year. That’s great. Our enemies are happy to hear that. That’s a great move from our leader. Nothing like emboldening the enemy, and also when he said America is not as exceptional as Germany, France, etc. That really must make the anti-American people really feel happy. Good job, guys. Go liberals.

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To the women who attended my neighborhood garage sale on Friday, July 16, and bought a food chopper, I have the blades that you need. Please come pick them up on Fairview in Lombard.

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Hi, Lombard calling. I was at the fireworks on the Fourth of July and they were wonderful; probably as good or better than what Chicago is doing these days. But, I have a question—why were the tapes that were supposed to accompany the fireworks barely audible? When the bands played on the main stage, you could hear that music from several blocks away. Why not use that sound system so that everyone can hear the taped music? Or, as an alternative, why not have the bands play live? These are cover bands anyway; I’m sure you could find a band that would be willing to play live and say, We want you to cover a certain number of songs during the fireworks. This would make the experience for everybody the way it was intended to be.

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This is Lombard calling for the people who are suffering due to the unions being on strike. I just want to say one thing. Hire non-union; the job will get done. It is totally ridiculous in the heart of summer that the construction unions have gone on strike. There are a lot of unemployed people who want to work. Hire non-union. Period.

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This is Lombard calling. Well, folks, it gets crazier and crazier with this Manchurian candidate. A couple of days ago the head of NASA gave a speech in which he said the main mission of NASA is no longer to send men to space; it is to reach out to the Muslim community and make them feel good about themselves and their contributions to science. My ears perked up. He was appointed by Obama. Several people called for him to be fired immediately and the White House came out and said, no, he is correct. That is now the new mission of NASA. Not to explore outer space, but to make Muslims feel good about themselves. Folks, I hope you are embarrassed if you voted for him.

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I read in a daily paper that District 88 reached an agreement with striking workers, so some of the construction projects could get done before school starts. However, I also read that in exchange, the district made a deal to use union laborers for its projects for the next 10 years. I thought boards were beholden to the taxpayers to hire the lowest responsible bidder when it comes to getting estimates for such projects, so how can the district make that kind of promise? How will that pass the smell test for future projects if non-union bidders are excluded? The article said District 88 modeled an agreement after Naperville; well, I don’t care what Naperville does. Why do we have to give in to those tactics? Let’s remember the obligation to the taxpayers to hire the lowest responsible bidder.

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This is Villa Park calling. I would like to say how nice it was not to get wet and sprayed on at the Fourth of July Parade. Last year it was an embarrassment to see Villa Park’s parade on the news and saying we were known for the spraying of water and people getting soaking wet during the parade.

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This is a question for the Lombard postmaster. When will the Saturday mail delivery be discontinued?

Sean Hargadon, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson, responded that it’s not up to the postmaster to discontinue Saturday mail service in Lombard. It will be up to Congress to make the determination, he continued, adding that the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) is holding hearings on the matter. The commission will offer its recommendations most likely this fall, and “Congress will be watching that recommendation” before making any decisions, Hargadon noted. He said that at this point, “We really don’t know which direction it’s going to go in.” You can follow the PRC events at www.prc.gov.—JAC

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This is Lombard calling. What a joke—in the Lombard police blotter. Really? Really, now Lombard police are charging people as intoxicated pedestrians? That might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. They’re not behind the wheel of a car or any moving vehicle. They’re walking down the street.

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Villa Park here. Well, another shelter window got busted real good tonight. Where are these cameras, these alleged cameras, these make-believe cameras? I think the village is full of baloney. They’ve got no cameras up there. People are getting mad about seeing these signs and they get their cars broken into. I remember one time when they were using the camera for the golf course. Why, because they’re rich people at the golf course? We’ve got vandalism down here. Nobody watches the camera. What good is it? It’s a big joke.

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The below noted comment recently appeared in the Speak Out column—“I’m calling from Lombard and wanted to say that I attended the Summerfest in Villa Park on the 19th and there was an announcement that everything was volunteer—the bands did not get paid, the police or anybody did not get paid. I was just thinking of the sharper contrast to Lombard who had one firefighter volunteer for the Lilac Parade.” It needs to be known that the police officers did not “volunteer” their time. Whatever announcement the author heard was less then truthful. I work for the village and know for a fact that they were compensated for their time.

Your inquiry drew the following response from Eric Dubrowski, interim village manager: “The bands who performed on stage and the individuals working the event were volunteers. Some salaried employees were also working at the event, but they did not receive any additional compensation. Several police officers volunteered to work for non-sellable compensatory time.” Chief of Police John Heidelmeier also provided additional information:

“The police officers who worked Summerfest volunteered to work for “non-sellable compensatory time. Mr. [Bob] Niemann approved this arrangement. Several things to note:
•The officers did not receive any monetary compensation though they would have been entitled to it per their contract.
•Non-sellable compensatory time is used for additional time off when manpower levels permit.
•There is a problem with officers working for nothing. If an officer is hurt while volunteering it is possible that he would not be covered under workmen's compensation.
•If injured while volunteering for nothing, the officer status would not be considered injured on duty (IOD). He/she would be required to utilize their personal sick time for every day of work beyond the event they missed due to injury. If injured while technically on duty, their status would be considered IOD and their time off would be covered and they would be eligible for workmen’s compensation. Therefore the volunteer officer is taking an incredible risk with his and his family's financial security if he works for “nothing.” 
•To ensure that the officers are not taking an unreasonable risk, they were asked to voluntarily work for non-sellable compensatory time so they would technically be on-duty. 
Bottom line: The police coverage of the event did not cost one cent.”—JAC

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Just a comment for the Jaycees for next year’s Lombard Idol. First, I’d like to say all contestants who participated were great in their own way. However, my suggestion would be to have professional judges determine who the winner is, not the crowd. I saw a family holding up a sign to the crowd to vote for their family member. I understand the reasoning behind that—they are proud of their child. However, that is not the best way to win a competition. Some families are larger than others; therefore, the clapping and screaming would also be larger. Judges should determine who has the best all-around vocal performance. The outcome may have been different. Kudos to all who made it to the finals. Like I said, they were all good in their own way.