This is Lombard calling. I called and got a 1 minute, 45 seconds of beeps. It’s really annoying. Are you trying to discourage people from calling in or what?

See answer below.

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I have a question for Bonnie MacKay. How come the SPEAK OUT line is turned off occasionally—fairly often as a matter of fact.

You both have a point. SPEAK OUT is currently “under construction.” Since its inception on March 11, 1987, SPEAK OUT has worn out a number of answering machines. When the last of the “dinosaur” machines roared to a halt a few months back, we had to try something new because the old cassette machines are no longer available. Please bear with us as we try to cope with the equipment that meets both SPEAK OUT’s needs and yours P.S. If anyone has an old regular cassette-size tape answering machine that works, and that they would like to donate to the cause, please call SPEAK OUT. With the recorder we are now using, you may encounter a long series of beeps before the final tone tolls. But please keep those calls coming. SPEAK OUT is and always has been your line to express your opinions, concerns and suggestions. Remember back in 1987 when callers were concerned about downtown Lombard, coaching at Glenbard East and Christmas decorations still up in March? Decades later, those topics still seem to be on the minds of SPEAK OUT callers.—blm

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This is Lombard calling. Reading the SPEAK OUT from Aug. 11; this is to the person complaining about the Taste of Lombard and about living by Madison Meadow and complaining about the noise, the traffic, the people, and everything else about the Taste of Lombard and the fireworks. You chose to buy a house by Madison Meadow.

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Hi, this is for the woman who bought the Fisher Price Little Superstar sing-along stage on South Lewis on Aug. 6 or 7. You accidentally left the microphone that goes with the toy. You are welcome to stop by to pick it up.

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Villa Park here. It never ceases to amaze me what people leave in their cars when I read about the car burglaries in the Police Blotter—passports, Social Security cards, purses, all kinds of things. Most of these break-ins are actually crimes of opportunity—they don’t even break the window, they just open the door. A lot of people say, if they lock the door, they’ll break the window, so I’ll have it deducted on my insurance.

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This is Lombard calling. I want to make a complaint about Lilacia Park. I was walking through it a few days ago at 5:30 a.m. and there was a homeless person there and he was relieving himself. I had to walk all the way around because I didn’t want to go near him; and then today, I walked in there and they had, like a tent set up, all their stuff there. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for them to be hanging out there when there are a bunch of children there at other times. I was at a store last night and they were there. We need to find a place for these people to go so they’re not camping out overnight and scaring people when they walk to the train in the morning. I just wanted to call and make a complaint.

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This is Lombard calling.  I live in northern Lombard and was wondering if there’s anything that can be done about the excessive power outages we have on this side of town. We lost power twice in a week, non-storm related, and 90 percent of the time when there is a storm it seems we’re out, but most of the other sections of Lombard are not. I’m aware that ComEd wants to raise our rates and I was just wondering if there’s anything Lombard can do or if they’ve ever looked into any complaints about the excessive power outages in the northern section of Lombard. This has been occurring for years.

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Hi, I’m a Lombard resident for over 30 years and everyone’s talking about the mosquitoes this year and I have yet to see a fogger in Lombard. I used to see them all the time when I was a kid, but I haven’t seen one yet. I know our property taxes went up and our property taxes pay for foggers, and I haven’t seen one. So, like tomorrow, where are the foggers?

See answer below.

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This is Lombard calling. I’d like to know why the village hasn’t come down the streets spraying for mosquitoes. We have a terrible, terrible mosquito thing going on here in Lombard, and I just don’t understand why they’re not spraying at all, at least to protect some of us from West Nile.

Last month the village issued a press release saying that the combination of rain followed by hot weather had greatly elevated the population of mosquitoes in the area. The Village of Lombard contracts with Clarke Mosquito for abatement services.The program is typical of most communities in that it focuses on larvae in standing water and catch basins on both public and private properties. The village’s mosquito abatement program is primarily aimed at Culex mosquitoes, which only breed in standing water and can carry West Nile virus. Such mosquitoes are the primary health risk to people and animals, thus the village’s program to control them. Residents should also eliminate standing water areas on their property, cover or chlorinate pools, and change bird bath water twice per week. The more numerous and pesky Aedes vexans mosquitoes may breed in damp vegetation but they do not carry West Nile virus. This mosquito is not easily abated so the past practice of spraying, which had been expensive and minimally effective, is no longer used by most communities, including Lombard. Clarke maintains a database of 140 private catch basins in Lombard in addition to the street catch basins and their technicians regularly place larvicide briquettes. Residents may contact Clarke’s Hotline at 800-942-2555 to ensure that their catch basin is on the list or to obtain additional information regarding mosquito abatement and precautions. Questions specific to the village’s contract with Clarke should be directed to the department of public works at 630-620-5740.—blm

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Didn’t Bill Mueller say the village was broke and in need of money? Why is it then the police department was able to buy new vehicles for the CSOs? They didn’t buy cheap vehicles; they bought expensive vehicles. Wouldn’t that money have better served the people whose homes flooded?

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Republican Peter Roskam and the Republican Party were in agreement with the unemployment checks that were needed to be extended. They proposed ways that it could be paid for instead of adding to the impossible debt this president and the Democrats have foisted upon us. They also have make-sense ways to save Social Security but they are shut out of Pelosi’s closed-door meetings. Only Democrats allowed. Keep fighting and God bless, Republican Peter Roskam. You know we want constitutional government, not socialism.

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I’m calling about the Stanley Cup being brought to the restaurant in Lombard—Holy Cow. It’s nice that the Stanley Cup was brought to a local restaurant. Where the Stanley Cup should have been brought is to the Hines VA Hospital for our veterans. If it wasn’t for our veterans and the sacrifices that they have made, there wouldn’t be any hockey in this country. So, when we’re excited about the Stanley Cup being brought to Lombard, we need to think about those who have sacrificed so much to give us our freedom. The Stanley Cup should have been brought to Hines.