Hi, this is for Coach Walters at Glenbard East High School. I think Coach Walters should be ashamed of himself for not playing all his seniors on senior night. Isn’t that what senior night is all about? Those seniors have worked hard for the last four years and deserve to play, too.

The coach has stated that he does not respond to SPEAK OUT.—JAC

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Lombard will be happy to see the improvement once the train underpass is completed. The commuters cannot access the partial platform from the station house. Commuters have to walk down a hill which will soon be very slippery and dangerous. Has the village or Metra considered a warming station or vacant store closer to the tracks? How will the commuters climb narrow construction stairs covered in ice? The village needs to address these issues and soon.

Your concerns were forwarded to the Village of Lombard, which is acting as the local point of contact and communication for the project on behalf of Union Pacific and Metra and provided the following information:
The pedestrian underpass project is a joint effort of the Union Pacific Railroad and Metra as owners and operators of the railroad and commuter service respectively. As such, they are responsible for construction and any temporary accommodations required for commuters. However, the Village of Lombard has served as the local source of communication and information on the project. Regular project updates can be found on the village’s Web site at http:// villageoflombard.org/metraproject. Residents and commuters can also sign-up for project update e-mails at http://villageoflombard.org/metraemail.
With regard to the request for a warming shelter during the winter season, the Village of Lombard did contact Metra and Union Pacific to see if there were any plans to provide one. According to Metra and Union Pacific, there are no plans to provide temporary shelter due to the fact that the underpass and platform are scheduled to be available by the end of January as opposed to sometime next spring. In addition, Metra noted that the station is open during construction and that regular train updates through the voice of Metra provide sufficient time for commuters to exit the station and walk to the platform if necessary. Metra will continue to monitor the situation to determine if a temporary shelter is necessary. It should be noted that any temporary solution will need to be placed in a location that will not impact construction activity.
With regard to the stairwells on the south side of the platform, the Union Pacific Railroad has instructed the contractor to develop a temporary lighting plan for that area. Due to the fact that the stairwell is located within the Union Pacific right of way/property, they are the responsible party for the review and determination of whether the lighting meets the required standards. A plan will be developed ASAP to address the current condition.—blm

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Peter Breen, where do we begin to thank you for your excellent example and service given to and for all of us? Lombardians thank you. We are so pleased and we appreciate knowing that we will have an honorable, honest man serving us in Springfield. Yes, we all do say that. You, Peter Breen, left the village in a better shape than when you found it. Thank you, thanks. Hopefully your replacement will continue to serve us in a manner you set forth. May God bless you and all your worthy endeavors.  Thank you, and may many of God’s blessings be yours and your family’s. May Springfield welcome an honest, honorable, service-driven gentleman.

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Hi, this is Lombard. I hope this makes it in the paper for next Wednesday. This is a Lombard resident. I was shopping and someone stole my cell phone. I was in a panic. A beautiful young lady, whom I thank dearly, helped me out, recovered it. The same thing happened to her on Sunday, me on Monday and another lady I met, it happened to her. Wherever you’re shopping, be aware there are these people who are taking people’s cell phones, and this poor girl’s information, with her banking and everything, was downloaded and when she got her phone back, all her information was gone. So, please put this in the paper. Thank you.

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Lombard calling. Not sure how an elementary school can get a first-page and second-page spot in the Lombardian for a playground, when another school in the same district got a national Blue Ribbon Award and got Page 8. That’s pretty sad, because that was a huge deal. Thank you.

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I received a recorded message from Commonwealth Edison telling me they would be out within the next week to put in a Smart Meter, sometime Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. This message alternated between Spanish and English. I called them and they informed me I had no choice; they couldn’t have you any earlier, your electricity would be out temporarily, which means I have to reset all my clocks. I work from home. This is going to be disruptive. Whatever happened to America where we make decisions ourselves, for ourselves? This seems to be just another example of Big Brother monitoring us and spying on us.

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Lombard calling. I’m going to give you my Reader’s Digest 2-cents-worth on several things. Global warming, I’m with John Coleman, one of the greatest meteorologists of all time. The founder of the Weather Channel and I quote, “It’s a scam.” Terrace View Pond. Whoever’s in charge of that, you turned it into a cesspool. The field across from Terrace View Pond. Whoever decided to do prairie restoration, it’s weeds that collect garbage.

If you haven’t seen Terrace View Pond recently, there are signs of change. The Village of Lombard, in a September press release, noted that the village is working with consultants to enhance the pond’s appearance. The press release states that this fall, the plan was to skim the pond and apply an herbicidal treatment. Additionally, the plan involves removing invasive species along the shoreline. Upcoming plans, according to the press release, include introducing reproductively sterile fish that feed on aquatic vegetation. The village also noted that periodic controlled burns will help eradicate undesirable vegetation. For complete details, visit

http://villageoflombard.org/DocumentCenter/View/13890.—JAC

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Hello, America. Thank you to all who have served. Today, Veterans Day, Jonathan Gruber, the architect of Obamacare, in the video that was released today–took place in October of 2013—and basically what he has said is that the law was written in such a way so that nobody knew what was in it, that there was a lack of transparency. And, the Obama administration was counting on the stupidity of the American voter to be for Obamacare. Gee, isn’t that wonderful?

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This is a shout out of gratitude to the out-of-state Good Samaritan visiting a relative in Lombard who found and turned in my wallet at the police station. I thank you for taking the time out of your weekend and for returning everything to me intact. You reinforce my faith in people doing the right thing.

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What a beautiful sight on Veterans Day to see Willowbrook and York high schools with American flags all along the driveways. God bless our veterans and America.

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I’m reading about the medical marijuana dispensary proposed in Lombard, opening up on 22nd Street. Why wouldn’t you put it in downtown Lombard? You have the trains there to bring the customers in, you have the restaurants to feed them, you have a sweet shop get them sweets and you have a bar where they can have a beer. Or, you have the coffee shops. I mean, it would be a win-win situation for Lombard if you put the medical marijuana dispensary in the actual downtown. There’s a lot of vacant property and I’m sure that would be such a boon to this village, with all the traffic coming in from the trains. Thank you very much. They can go to Lilacia Park in the summertime and just stare at the flowers.

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Hi, Villa Park, also Lombard. People, wake up, be smart. Don’t let them put pot dispensaries in your town. Villa Park, wake up. We don’t need a pot dispensary. They think it’s for the people who are sick, it’s not going to be that way. We will be like Colorado, where they’ll be growing pot all over the neighborhood. So if you need to have pot, go to the hospital. Let them set up a pot dispensary there. Let the people go there where it’s controlled by the medical field. Thank you. This is Villa Park talking, and also for Lombard.

The difference between Illinois and Colorado is that recreational marijuana use is legal in Colorado, where adult residents can legally grow up to six plants per person, according to the Colorado.gov Web site. Growing marijuana in the “neighborhood” here in Illinois is illegal. According to an “FAQ Sheet” from the Village of Lombard, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act provides for 22 state “cultivation” centers to grow the marijuana and Lombard is not among them. Additionally, some 23 applicants are vying for three potential dispensary sites—the maximum number allowed in DuPage County. For more information, contact Assistant Director of Community Development Jennifer Ganser at 630-620-5717 or e-mail ganserj@villageoflombard.org.—JAC