Good news, Lombard. The hole on the intersection of Taylor and Grace has been filled. How many weeks? At least six or eight weeks.

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A question to Jesse White. All other state offices are open five days and the driver facility is open four-and-a-half days. Every time you go there it is jammed and the employees seem to have one speed—slow. You just have to wait for hours there. Let’s get a move on. Bye.

The Secretary of State’s office you refer to is located at 837 S. Westmore Ave., Lombard. The hours are Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to noon and closed on Sunday and Monday. The office will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 4, for the election; and Tuesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day.—JAC

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Heads up, Lombard. It appears a local gas station has been price gouging residents for weeks by not lowering prices when prices have dropped across the country. Once again, today, it is charging $3.65 when every other local station nearby is charging $3.11 to $3.16 per gallon. Thank you.

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Hi, I haven’t lived in Lombard for 12 years but I grew up here and I just wanted to check out the SPEAK OUT in the newspaper this week. I saw the person calling about the long grass for the neighbors and the noise, and they obviously don’t know about dialing 9-1-1 when there’s an emergency. I just wanted to comment I think that person is not thinking. I hope you print this because that is some powerful thought process. Thanks.

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For those of you who think global warming has to do with the immediate temperatures, and amount of polar ice shown by satellites, do you ever read actual information on the subject, or do you just rehash what you have been told on Fox News and by the Tea Party? Do us all a favor, learn to read, then read the facts on the subject; then, and only then, comment. Education, which you all seek to chop up, is the key to the future.

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With the election next week, I urge you to vote the caring side, vote Democratic if you care about education, women’s rights, environment, health care, social security, gay rights, equal pay for equal work, minimum wage, justice for all Americans, etc. etc. And vote Republican if you care about unnecessary wars and more tax breaks for the mega-rich. There’s a reason why most red states are dirt poor.

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In the recent debate, our senator, Dick Durbin, called the Tea Party and its members extreme and was very concerned that Jim Oberweis supported them. I’m a member of the Tea Party. The Tea Party simply stands for two things. Its name comes from Taxed Enough Already, and we simply want our government to follow the Constitution. Now, if you consider that extreme, Mr. Durbin, then you are a menace and a danger to our society. How about we look at your record, since 1982, when you went to Washington. Here is extreme. You are against the Second Amendment of the Constitution, you are against religious freedom, you tried stopping radio stations from playing Republican Action Committee ads. When you first went to Washington, D.C., our national debt was $1.4 trillion. Now it’s over $17 trillion. Sir, that is extreme.

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Boy, SPEAK OUT, your phone rings a lot of times. This is Lombard calling. I’m wondering how the lawn services get by with blowing grass and leaves and stuff out into the street, clogging up the sewers. Why don’t they get tickets? Why don’t they rake? Why don’t they use a grass catcher?

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Lombard calling. I’ve got an idea to solve this postal dilemma we seem to be having here in Lombard. I pay about $90 a year to have a post office box at the post office and have to go there every day to pick up my mail, and that seems like it’s much easier for the post office than it is for me. They never have to leave their building. What if people who wanted home delivery pay, say $90 a year, to have the mail delivered to their house, and people who didn’t would get a free post office box? Does that make sense to anybody? I know the initial cost of the infrastructure to put the post office boxes in would be a little bit expensive, but I don’t think it would be $90 a box. And after the first year, it’s all profit.

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Kudos to Villa Park for changing their electronic recycling policy. That was one big fat eyesore they had over there. They’re always complaining about homeowners keeping their property looking good, Villa Park really needed to begin paying some attention to their own properties. I’m really glad they changed that particular policy. Thank you.

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I just wanted to say I totally agree with the caller who said, enough with the Republicans or Democrats. Vote for the man or woman who will work for us. That’s what matters. And, they’re all over the board. A minimum wage is a starter salary so people can work, learn and study to get a better job and a higher salary. That’s what it is and that’s what has always been. Enough.

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Nov. 4, we have a chance to go to the polls and change the direction that America has been going for the last number of years. I plead to the environmentalists out there and those who are concerned about saving the planet, if we don’t save America on Nov. 4, saving the planet won’t matter. Thank you.

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Voters, news flash. The government is advertising for a company to make up to 9 million green cards and IDs, able to make them on short notice and all at once. Fox News, 8 a.m., Oct. 21. This government is acting like a dictatorship, usurping the system under our constitution. Get out and vote Republican or lose your country.

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Someone said last week they were not going to vote for Suzy Glowiak because she had too many signs out when in DuPage County Republican signs easily outnumber Democratic signs, so grab a tissue and have some cheese with your whine because she definitely has my vote; she knocked on my door and she is a very nice lady who sure has the best interests of the middle class. Try not to look at the signs and vote for the candidate who cares about their constituents.

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I find it very unfortunate how SPEAK OUT has to correct a couple times now the correct name of Bruce Rauner when callers were using Bruce Romney—the callers obviously are just joking because there is no difference in the two of them being vulture capitalists and experts at outsourcing American jobs and love their Cayman islands bank accounts to avoid paying taxes. At the last debate Bruce couldn’t even answer how many American jobs he ever created here. And why doesn’t SPEAK OUT ever correct when someone said Obama wasn’t born here and is from Kenya? I’m sure SPEAK OUT will not post this comment being they’re obviously partisan.

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Lombard calling. The person who got sick to their stomach when reading the Glenbard Web site and seeing a secretary’s salary might become violently ill if they saw the superintendent's salary, along with all the district personnel salaries. Glenbard teachers also are some of the highest-paid in the country. The public should be aware that 80 percent of the yearly educational budget goes for salaries. This leaves 20 percent for the children. This is true for almost all public schools Kids get 20 percent or less. Most public schools are too top-heavy and have way too many district employees, most of which are not needed. Schools ought to stay within their budgets like we all have to do.

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Rather than believe the media, I decided to do my homework. I found that 29 states are controlled by Republicans, 21 states and the District of Columbia are controlled by Democrats. I also found that the average unemployment rates in Republican states is half a percent less than in Democrat states. That may not seem like much, but if we reduce the national unemployment by half a percent, it would mean a million more people working. It would mean 30,000 more jobs here in Illinois and about 600 more jobs right here in DuPage County. I also went back 40 years and found that growth in gross domestic products is half a percent greater when Republicans control Washington than when Democrats control. Once again, it doesn’t seem like much, but it translates into billions of dollars of prosperity.

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Hello, Lombard, thank you for the Spooktacular. It was spooktacular. You did a really nice job. I’m wondering, I think I might have missed it. Was there a charity softball game going on, was that part of the event? I saw some police officers there in baseball uniforms. Thank you. See you next year.

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This is a question that goes out to the Village of Villa Park and also Lombard. Is there not an ordinance that says commercial landscapers and people who do their own at home, any reason why they’re allowed to blow all their leaves and grass into the street, leave it there, and then it rains and the sewers clog up and then we flood. I’m just curious if anyone can answer why they’re allowed to do that because just about every one of them does it in our town. Thank you.

Over the years, the Village of Lombard has issued a press release each fall outlining its upcoming leaf pick-up schedule. The release always included the fact that it is against village code to place leaves in a public alley, roadway, street, driveway or sidewalk. In addition, leaves may not be blown or raked out in to the streets as they can block the storm drains in the street, which can cause flooding when it rains.—blm

Additionally, Section 10 of the Village of Villa Park Municipal Code defines and outlines what can and cannot be done with landscape waste, and how it is to be disposed of properly.—JAC

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Last week another person states they don’t believe in global warming. The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it. 97 percent of climate scientists agree that the world is getting warmer. Between 1991 and 2012, 13,950 peer-reviewed climate articles were published, only 24 of them reject global warming. Sea levels are rising, we are experiencing more severe storms and more frequently. Last year Florida spent $5 billion on storm relief; the economic impact of ignoring this issue is real. The L.A. Times won't publish climate deniers, the BBC will not have them on the air, for the same good reason they don’t give time to flat earth believers or people who don’t believe in gravity.

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Vote with your head. Politics is a tough job. Would you want it? Politicians spend a lot of money. It's all your money. You evaluate the candidate. Forget party labels. If it is a new candidate, find out what they say and write. If it is an incumbent, forget what they say and find out what they do. Evaluate these people. Do your homework. Vote with your head. Thank you.