I read in the local paper how Lombard was going to be doing a crackdown on the hands-free cell phone law for drivers. I just drove through Lombard from Roosevelt Road almost to North Avenue and I must have passed 15 people on the phone right on Main Street, driving along in the left lane, 15 mph, cars piled up behind them. I don’t see anybody getting pulled over.

Just wanted to share some information with you that I acquired while doing the story on the new speed limit signs the Lombard Police Department has started using. I, too, have noticed numerous drivers with cell phones to their ears. Most of us realize that distracted driving is unsafe, but we also realize that police officers cannot be everywhere. That being said, I can tell you that while discussing the speed limit signs, Lombard Police Sgt. Joe Grage, who supervises the department’s Traffic Safety Unit, related that the department has issued an average of 56 cell phone citations per month during the first seven months of 2014. However, from Aug. 1-27, during a cell phone enforcement period, Lombard officers issued 137 cell phone citations. You can find this information, as well as the information on the department’s speed limit signs, on Page 6 of this week’s paper.—blm

* * *

There are two kinds of fish in Terrace View Pond in Lombard: the fish that are dead and the fish that wish they were.

* * *

I’m sitting down enjoying my Lombardian, reading SPEAK OUT, and I came across the SPEAK OUT call about the person who’s glad that Terrace View Pond is gone because their basement flooded several times over seven years. Well, I’m glad you think your house is so much more important than a beautiful recreational area that Terrace View Pond once was. And, may I say, if it has flooded that many times, why haven’t you gotten a grant from the village and put in overhead basement sewers? They work. I know plenty of people who got them, so quit being so cheap. Put in overhead sewers and let the pond return. Thank you.

* * *

Hi, Lombard calling. Friday, ComEd turned off my electricity so the new meter could be installed. Monday, for the first time, I tried to turn on my computer and it wouldn’t work. Three days later and it still doesn’t work. My friend had her new meter installed on Wednesday and her TV isn’t working properly. Both devices were working very well before ComEd shut off the electricity. Are these two isolated incidents or are more residents having electronic problems after ComEd shut off their electricity? Thank you. Bye.

* * *

This is Lombard calling. Terrace View Pond, as far as the public works director saying there are still fish in it, why do I have a feeling this person never had a fishing pole in his hands? I’ve lived in Lombard since 1978 and I used to be able to go to Terrace View Pond and catch 25 large-mouth bass in a couple of hours. Beautiful fish. Then, somebody decided to drain a lot of water out of that pond. Here’s a lesson. Fish need so many feet of water to maintain oxygen. That oxygen in the water is depleted as the water level goes down. Not to mention that it has become a cesspool. News flash. If there are any fish left in there, you can’t get at them. I am to the point where I cannot wait to leave this town. What a shame.

* * *

This is in response to President Bush taking 879 days of vacation. You probably should get your facts straight. I will agree with you that no president actually takes vacation and I couldn’t care less how many vacations President Obama—or President Bush or any other president—has taken because you’re right. They’re never really on vacation. If you remember correctly, when President Bush was in office, he spent a month of August in Crawford, also referred to as the Western White House, so he really wasn’t on vacation, he just spent 879 days away from the White House. Now, again, does that really matter? No, because when you’re president, you’re president 24 hours a day.

* * *

Lombard, Villa Park, when are you going to start arresting people who make illegal turns? It clearly says in the rules of the road that you make a turn into the nearest lane to where you’re turning from, then if you need to be in the other lane, you move down and safely change lanes. I’m constantly seeing people make a right turn and go all the way to the inside lane and then drive there. They have intention of passing, they have no intention of turning. They just like driving in the left lane. Same thing with a left turn where they should be going to the inside lane and they wind up going to the outside lane. You’re supposed to turn into your nearest lane. Thank you.

* * *

Lombard calling. I just had a very disturbing experience with the District 44 school board. About 25 concerned third-grade parents from Hammerschmidt School attended the Aug. 12 school board meeting to get some information and ask some questions about a serious issue at the school. After allowing some time for questions, we were then given some incomplete answers by the superintendent. We tried to have a rebuttal but they had a very full agenda. So much for working as partners in education for District 44.

* * *

This is Villa Park calling. I just read the Aug. 13 issue of SPEAK OUT about the Villa Park Police Department and cars being parked in the lot. I’d like to say one thing. I’ve been off for the past two weeks working on the front of my house, and I have yet to see a village squad car drive down my street, and I’ve been out there eight or 10 hours every day. I would like the Village of Villa Park village president, Deborah Bullwinkel, to do a study with every resident of Villa Park to see how the police department’s doing because we’ve got gang members on the street. We need something. Next time they want money, fire them. Bye.

* * *

Last week a Faux viewer said they “believe” the deficit is $7 billion bigger than when Bush left, just amazingly how the right will lie about everything. The fact is Obama had decreased the yearly deficit by more than half of what was inherited to him. Just sick of the lies from the right to attack everything this president tries to accomplish.

* * *

Last week part of Louisiana's water supply was found to contain the deadly brain-eating amoeba. Republicans hate those darn pesky government regulations. Vote Democratic if you want our food, water and air safe.

* * *

I’d like to thank Villa Park Public Works for getting out there recently and taking down a lot of the dead and dying trees in the village. You guys did a nice job. You stay on top of things. Villa Park, also thanks for patching the streets this summer. Hopefully the referendum goes through and we can get the rest of them done. It’s looking a lot better. Also, Villa Park Post Office, thanks for delivering the mail every day this brutal winter, unlike Lombard, who just couldn’t get the job done; several days without mail. Sorry, you guys who live in Lombard. Thanks, Villa Park.

* * *

Hi, this is Lombard calling in response to the person who lives near Terrace View Pond and whose house used to flood all the time. It’s kind of like the people who buy a house on a golf course and complain about golf balls breaking their windows or the people who live near the airport and buy a house there and complain about the airplane noise. It looks absolutely awful. It’s terrible. At one point it was a very scenic, beautiful area and now it looks like the Everglades. In fact, the only thing that it’s missing are some alligators. So why not rename it from Terrace View Pond to the Lombard Everglades and we’ll throw some alligators out there? And yes, thank you for blessing me. God has blessed me with intelligence enough to know that when I buy a house, to ask if it floods. Have a wonderful day and God bless you.