This is Lombard calling and I certainly hope that you print this and print it accurately. I am very disappointed in the level of journalism skills used when printing the SPEAK OUT column. On the SPEAK OUT column printed on Jan. 21, I had called in a comment in response to a caller who was talking about teachers and their salaries and so on and I was disputing some facts of that. It was, I grant you, a long comment that I called in. However, if it was too long to be printed, you should have just not printed it. However, somebody took it upon themselves to completely editorialize, leaving out full sentences; not only that but changing existing sentences on what I called in, completely changing the thrust and the meaning of my call. I know you received the whole message because the last lines of it were included. When you do editorialize, there are appropriate notations you can make like a SIC mark, to note that you have editorialized on what a person has said. That was not done. This week on Jan. 28, you printed another comment that I called in. I had called it in regarding the Taste of Lombard, then I had specifically received some information from the village that seemed to contradict the information I previously had and called in again, specifically identified my remark as you do not print it because I do not want to be responsible for disseminating inaccurate information, and yet, you printed it anyway. This is very, very poor journalism. This is very poor trust with your readers and I will never call into your column again. I do not thank you.

Normally, SPEAK OUT calls are limited to one minute but in this case, three aspects of your call need clarification—for yourself and other callers. First of all, if you read the gray box below, calls are limited to one minute. While a number of calls—such as your original call—go over a minute, they are not automatically eliminated, because some callers do have comments worth printing. They just have to be condensed. Additionally, the dictionary defines editorializing as “to make comments or express opinions.” What we do is edit, which is defined as “to prepare (written material) for publication by correcting, condensing or otherwise modifying it.” That is also stated in the gray box. Lastly, your comment regarding the Taste of Lombard was already submitted to the village for an explanation, as apparently there were other people who were under the same impression, and the SPEAK OUT response was meant to clear up any misconception. If readers are concerned about calls being edited for length, it is suggested that they get their point across in a minute or less.—JAC

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I just wanted to share a lovely place I frequently visit in Lombard, in case you haven’t been. The coffee house on the corner of Main and Park is a great place to get a delicious coffee drink and treat. It is so nice to have a place like this in our town, where we could meet a friend, read, draw, rest or just enjoy the art-covered walls.

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Hi, Lombard, Villa Park. Please support our local police departments by posting a blue light in one of your outside fixtures. You can get them at Schroeder’s Ace Hardware and they cost about $6. So, please change your bulbs to the blue.

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In reading SPEAK OUT and the people who are blaming the village for canceling the Taste of Lombard, one, the Jaycees ran it and it was the lady involved who decided to withdraw from the Jaycees and become the Lombard Commonwealth. Two, it was the lady who, for the last two years, ran the Taste of Lombard, ran the Haunted House, and asked to give a financial accounting to the village. Three, would you want your village involved with a financial debacle? I applaud the village for saying, I’m sorry, you cannot have the Taste of Lombard this year because you cannot present financial records for the past two years.

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God bless our Villa Park neighbor, John Cioper, who is no “young chicken” but is always out snow-blowing his senior and physically disabled neighbors’ sidewalks and driveway skirts. The mailman, pedestrians, school children, etc. thoroughly appreciate all he does in making the sidewalks safe and clear of snow.

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I would like to respond to the few people who have been critical of the village for the cancellation of the Taste of Lombard. The Jaycees had been a part of Lombard for 32 years and had run the Taste for many years. This past year the leadership that took over the Jaycees decided they did not like the rules that the state Jaycees put in place and decided to dissolve the Lombard chapter.  The bi-laws of the state chapter clearly state that a chapter can dissolve but all funds and assets need to be put in a trust until a new chapter is formed to be able to support that community again.  Instead this new group put the funds in a private account. One quick phone call to the attorney general’s office shows that they are currently under investigation over this. Additionally, another quick phone call to the IRS shows that this group, formerly the Lombard Jaycees, apparently lost their tax exempt status three years ago for not filing their paperwork with the IRS. People are saying that it’s the same group of people running it, just a different name. But since these same people took over a few years ago, the Taste has gone downhill. So, the village decided to put on hold an event that was being run by a group that is under investigation, does not have a good standing with the IRS and ran the event into the ground.  And the village is wrong why?

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This is Lombard calling. I’m just reading in last week’s Lombardian about all the DUI arrests the police did in 2014. I just want to give a shout out of appreciation for keeping our streets safe for our children, families and everyone else who drives on the road. Great, great job, Lombard cops. You rock.

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This is Lombard calling. This message is particularly for Trustee Laura Fitzpatrick. Laura, you’re not going to be running again for trustee, so you’re going to vote to destroy everything, shut everything down. We’re saving money. And then once everything shuts down, you’re going to disappear and everybody else is going to have to find all the ways to start everything up again. Laura, leave things alone. Thank you.

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This is Lombard calling. I want to commend you guys that you’re going to increase the parking spaces by 95 spaces. We all needed it. Now we don’t have to try to make sure we take the train at 7:30 a.m. or else know we’re not going to find a parking space. I hope though, by making these 95 parking spaces, you don’t take parking spaces away anywhere else, so then we’ll be in the same way we’re running into right now with having no parking spaces. Thank you.

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I just am calling to tell about a wonderful experience I had with Frankie’s Deli in Yorktown. I had ordered sandwiches earlier in the week for Super Bowl Sunday. Then came the snow and blizzard. I called on Sunday and they were special and said I could cancel. They were more about my safety than making money. What a heartwarming feeling. I would recommend them not only for their delicious food but also for their special customer service and caring.