Hey, Lombard. I know some areas are the responsibility of the state of Illinois, but can't we do something about the gateways to the community, all these weeds growing up in the roads and on the side of the roads and the tree branches hanging over and the ugly bridges and viaducts and all that? People associate that with Lombard. They don't think that that's the state. Come on. Have a little pride.

Since you did not specify a particular location or locations, see below for the village's response to a similar call, which indicates you can contact officials to inform them of a landscaping issue.—JAC

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I'd like to point out that many of the common areas with landscaping and flowers are so full of weeds; any homeowner would get a violation for that, and when you look at the taxes that we pay and the amount of traffic we get, especially near the Metra station, we should be taking care of those areas. They look terrible. I also want to point out that the banners along Main Street that just say Lombard on them could have advertising for downtown and local businesses and maybe that money could go toward beautifying and cleaning up the weeds. Thank you.

Village of Lombard officials responded to your comments: "It’s difficult to provide a definitive response without knowing the exact locations [to which] the caller is referencing. When it comes to common areas, different locations are owned and maintained by different agencies. In the event that the caller is referencing wild flowers and tall grasses in the Hammerschmidt Commuter Lot, this native vegetation has been planted purposefully and Public Works crews are addressing the spread of unwanted weeds within the landscaping. Private property, including Metra’s platform and Union Pacific Rail Road property, is overseen by its perspective property owners. Please feel free to call the village for more information on specific areas. Lombard does have Code Enforcement regulations in place that regulate the maximum height of grass/weed height for privately owned property. Residents should call the village’s Code Enforcement office directly at 630-620-5757 for a timely response maintenance issues."—JAC

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To the person who observed the children on "leashes," I know from first-hand experience with various children, that some youngsters need these harnesses for their own safety, whether it be a special needs child or one who is not used to venturing out in a crowd, for instance. Little ones are, by nature, impulsive and unpredictable — even while holding their hand — and I don't blame a parent for choosing to use such a safety device to keep a child from running off. One of my children did, in a split second, while standing next to me as I was reaching into my purse to get the wrist-to-wrist safety device. These parents know their child best, so who are you to judge? I say, better to be proactive than reactive.

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Now that Wisconsin has offered $3 billion to FoxConn to build there, they are about to learn a lesson that Illinois learned some time ago. If you offer major incentives to one company to entice it to come to your borders, the companies already there are going to also want the same tax breaks. Don't be surprised if there are a lot of the largest companies in Wisconsin suddenly talking about relocating.

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Listen up, all you people who read SPEAK OUT and all you people who don't like what you hear. There are a lot of people, no matter what race they are, no matter what age they are or what ethnicity they are, who are out there protesting and demanding respect. There's only one given rule for respect: If you don't earn it, you don't get it. You can't demand anything. God set a rule in place. You must earn what you get. If you can't earn it, forget it. Stop trying to shove it down people's throats. Goodbye.

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I'm a Democrat. I'm a John F. Kennedy-era Democrat. I voted for him. I've never voted Republican but up until last year, when Mr. Trump got elected, Democrats and Republicans always found time to work together. There was never this lying, this deceit. We never had Russia in the middle of everything. It just amazes me that the people who voted for him cannot accept the fact he is a liar who sold us out to Russia. I just don't understand it. You talk about Kathy Griffin holding the severed head of Donald Trump. It wasn't in the best of humor. It was in poor taste but then you say, what about the president of the last eight years? Did you ever see that people hung him from a tree in effigy, made monkey heads out of his face, made big ears on him, called his wife a man in female clothing, made fun of his children?

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Hi, Lombard calling. I find it ironic that conservative Republicans favor competition and free markets yet complain when immigrants compete for available jobs that white Americans are too lazy to do. You can't take one stance when it favors you but flip the switch when it doesn't.

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Hello, Lombard bicyclists of all ages. You folks do not have a safe right-of-way on our sidewalks when approaching seniors, dog walkers and pedestrians. Illinois statute, section 11-1512, says you shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and give audible signals before passing. Please use common sense. Thank you.

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This is in response to a parent who had something in SPEAK OUT last week. They were chastising someone that called in about seeing a child on a leash at the fireworks display. Well, I happened to be walking around the Naperville Ribfest one evening during the Fourth of July weekend, and saw the exact same thing — a kid on a leash. It was the only kid I noticed the entire night that was on a leash and there were thousands of people. So the rest of the parents that didn’t put their kids on a leash that night, what did they do? I’m guessing they either held their kids’ hands or put their hands on their shoulders to keep track of them in a crowd. Yes, I do watch the news and I’m well aware that there are people waiting to grab unsuspecting children, but I totally agree with the caller. I think it’s ridiculous seeing kids on a leash! Is this your child or the family dog? Sheesh.

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Lombard calling. Wow, it’s been at least two weeks, and thank God I haven’t seen any SPEAK OUT calls from whiny leftists throwing a fit about Peter Roskam not holding a town hall meeting. Here’s hoping that these annoying shills that call SPEAK OUT about Roskam have found something better to do. Maybe they’ve moved into a snowflake commune and watch CNN, the Collusion News Network, together.

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Hi, SPEAK OUT. There are several homeowners in my neighborhood who are allowing their trees and bushes to grow over the sidewalks to the point you can't even walk on the sidewalk. I was just wondering why the village is allowing this to happen.

Your inquiry was forwarded to Lombard officials, who responded: "The Village of Lombard does have regulations in place when it comes to trees and bushes growing over sidewalks, however action cannot be taken without knowing the exact location of violations. The village has over 220 lineal miles of sidewalk, including both sides of the street. While we do make visual inspections of the sidewalk when working in specific areas, we simply do not have the staffing to conduct code enforcement inspections of all areas on a day-to-day basis. Please feel free to call the village’s Code Enforcement phone number at 630-620-5757 to report code violations."—JAC

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I have a question, ladies and gentlemen, and all you taxpayers should be paying attention. If the state of Illinois is losing many, many residents and a lot of them are from Chicago and some of them are from DuPage County, why do we still have the same amount of teachers, policemen, garbage men, city hall employees, all kinds of employees? Why do we still have so many people working in their jobs when there are fewer people to take care of? No wonder we are going broke in this state. If your expenses were reduced in your house you'd be saving money. There's something wrong going on, and pay attention, ladies and gentlemen. That's why we're being ripped off with high taxes and they are unnecessary. Half of those employees should be getting jobs somewhere else. They can't be living off the taxpayer. Goodbye.

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In response to the July 20 letter to the editor on Page 4 of the Lombardian: With all due respect, since you are newly elected, prove you are transparent and make available all of the numerous architectural renderings, engineering feels, legal fees, etc., for the new Cinderella Library that apparently won't fit legally or physically into its current location. The library needs to stop being the stepsisters trying to fit a size 12 shoe in a size 6 glass slipper. Try a different location. You would save money by not having to rent a temporary location with double the moving expenses not even taking into account the inconvenience to the good people of Lombard. And because of the delays, you are going to give us a lesser building than we voted for and you think that is OK? The citizens of Lombard are a lot smarter than you think and won't put up with your predecessors continuing to live in Fantasy Land. We are counting on you to be the voice of reason. Thanks for your consideration.

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Reading the Wisconsin State Journal while visiting Madison, their editorial raises concerns over FoxConn, one of which is the $3 billion in incentives that would be paid out mostly as tax credits over 15 years. What I didn't know is that apparently most businesses "escape" state income taxes, so why would this company even consider Illinois, especially with the new business tax hike? While employees would pay taxes back to the state, there is still a financial gap Wisconsin would have to make up. However, the editorial states Illinois may benefit, if it is located in the Kenosha or Racine area — projecting 13,000 new jobs averaging $50,000 plus benefits, and Illinois suppliers would benefit. And speaking of Wisconsin, a letter writer is upset about 10 murders on the southwest side of Madison, calling it a "horrendous number." What should we call our murder rate in Chicago?

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A most enjoyable Lombard Cruise Night, Aug. 5. Neverly Brothers really bring it. So appealing in every way. Please bring 'em back next year if not sooner.

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I live on a relatively quiet through street about a mile from downtown Lombard. That said, I agree wholeheartedly with people who live there concerning Cruise Nights. Give the downtown residents a break and at least alternate in another location like Yorktown. It's overkill to have a street festival every Saturday night all summer long. If this was on any side street every Saturday night all summer long, there would be complaints galore. Choosing to live downtown in a commercial district is not choosing to live with a weekly festival on your doorstep.

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Hi, Lombard calling. I just heard on the news that unemployment is at an all-time low, 4.3 percent. Does that have anything to do with the president and this administration? I mean, if this were Obama, everybody would be waving flags and saying "wow." You're not giving Trump credit for this. OK, seems that the media only wants to bash him, not give him any credit for anything that's good for the nation. This is so unfortunate. 4.3 percent. Wow.

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This is to the person(s) constantly calling and complaining about Cruise Nights being in the downtown area. I wish you would go to the dictionary and look up the definition of "downtown." It's an urban area of great intensity. It is good for our village. It brings vibrancy to the downtown. It's just like people who move near the airport and complain. The downtown was there before you. If you don't like it, I suggest you move. Maybe you're of that age; instead of being anyplace where there's activity going on, you should consider moving into a nursing home. Thank you.

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Lombard calling. To the person who stole my pride flag and Impeach Trump sign twice, I'd like to know if this is your idea of making America great again. After you used my planters as a stepping stone, ruining my flowers to steal my flag and sign, I replaced them immediately and added cord locks to them, which were clearly no match for your desire to suppress my First Amendment right to free speech. I again replaced the sign and added chain locks. It's pathetic that in our neighborhood we must lock things up on our own property because your mother did a horrible job of teaching you respect for other people and their property. Hillary Clinton was correct when she called Trump supporters deplorable, as you have well shown with your actions. I refuse to be bullied into silence. I will probably shine a light on my Impeach Trump sign and do so until the day he's impeached. I have plenty more and will replace them each time you resort to petty theft. I'd also like you to know I've donated $50 to Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign and the Clinton Foundation in resistance to you trying to bully me. They thank you for your support.