Once again, the Lombard Village Board has voted to reject the Lombard Public Facilities Corporation's request to cover the shortfall on bonds issued to build the Westin. The village has done this twice a year for the last few years. It's affected the village's credit rating and compromised Lombard's ability to borrow money. The shortfall for the Jan. 1, 2017, payment is about $3.1 million. I assume we can expect some comment from village officials that the village does not own the Lombard Public Facilities Corporation. The village created the Lombard Public Facilities Corporation. The residents of Lombard have been had in this shell game. It's too bad all of the living elected officials and staff members who are responsible for this debacle cannot be summoned to an upcoming board meeting and forced to read aloud the ridiculous projections they made about the Westin nearly 10 years ago.

Your comments were forwarded to Village of Lombard officials, who responded: “The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center is a complicated issue. It is important to again clarify that the Village of Lombard does not own the Westin. The Westin is owned by the Lombard Public Facilities Corporation (LPFC), which is a not-for-profit entity that is separate from the village. This precautionary measure has proved beneficial as the village has not appropriated for the shortfalls, and the debt has been kept separate from the Village of Lombard. The major parties involved have been in discussions regarding restructuring the debt of the LPFC, and this issue will hopefully be resolved in the near future. While the original projections of the project weren’t met, it is important to remember that The Westin is a very busy hotel and generated approximately 130,000 room stays in 2016. These visitors generate a significant amount of revenue for local businesses in the community, which in turn generates significant revenue for the village. In addition, there have been other benefits to the village regarding the Westin project, including the investment around Yorktown to include the Shops on Butterfield, physical site improvements such as the Ring Road improvements, and the up and coming Yorktown Commons project that is scheduled to begin construction this spring.”—JAC

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Yes, this is Lombard calling. I was reading in SPEAK OUT recently how Villa Park has a service charge for their ambulance calls for residents, and I'm wondering if Lombard has a similar thing; charge a service charge besides the taxes and other fees they charge us. Thank you.

Your inquiry was forwarded to Village of Lombard officials, who provided the following response: “There is a cost associated when a resident calls for and uses an ambulance in Lombard. While you do pay property taxes, it is important to note that 92 percent of those taxes go to other taxing bodies and the village receives less than 8 cents per dollar to run the Police, Fire, Public Works, Community Development, and Finance departments. When someone pays property taxes, they are paying for the ambulance to be staffed and available for their use if needed. However, when someone actually uses an ambulance for an emergency service, there are certain costs that are incurred by the village and billing the user of the ambulance helps to recoup that cost. User fees/ambulance billing saves village taxpayers money by shifting a portion of the total costs for providing these services to the individuals who use the services. This practice is very common. According to a 2015 survey conducted by the Naperville Fire Department, 98 percent of the 101 Illinois communities polled bill residents for their use of EMS transport services. Additionally, every community that surrounds Lombard also bills citizens for EMS transport services. Please feel free to call the Lombard Fire Department at 630-620-5761 for more information.”—JAC

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On the eve before the opening of the new session of Congress, the Republican Caucus decided to defang the Office of Congressional Ethics. Leading that action was my own con-gressman, Peter Roskam. Maybe he was still sore about its investigation of his trip to Taiwan. I do have to agree with Trump when he says the swamp needs to be drained, and I want to thank him for his critical tweet to Congress letting them know that they had more important matters to be tending to.

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Did you see the claptrap released by District 87 in the Jan. 5 edition? It seems the district staff honchos are upset that Hillary lost, and they don't like Donald Trump because he is mean. The district then gives us a few “key ways that teachers are ensuring their students are learning and growing” in the aftermath of the election. One key: “Strengthening Appropriate Responses to Bullying, Racism and Acts of Hate.” Is the district suggesting that some Hillary supporters may have engaged in such deplorable fashion? That's doubtful—we can assume the leftist academics believe all bullying, racism and acts of hate must come from Trump supporters. Here's another one of the district's keys: “Understanding Media Literacy.” This is apparently a reference to the “fake news” that leftist whiners mention as a factor in Hillary's loss. According to the district, “Students are learning that listening, questioning, identifying relevant facts and gathering additional information are all part of the process of being an informed citizen.” Sure. You bet. But if you disagree with liberal doctrine on issues like climate change, you will be branded a denier. If you disagree with liberals on just about anything else, you are labeled a bigot and/or racist.

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Why is that if you file petitions without a paper clip or staple or miss a few signatures you get thrown off the ballot? Because that's the law. When the DuPage Election Commission screws up by publishing dates early, also against the law, they get the local legislators to pass a retroactive law saying it's okay? Why don't everyday citizens and the government have to go by the same rules? And it's the same politicians involved in both efforts.

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I don't understand how you all can sing the praises of someone who ran, as he called Hillary, “a crooked campaign,” which he did run. He apparently lied. He lied every time he spoke. He said he would never touch Social Security or Medicare. He said he wouldn't touch benefits for the veterans. Every person he's hired to be the head of any of these departments has been against everything they stood for. This is what you have elected to sit in the most cherished, highest political position we have. This man is in control of the United States. He has to learn how to deal with the world. I just don't understand how anybody with any decency can stand for a man who stands for nothing but himself.

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This is in response to last week's “took you long enough.” I would suggest calling the agency that you have issues with. They are very likely to respond to you during that very same phone call. Thank you.

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Judge Robert Miller sentenced a man who previously swore at him in court to six months for contempt of court, and to 22 years in prison for what should have been a misdemeanor theft case. Eric Bramwell was given a taste of DuPage County's justice after being convicted of taking a universal remote from an open area of an apartment complex in Wheaton. This miscarriage of justice has been reported nationwide and internally. One has to wonder what Wheaton police were thinking, going so far as to resort to DNA to make this arrest. And how about our state's attorney, Robert Berlin? Yes, he can justify ramped-up charges when he got a class X trophy in his territory. But hey, it should be known that this was reported to the American Bar Association Journal. Judge Robert Miller and State's Attorney Robert Berlin's actions have brought embarrassment to DuPage County citizens.

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As a pet owner I wanted to say thank you to the Villa Park Police Department for stopping to pick up the cat that was struck while trying to cross North Avenue. You guys are awesome in my book.

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Does anybody notice how bad things are looking and shaping up in Villa Park? They seemingly take care of nothing. They can't even come around to clean out the sewer system grates for the water to go down. You go past the building and they're sitting around doing nothing. Take a drive over there. Take a good look. You don't see them out looking at anything, taking care of anything. But the biggest thing of all, they raise your taxes so they can get an increase in pay. Pretty good. Time we get a new president. Get that one out quick.

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OK, Trump-ets, time once again to learn to fact check or brush on your civics. Congress controls the government purse strings, not the president. Republicans have wrote and passed the federal budgets the last six years. Also the Carrier jobs saved by still-sitting Gov. Pence were paid for by the citizens of Indiana with a tax break for Carrier. And let's not also forget the giant tax increase they will soon pay to fix their roads and bridges, rated some of the worst in the nation. We'll be counting your votes in 2018.

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To the caller who responded to another caller—who was upset about actors and actresses touting their political views—by saying he or she is doing the same thing, I disagree. These Hollywood folks have what is known as a bully pulpit, essentially defined as “a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue.” The point is, these elites have the public forum, through award ceremonies, on the red carpet, etc. to express themselves to live and television audiences. What do we, the common person, have to accomplish that? Apples and oranges, in my opinion.

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I can remember quite a few people insisting Barack Obama would improve race relations during his presidency. How did that work out? Not so well, I'd say.

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On Sunday, Jan. 8, I was driving down Plymouth Avenue in Villa Park between Princeton and Yale around 10 a.m. and there were numerous police cars on Princeton and what looked to be a SWAT vehicle parked on Yale. There were several individuals walking around in full battle gear complete with weapons and riot shields. They didn't seem to be in any type of emergency mode and none of the vehicles had any lights flashing. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what was going on that day.

Your inquiry was forwarded to the Villa Park Police Department. The response is as follows: “Villa Park residents can always contact the Chief of Police for information about police services and activities; Chief Robert Pavelchik's phone number is 630-592-6104."—JAC

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If the great Hillary Clinton had been elected president, Democrats would be lecturing all of America to respect and honor the results of the election. Of course, we all know what has transpired. Dearest Hillary lost, so a sizable number of Democrats are acting like spoiled 4-year-olds who didn't win a board game. One bright side is that their whining and feeble excuses might drive away enough voters to keep Democrats out of power for the foreseeable future.

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I'm over the fact that Trump won the presidency. Don't like it, will never call him my president. He didn't win the popular vote. He only won by the skin of his teeth. What astounds me, or for the life of me I can't understand, is that none of you people seem to be bothered by the fact that this man, regardless of whatever you want to say, has had dealings with Russia. He has no common sense. He attacks John Lewis, who is a man who has fought for civil rights for 50 years. He attacks anybody who speaks against him. I don't care who it is. He is the most dangerous thing on this planet. This man is going to destroy us all.

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Kudos to the Lombard Police. I was recently in Lombard with my children when I got a flat tire on Main near Ann Street. An officer who was in the area and who just got a cup of coffee took the time to change my flat tire. I had no idea what to do; my children felt safe, though, and I was so thankful for the caring and assistance of this officer. I did not get his name, but I am very grateful to the officers at Lombard PD, thank you.

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I'm glad that I don't live in Trump's America—his inaugural address was fear-mongering hyperbole and lies, describing a country foreign to me, one crime-ridden and in decay. Crime rates are far lower than 20 years ago. Media sensationalism causes us to feel otherwise, but there is hard data on this fact. He also suggested our military is weak. That is patently false and insulting to the brave men and women who protect us— we still have the most powerful armed forces in the world by far. On Saturday, I witnessed several dozen women, men and children disembarking from the train downtown after attending the rally in Chicago. I'm grateful to live in a country where millions have the freedom to both voice opposition to people/policies they oppose and stand in support of what they believe in. Today is less about being anti-Trump than pro-humanity/sanity/equality. Our country is far from perfect but it is great, and the problems facing it are larger than a single man—we must work together for a better future.

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Does the post office have a new delivery schedule now? On Jan. 17. we received the mail at 7 p.m. At least yesterday on the 20th, it was 6 p.m. Well, that's already an improvement.

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Hello. I’m calling to respond to the person in SPEAK OUT who drove past York High School in Elmhurst and saw the Martin Luther King Day off sign on Monday and teacher institute sign for Tuesday. The person was curious about the calendar. I just wanted to let that person know that teacher institute day is a day when teachers are working. They are not off on teacher institute day and for people who aren't familiar with what teachers do, most teachers I know spent Martin Luther King Day completing report cards and lesson plans, which is what they do on weekends and late into the evening. I would hope you can put yourself in other people's shoes before you make comments about the real world; the real world of teachers is pretty intense. Thank you.

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Hello, Lombard. The women’s march in Chicago was a peaceful and responsible march. It was a march about coming together and telling the world that women matter. Our bodies matter. Our souls matter. Our hearts matter. It’s not about hate, it’s not about being against Trump; it's about letting Congress, the Senate and the politicians know that we matter. We matter for what happened years and years ago. We matter for what happens now and we matter for what happens in the future. It's all about love, peace and making sure we make responsible choices for the women in this world.

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I hear that Glenbard East High School on Inauguration Day apparently had an organized walkout involving students and teachers. Really? I would like to know if parents and taxpayers were informed this was taking place. I heard many parents were very upset over this and should be. Approximately 72 percent of our property tax bill goes to schools and this is what we're paying for, protests and their political agenda? Their job is to teach, not to indoctrinate students with their political propaganda, rhetoric, ideology, with their one-sided view. What if a student had been injured in some way, what about the school's truancy policy? Teachers and students need to be in the classroom, not out of it. This is not acceptable and they need to be held accountable. Thank you.

According to Glenbard District 87 Community Relations Coordinator Peg Mannion, “Jan. 20 was an instruction-as-usual school day at Glenbard East. There was no walkout.”—JAC