Hi, Villa Park. Just wanted to let you know I got a 10-cent net increase in my Social Security check. That's an insult. Thank you.

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Hi. I just want to give the Villa Park residents a little information. Did you know that if you ever want to sell your house in Villa Park, the Village of Villa Park comes to inspect your home and tells you, you have to do all kinds of work before you sell your home? For instance, did you know it's an ordinance now that all homes in Villa Park must have a pumping station in their basement to remove drainage water so it can no longer go into the system, it has to be pumped into your backyard. So if you're selling your house, that's a $1,000 bill right there. And they force that on you. Do you folks in Villa Park feel that's right? Especially paying taxes: Do we get a vote on who we want to pay taxes to and for what? Thank you.

According to information provided by the Village of Villa Park, "This is an Illinois and U.S. EPA requirement, so Villa Park (and other communities) have an ordinance in place to enforce the law... pertinent village ordinances have been in effect since 1990. The purpose is to reduce basement back-ups and overloading of our sanitary sewer system during heavier rains. Removing storm water from the sanitary sewer system is an Illinois and federal EPA requirement." Ordinances cited include: Sec. 25-431. - Certain discharges and connections prohibited; and Sec. 25-431.2. - Inspection required upon transfer of property.  The complete ordinance can be found at www.invillapark.com.—JAC

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Hi. I'm calling about the Lufkin Pool. I know many people are upset and putting up signs, and that's admirable, but I want to say that Lombard lost our pool, too, and now we have a better pool; although sometimes you lose something you love about the pool, like we lost our waterfall. But, hopefully things will work out for you. Thank you.

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A note to all you candidates for office: Not that I believe much of what any politician or wannabe says anymore, but I am going to severely scrutinize you before making a decision. The more space you take up — print, TV, radio — badmouthing your opponents, the less you're using to tell me why I should vote for you. And, don't just tell me what you are going to do for us, but be specific about how you will do it. The person who meets those criteria and who seems most serious about fixing our state's broken economy — my personal priority over abortion, gay rights, education — is most likely to get my vote.

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Hello, Jeannie Ives. Yeah, you got our attention. Thank you. Now away, please. Go away. Bye bye.

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Hey Lombard. Your beautiful new pavement on Grace Street south of North Avenue is all gouged up because somebody took the striping off and gouged it.

Your observation was forwarded to Lombard officials, who responded: “The village removed the above-mentioned pavement markings for a dedicated bike lane earlier this year, that had been installed following the paving of the section of North Grace Street. The contractor installed the pavement markings, but due to discussions with the Public Works and Environmental Concerns Committee, as well as the Public Safety and Transportation Committee relative to bicycle infrastructure, the markings were removed. Public Works personnel has inspected the area and found that the work was done appropriately and there is no damage to the roadway. Please feel free to call Public Works with any questions regarding streets at 630-620-5740.”—JAC

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"The institutions of American democracy are stronger than one noisy president" was recently stated in the Chicago Tribune. Let's hope so. He is making a mockery of our democracy by challenging and name-calling our Justice Department, FBI and CIA, the very people who are supposed to help him keep the government running legally. He changes his mind, or denies his own statements, any time on any subject. The DACA and immigrant programs he said he would approve are in shambles. He is blackmailing Democrats and Republicans to keep the government running. There is a movement to impeach Mr. Trump. Let's hope he is gone before we need this. Mr. Trump is president, not "king."

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The Lombard/Villa Park Food Pantry at the First Methodist Church is open again on Saturday, Feb. 17, (the third Saturday) at 9 a.m., the only time it is open on a Saturday.

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Hi, this is Lombard calling. I live on the north end. First, I need to apologize if I sound like I'm ranting, but I am not getting my mail. I know for sure because I subscribe to three weekly magazines. Sometimes I'll get one, sometimes I'll get two. Today I got no mail. I know it's winter, I shovel my porch, I shovel my sidewalk, I shovel a path through the yard to my neighbor's property. No mail today. This is not only because it's winter. The magazine situation has been going on and off for quite awhile. I've talked to managers at the post office twice. We'll check into it, I've been told. Nothing gets better. My daughter lives out of state and she knows about how bad the Lombard Post Office is. Come on, I just want my mail. Hopefully I'm getting the important stuff and they're just not bothering with the magazines. I just want my mail. Thanks for listening.

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People who think the national media is not focused on Trump, the national media is focused on him but the problem is, that's why he calls them fake news, because they're actually focused on what he really is. You think because the unemployment rate is 4.1, he has nothing to do with that but of course you will disagree with me on that. That's fine, that's your prerogative also. You talk about rolling back regulations. You tell me what regulations he's rolling back that are going to help us because all he's doing is rolling back every regulation that's ever been put in to protect the great land, us and now he's going to take away the checking of our food, he's going to take away payday banks. He's rescinding everything so you won't know what you're eating because everything will be in your food that shouldn't be in there.

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After reading about the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, I have real concerns about the whole home-rule idea. I'm all for having local government be more in control of its own finances and not the state, but I fear that our village leaders could impose even more taxation than exists now. I think our leaders should focus on getting back money from the state that was taken away, which I am sure will affect the budget's bottom line. And while politicians talk about wanting to lower or freeze property taxes, I am sure this is at odds with school administrators and even village leaders because that ultimately means less revenue for them and heaven forbid, they might have to tighten their belt like we taxpayers do so we can pay those exorbitant property taxes.

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I would like to mention that we have the best Lombardian delivery guy. The Lombardian always has a plastic cover, is always at your front door  — never on the lawn or driveway — and he never walks from one house to the next on the lawn. He always walks on the sidewalk and the driveway. Never, never on the lawn. He is different from the mailmen, who always cross over our lawns and leave a trail on every lawn.

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In one last comment regarding the school calendar, your school board that you elected has to OK the calendar before it can be published and sent to the state. So if you an issue with calendars, do not gripe at the schools. Gripe at the state and gripe at the school board that you elected.

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After the big snow on Thursday, with all the shoveling that needed to be done, I want to give a huge public shout out to my neighbor Frank who came over with his snowblower and did our driveway. Thanks, Frank.

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This is in regard to the school calendar and students having days off. I am a teacher and have been on the calendar committee at the district. There is much more involved with setting up a calendar than just throwing darts at random numbers. The state requires a certain amount of institute days, there are both state and federal holidays that must be taken and there are holidays that not everyone celebrates. You also have to have X amount of days per semester and you must have Y amount of days for parent conferences. So, unless you've been on the committee, do not complain about the calendar. If you have an issue with the calendar, take it up with the state board of education. There is nothing the local school district can do about the problem. Thank you.

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Frederick Law Olmsted designed New York's Central Park. He died in 1903, thus he could not have had an opinion on Lilacia Park, which was designed by Jens Jensen in 1929. Jens Jensen died in 1951, so he hasn't shared an opinion  on Lilacia Park in over 65 years. It's doubtful that either of these renowned landscape architects would have advocated the encroachment of structures upon the natural beauty of Lilacia Park. Thank you.

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Hi, I live on 900 block of South LaLonde, and our neighbors here are great. It's not like having neighbors, it's like having angels. I'd like to thank them all. Bye.

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Just want to say a huge thank you to the neighbor for snow blowing his driveway at 4:30 in the morning today. I find it very rude when other people have to work and try to sleep. It's just snow. Drive through it. Snow blow it at 8 o'clock in the morning or 7 o'clock in the morning. Thank you.

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Villa Park calling: You people who are on this crusade to keep Lufkin Pool open have it all figured out, don’t you? I read a story about how the “Save Lufkin Pool” people have gone over the village’s finances and “found” the needed funds to save the pool. So you believe you’re entitled to that money because you pay taxes in Villa Park, right? What about people like me who don’t use Lufkin Pool but would like to see that money go toward some other worthwhile project that would benefit the village instead of using that money to save an old pool—or keep that money in the village’s cash reserves? Don’t I, and others like me, have a say in this matter or is it all about you? I hope the village stands their ground, but if you Lufkin Pool people get your way and the pool remains open, then you darned well better be dropping your kids off at that pool every day it’s open from Memorial Day to Labor Day since you’ve made such a fuss about it.