Hi, I’m a resident of Lombard and I’m just wondering what happened to the Texan BBQ. Now I drive by there and there’s nobody ever there at lunchtime. Tonight, all the lights were out and it’s dark. What happened to our restaurant?

Bill Heniff, director of community development for the Village of Lombard, said, “The owner of the Texan BBQ restaurant decided to close the business. The property owner has entered into a lease agreement with a new restaurant tenant [Capone’s] that will occupy the premises. Capone’s will be a sit-down restaurant featuring Italian cuisine. They have informed village staff that they anticipate opening in October.”–JAC

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Hi, Lombard here. I am totally amazed at the American electorate. I guess the old saying is true that no one ever lost an election by underestimating the intelligence of the American voter. All this talk about race, gender and war record is irrelevant. How can anyone look at the last eight years and what has happened to America’s world standing and its economy, and still choose to support anyone who is a Republican?

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Hi, after watching the Republican convention, I think what they’re trying to say is, only they can fix the mess they put the country in the last eight years. Now, I know Republicans are going to say that the Democrats were in control of the Senate, and that’s true; for only two years. Are we better off than we were eight years ago? Well, 80 percent of the country says no. So, I think you have to do what you have to do when you vote.

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All of you complainers of the red-light cameras, quit your whining. If you obey the traffic signals and slow down at the intersections like you are supposed to do, you will not have anything to worry about. It seems that the biggest whiners are the biggest violators.

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Hi, Lombard calling. My wife and I went to the Helen M. Plum Library on Sept. 12 for the Alchemy Theatre’s reading of “Over the Tavern.” It was wonderful. We’ve been to other performances by the Alchemy Theatre, and they’re always entertaining, but we were pleasantly surprised to see that this performance included several students. They were just as good as the adults. While it wasn’t a full-fledged play, it still involved a degree of acting and they performed like pros. Forget the skate park; we need a theater for this group to perform in regularly. The kids can get involved in the acting and set design, and who knows, maybe they can even put on a play involving skateboarding.

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This is Lombard calling. I was reading the Sept. 24 edition of the Lombardian about the car accident at the intersection of Berkshire and Fairfield. Any intersection that has a yield sign should be marked as an accident waiting to happen. No one really knows what a yield sign is. Two years ago I was T-boned at the same intersection by a truck. The driver had no clue what a yield sign was. All yield signs need to be removed and replaced with stop signs or else there will be more accidents and deaths.

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This is in response to the person who wrote about “The Daily Show.” Your comment only highlights how ignorant our society has become. The purpose of comedy is to take a minute detail from a situation and exaggerate it to get a laugh. It is not an accurate reflection of the Democratic or Republican parties. It is comedy. Grow up and educate yourself.

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Hey, this is Lombard calling. I just watched the first interview with our next vice president, Sarah Palin, with Charlie Gibson. As we all know, Charlie Gibson is a hard, left-wing Democrat; toss him on the other side we’d call him a socialist. Anyway, I found it impressive that he went after her and never once, did Sarah Palin not answer a question instantly, precisely, intelligently and never did she say, “um,” “uh,” “well,” etc. In case you don’t know, that’s how Barack Obama starts off every answer to a question, and never once did she say, “That question is above my pay grade.” Man, this woman is awesome. To all you feminists out there, you’ve got to be loving this. She’s what you’ve been waiting for.

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The SPEAK OUT column is supposed to allow residents to vent their frustrations or ask questions in an open forum, correct? So, why are there sometimes rude, unnecessary comments that follow some of the SPEAK OUT posts? For example, reading the Sept. 10 SPEAK OUT, one journalist’s response to a SPEAK OUT comment was, “By your definition, would a Canadian-American person be Manitoban-American or Albertan-American? Would an Italian-American instead be an Umbrian-American or a Calabrian-American?” And to another comment it was, “Ever hear of vacation time?” Were those really necessary? I would expect a little more professionalism from a paper, but apparently my expectations are just too high.

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I am responding to the person who questioned the qualifications of coaches coaching and teaching in our schools. My question is, Do you know what the qualifications are of those who coach at Glenbard East? I think that you would find that most, if not all, of these people have an expertise in their sport either from years of experience or by virtue of them playing at a high level in college. Being married to a former high school head coach for girls gymnastics, swimming and diving, I can tell you that when one factors their coaching stipend in with the hours that are spent with practices, meets or games, prep time and administrative time, these coaches are barely making minimum wage. Instead of bemoaning the coaches at Glenbard East, one needs to be thankful that we have such dedicated individuals who give up their time, talent and oftentimes, treasures to the young adults in our school. Those who are enlightened thank you coaches at Glenbard East for your commitment to our children.

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Stickers for the village for our cars? I live in an apartment complex. I see several people without these stickers. These stickers are $15 each but there are several people who don’t have them. I got a $100 ticket last year because I did not have one. Come on, Lombard police, wake up.

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This is Lombard calling. With the real estate market in a continuing decline, and the food and gasoline prices continuing on the incline, we all have to tighten our belts another notch. This should go for the county assessor as well. The continuing increases in real estate taxes has got to stop.

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For the person who likes to bash Sarah Palin as the pick for vice president, you need to get a life and understand that Sen. Obama has no executive experience and less experience in government than Sarah Palin. He has never legislated a single piece of legislation by himself. He has voted present more times at work than he has yes or no, so what he needs to answer is the purchase of his home with Rezko and explain that transaction to the American people. Media needs to start asking some tough questions of Obama.

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Villa Park here. Is it just me or does anyone else agree that the dumbing down of America continues at a rapid rate? All you see on TV is cartoons, talking lizards for insurance, cartoon women buying glasses, cartoon guys tapping on your screen trying to sell you a car. I swear, this is really the dumbing down of America.

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Villa Park here. It sure was nice to see our expensive street sweeper out after the storm to clean the streets. Sure glad they’re building a new building to put this in so it doesn’t rust. I don’t know why they didn’t clean the street before the rain. It probably would have helped a lot.

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Hi, Villa Park calling. I just read that Tom Cullerton is not going to be allowed on the ballot. I say, let the people decide. Write his name in anyway if you like him.

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Our legislators do it again. Now it’s the House of Representatives. Democrats pass a bill for off-shore drilling beyond 50 miles, where there is no oil. Within 50 miles is where 88 percent of our oil is located. We are facing, high, high gas prices, and our Congress plays political games. We are at the mercy of our enemies, and Congress plays political games. They have to be replaced by men and women who work for us.

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This is in response to the comments you printed that were critical of a staff employee of the village for referring to the old DuPage Theatre property as 101 S. Main St. I don’t think that was fair, and I think it really is quite embarrassing. The building is gone. I think everyone needs to let it go. The address is 101 S. Main St. His job is to report as such, not to go back in history.

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Hi, Glen Ellyn, this is Lombard. In case you didn’t know, the law requires you to be in attendance at the pump with your car. So, since you went and got back into your car, all the gas spilled was your fault because you were not attending your pump and your gas.

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Hello, Lombard. I’m a Republican. I was leaning toward Obama because I thought he might be better for this country. However, after witnessing him recently, I’m going to vote for John McCain. I really don’t care right now about a debate on foreign policy. I’m more concerned about this bailout and what impact it will have on my wife, my two children, our country and me. I agree with John McCain. We need to stop campaigning and focus on turning around our economy, and get this bailout, recovery, or whatever it is, in place. I don’t agree with it, but it’s a necessary evil that we’re going to have to live with. It is not only Bush’s fault, it is Clinton’s fault, it is Bush number one’s fault, it is Carter’s fault, it is Reagan’s fault. We caused this problem on our own. I’m voting for John McCain.

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Should we be more concerned with Barack Obama’s incidental contact with a 1960s radical, who is now a respected member of society, or should we be more concerned with John McCain’s inclusion in the Keating Five—one of five senators who went to bat for a specific savings and loan that cost the country millions? I think millions is low. Anyway, Keating Five, or Robert Ayres—which is more important and relevant to today’s situation? Thanks for thinking.

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This is Lombard calling in response to the individual from Glen Ellyn who was at gas station and wanted to fill up his or her tank. The person put it on automatic and went back into the car, which if you take a moment and read the safety stats on the pump, it’s one of the worst things you can do, because it builds up static electricity and could cause an explosion. And, that’s another reason you’re supposed to stand by the pump, in case the automatic fails, you could shut it off yourself. Remember, take time and read the safety cards that are on the side of the pumps, OK? Not only do you put yourself at risk, but everybody else at the gas station. I’ve actually seen one woman with a cigarette in her mouth, cell phone next to her ear, pumping gasoline. It’s just insanity.

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OK, one more thing about Main Street. Where are we getting all the money for these fancy light poles and do we really need all that light on Main Street? I’ve got some potholes on my street that I’d rather have filled in than this.

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Lombard calling. I’m wondering, is Lombard serious with regard to the utility poles on Main Street? I read the comment last week, but it was a bunch of jibber-jabber to me. I don’t understand. Are they staying forever; seriously, we have to look at at those things forever? Not only do we have to deal with the horrendous traffic on Main Street, but we have to look at those ugly poles? And, what about getting the stop light over on Wilson and Finley? I’m so sick of the traffic. All during the day, every day, no matter what day, it’s always traffic. That intersection needs to be figured out. Come on, Lombard, let’s figure this stuff out.

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To Lombard. Now that summer’s just about over, I think it’s a great time to talk about snow plowing. Last year, up on North Main Street, the businesses never cleared the sidewalk for people to walk down. I think we need a big change in that now. I think the village needs to get very, very strong. Drive around and find the commercial businesses that aren’t going to do that this year. People are riding bicycles and are walking more than ever and the streets are being plowed in onto the sidewalks. Also, the village plow drivers, they have to take more consideration and make sure they don’t block in all the other streets that people walk on. So, let’s start thinking about this now, before we get into a complaining contest after the fact.

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This is Lombard calling with regard to the bicycle crossing at Main Street and the Prairie Path. People have to stop stopping for it. It is a yield, not a stop. Unless you are going to get out of your car and direct four lanes of traffic, do not stop there. Somebody’s going to kill somebody waving a bicycle out in front of traffic and then not all three lanes of traffic are stopping.

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Hey, this is Lombard calling. Well, the IRS recently released some interesting stuff on Joe Biden, who is running for vice president and said it is time for rich people to step up and pay their fair share to take care of less fortunate people. Well, according to the IRS, Joe Biden has been making about $300,000 a year for decades. And guess what? For decades, Joe Biden donates less than $200 a year to charity. I think quick math puts that at .003 percent of his income he donates to charity. So much for helping the less fortunate. Oh, that’s right, he only wants my money to go to the less fortunate, not his.