By: Diane Benjamin The Open Meetings Act requires meetings be posted 48 hours in advance. This was posted in a window – the reflection of the person who took the photo might be identifiable, hence the gray boxes: . That’s tomorrow! It isn’t posted on the website though: https://normaltownship.org/index.php/clerks-office/board-agenda/ . Why hide this meeting? Obviously […]
By: Diane Benjamin McLean County Board District 10 has a clear choice: A fireman who saves lives – Matt Steinkoenig or an elementary school music who throws sex ed into the curriculum – Corey Beirne This link will take you to a ton of Beirne stories: https://blnnews.com/?s=Corey+Beirne This one is the biggest lie he’s told […]
By: Diane Benjamin I don’t know anyone who still reads the Pantagraph. I don’t use them in stories anymore because I’m not buying a subscription and a lot of people here don’t either. That means nobody would be able to read any articles I link to. I was contacted this week by two people who […]
By: Diane Benjamin Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/23/krystle-new-hire-fired/ Below is what I was told by a little birdie who has never been wrong before: It was for theft. She was stealing money and gift cards. Great idea to fire the people who worked there before to hire this fabulous person. Yes, two people lost their […]
By: Diane Benjamin At the July 2026 Normal Township meeting Supervisor Krystle Able crowed about the great job her new hire at the ARCwas doing: . In the 3 weeks since her hiring, Beth had already made relationships with local businesses who would provide free stuff to the ARC for events, mostly food. Yesterday, according […]
By: Diane Benjamin This clip is only 1 minute long. Krystle Able claims the Audit Fund is showing negative because this year’s audit cost $40,000 when it previously cost $8,000. See more below after you listen to the video: How much has the Town of Normal paid for this year’s audit? https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5702 https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5655 Total payments: […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington announced they had settled a lawsuit against the City and former Assistant Police Chief Paul Williams: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-10-21/plaintiffs-attorney-calls-for-an-independent-investigation-following-bloomington-police-misconduct-settlement The amount in this story is wrong. Each of the plaintiffs did not get $25,000. They got $24,999.99. Why is that important? Because of this action by the then City Council […]
By: Diane Benjamin This isn’t the last clip, this is just #2. First clip: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/21/a-few-highlights-normal-township-board/ The elected Clerk, Dayna Schickedanz, was finally back last night after a lengthy absence due to illness. Trustee Natasha Syed was absent. The Board had given $10,000 to the McLean County History Museum in August: https://normaltownship.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Normal-Township-Regular-Meeting-Minutes-August-2026-3.pdf The total amount they […]
h/t a reader In case you forgot, Andrew Franson calls himself a communist: https://blnnews.com/2026/02/03/the-isu-communist-responds/ I wish he would list the ISU professors filling his head with anarchy. Of course he won’t. Are all these people he supports communists? Paul Nolley, Krystle Able, Joshua Crockett, Matt Coates (running for Normal Trustee) and others. He also thinks […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was out of town for part of the day yesterday. Luckily I made it back in time to attend the 3 hour Normal Township Board meeting because the Zoom stream went out 35 minutes into the meeting. A few highlights, there will be more: In September, Krystle Able’s boyfriend was paid […]
By: Diane Benjamin Voters have a right to know the facts. Is media telling you this? Illinois has a king: Pritzker. He is not only buying a 3rd term, he is buying the minions he needs supporting him: He wrote this check to the McLean County Democrats. https://www.illinoissunshine.org/committees/159 He and others are helping buy Joshua […]
By: Diane Benjamin 801 North Main is now the entire property. Other than the City Manager mentioning the City had owned the property for a decade, very little was said about the $1,400,000 taxpayers invested. The 2 presentations weren’t close to finalized but it appears to me that both want the land for free. Neither […]
By: Diane Benjamin The law permits mailing ballots to nursing homes. The County Clerk’s office does not because of the risk of fraud, especially in dementia units. They send a judge from both parties to each nursing home to supervise voting. This is also called: Common Sense. The Bloomington Election Commission isn’t doing that. They […]
By: Diane Benjamin Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4134/files/agenda/15169 This is one of the items on the agenda: . The agenda claims 2 developers will be making presentations. This is a property the City of Bloomington obtained in an exchange with IWU last June: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4103/files/report/5141 This is NOT the property on N Main the City paid $1,400,000 10 years […]
By: Diane Benjamin Agenda for Tuesday meeting: https://normaltownship.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/October-20th-2026-3.pdf Remember when grants were suspended in this year’s budget because the Board didn’t want to raise the levy? Shifting funds has now given them money to give away. The problem is Township Law requires grants to benefit the residents of the Township. How will that be required […]
The biggest threat to America is the media that never tells the truth. Listen to a Canadian tell you what happened when they got it. After listening you will know whoever says we need it is full of ______. (Don’t listen if truth scares you too much)
By: Diane Benjamin This comment was made to this story on BlnNews: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/16/property-taxes-wreck-affordable-housing/ Print this and hand a copy to EVERY elected official in office and those running. Progressive spending on wants are destroying the ability to not only buy a home but to keep a home. THEY did this! We are the Habitat for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Carl Hinshaw recently held another property tax appeal seminar. He told me this story. A couple who bought a Habitat of Humanity home about 5 years ago are now worried about being able to keep it because of PROPERTY TAXES. Their assessment was increased 11% this year including a 3.85% Township multiplier. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Previous stories: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/10/wglt-bias/ https://blnnews.com/2026/10/12/another-example-of-wglt-bias/ Here’s another one: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-10-14/music-teacher-and-normal-firefighter-running-to-represent-mclean-county-boards-district-10?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook The AI bias analysis is below, I don’t ask AI anything other than analyze the story for bias. 5. Overall effect The piece does not attack Steinkoenig or invent facts, but the cumulative choices — greater positive credit for Beirne on data centers, more […]
By: Diane Benjamin BNWRD is just one of many local taxing districts that nobody watches. This is the result: . Taxed enough yet?
By: Diane Benjamin Something else to watch first: PDF page 144 https://mcleancountyil.gov/AgendaCenter/County-Board-1#docaccess-2ffafebe6a9a4388fd0c969f31ff6b40 The County will be creating a parks master plan. After they hire the firm revealed on the numerous following pages they will of course have to follow the plan. There will be community engagement, surveys few people take, and then fabulous plans that […]
By: Diane Benjamin The video below was filmed from WGLT’s live stream. In case rural McLean County is confused about him, he doesn’t believe anything that you do. Don’t be fooled by his blue suit and red tie. He believes the Save America Act is too cumbersome and requires too much of voters. In other […]
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT broadcast a live stream on Facebook. It is still there if you want to watch it. The moderators should have told the crowd not to disrupt the event with clapping and cheering—they didn’t. Questions were limited because of disruptions by Crockett supporters. Of course, the question I submitted wasn’t asked. I […]
By: Grok Bloomington only has one chance to get this right. If they fail, data centers will be approved because the application complies with a faulty ordinance. Of course the State of Illinois could pass laws (after the election) returning to their pre-campaign stance of funding them. https://blnnews.com/2026/10/10/yes-pritzker-was-for-data-centers/ If you want to read 20 pages, […]
By: Diane Benjamin The County has a meaningless code of ethics. It’s meaningless because there are no consequences for violating it. This is the last point in the code: The below was posted by McLean County Board candidate Corey Beirne to his official Facebook page. Keep in mind he claims not to be divisive. Keep […]
By: Diane Benjamin For many years Bloomington has held meetings on Columbus Day, this is from last year: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/13/bloomington-could-be-a-long-meeting/ Maybe they intentionally wanted to interfere with the McLean County Clerk forum and open house Tuesday night. Maybe the far leftists on the council didn’t want to meet on Indigenous People’s Day. Maybe somebody actually read […]
By: Grok First instance of bias: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/10/wglt-bias/ If WGLT exists to be left wing media, add that to your name. If you want to be fair and balanced, pick an AI and let it show you where you aren’t before posting stories. I expect neither to happen. Here’s the WGLT story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-10-12/differing-types-of-public-service-shape-key-mclean-county-board-race This is Grok’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois isn’t smart. Data centers would have paid the costs themselves instead of taxpayers. See this link: https://dceo.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dceo/aboutdceo/reportsrequiredbystatute/2025-data-centers-annual-report.pdf PDF pages 5-6: . PDF page 2: . In June 2026 Pritzker paused this program: https://gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker-pauses-new-data-center-tax-incentives So, he was for them before he was against them. In 2023 CIRA received: $1.25 million Illinois Department […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read this story ONLY after you read what Grok said when I asked it to: Say how much bias is in this story. Below is a lot of what it reported. Type it in yourself is you want to see what else was reported. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-10-09/in-northeast-normals-district-5-mclean-county-board-candidates-discuss-finances-and-budget-issues If you think the McLean County Clerk […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember this? https://blnnews.com/2025/09/20/controversy-surrounds-unit-5-board-chair-alex-williams/ Then Unit 5 Board president made a disgusting comment on Facebook. Now he is leaving the Board. He already left Country Financial. From LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilliams-communicationconsulting/ . He now claims to be an expert on misinformation and disinformation. Go back to his Facebook post in the linked story above. Williams […]
By: Diane Benjamin PDF page 114: https://www.normalil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/29463/Annual-Comprehensive-Financial-Report-for-the-fiscal-year-ending-March-31-2026-PDF Remember the Town of Normal taking out a loan to pay for the underpass? This note is in the 3/31/26 financial statements. You are going to paying interest and principal for a LONG time: . Jump to PDF page 173 to see all the other debt.
By: Diane Benjamin Since Normal Township Trustees receive a packet of meeting information that the taxpayers who pay the bills never see, I have to wonder whether they have any concerns about these payments. Apparently not—they didn’t raise the issue at the meeting. I only have it because of a FOIA. Township Supervisor Krystle Able’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/01/unit-5-and-their-5-electric-buses/ The Town of Normal is notorious for funding wants with grants. They can’t afford the underpass or all the trails, so they get other taxpayers to fund things for them. Grants aren’t free money, it was either stolen from other taxpayers or printed money that created the […]
By: Diane Benjamin . These poles are the beginning construction of high voltage transmission lines to act as major conduits for electricity. Thanks to Pritzker for subsidizing battery storage facilities. This one will be very close to Ellsworth. Last I heard the Ellsworth volunteer fire department had no idea how to extinguish a battery fire […]
By: Diane Benjamin H/T a reader Anyone who tells you they voted for lower property taxes because the tax rate is lower is a flat-out liar! Pull out past bills and see it for yourself. A slightly lower rate doesn’t bring your bill down when the assessed value skyrocketed. Duh What else are the McLean […]
By: Diane Benjamin Carl Hinshaw is holding one more property tax seminar THIS WEDNESDAY. 6:00pm-8:00pm GOP office – 202 S. Eldorado, Suite C1, Bloomington According to Carl, the Bloomington Township assigned multiplier was only low because the assessor jacked up many property values! Protests have to filed by 10/29/26. Carl will show you how to […]
By: Diane Benjamin This started with global cooling, that flipped to global warming. Climate Change was then the name picked so they didn’t have to reverse course again. This is a screen shot from the Unit 5 agenda, see item 16: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=660148 Illinois democrats passed a law mandating this as part of the curriculum. It […]
