By: Diane Benjamin A reader sent me a screenshot of the front page of today’s paper. Headline: County Plans $150 Million Budget In smaller print below this: Property tax rate may hit 20-year low Read down and you will find out the proposed budget is $6 million higher than this year. Budget up, rates down. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since everyone’s finally sick of the nonstop election commercials and lies—congratulations, you survived! Now get ready for Round Two. Next April there’s another election… the local one that almost nobody bothers showing up for. Apparently tossing out the same clowns who keep jacking up your taxes just isn’t worth the five minutes […]
By: Diane Benjamin In 2025, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) lowered the test-score thresholds required for students to be classified as proficient in English and Mathematics. Duh, lower proficiency standards magically raises scores. This guy is taking credit: . Here’s what is really happening, Illinois Public Schools have been failing to educate for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/24/little-birdie-update-why-she-was-fired/ Krystle Able posted again this morning the Township is hiring a Development Director. The last one WAS fired for probable theft and that was likely never reported to the Normal Police. Stealing from taxpayers is a non-prosecutable offense? Krystle doesn’t want you to know how she and her HR director […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/business-and-economy/2026-10-29/rivian-posts-strong-production-numbers-for-third-quarter-moves-toward-autonomous-vehicles If you read this WGLT story you aren’t getting the whole story. First, it didn’t mention the Rivian stock price has been sliding for 3 months: The story also doesn’t say this: https://www.kare11.com/article/syndication/associatedpress/rivian-automotive-q3-earnings-snapshot/616-443259e8-22d2-4633-884c-08b7f386ca27 On a per-share basis, the Irvine, California-based company said it had a loss of 63 cents. Losses, adjusted […]
By: Diane Benjamin You are expected to forget this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/24/little-birdie-update-why-she-was-fired/ Have you? Start with this pic of the crowd and Board Pledging allegiance to the almost invisible flag. The screen has never been in front of it before. . The video below is of the Township Assessor. His office currently has 416 assessment protests. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/28/connect-transit-yesterday-2/ Sometime during the day yesterday video of the Connect Transit Board meeting held on 10/27/26 appeared. I was interested in the disposal of the electric buses. A staff member provided a brief recap that didn’t include any information about revenue, other than they expect some. No one […]
By: Diane Benjamin Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/07/know-what-this-is-2/ That story shows the beginnings of high voltage transmission lines running to a new battery storage facility near Ellsworth. This is what is looks like now. These HUGE poles runs east and west of Leroy-Lexington blacktop for what looks like miles: . Note how much taller they […]
By: Diane Benjamin The latest Connect Transit Board meeting was yesterday. No video of that meeting is posted on YouTube where all the others are. I would have loved to hear this discussion: . How much do they think 12 electric buses that don’t run will sell for? Remember when they tried to give them […]
By: Diane Benjamin Previous: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/27/3-things-you-need-to-know-17/ Are all the Democrat incumbents break the law by wearing their taxpayer funded name tag out campaigning? Here’s another one: Eric Hansen, spouse of alderman Cody Hendricks, with Corey Beirne. Remember this? Voters can dissolve this cabal in 1 week. Beirne has a ton of other pics on his Facebook […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) The Normal Township meeting was canceled yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2026/10/25/oma-violation-krystle/ Nothing was ever put on the website about this meeting, including canceling it. Township Board member Tanner Starr, who just filed paperwork to run for Normal Trustee, is now claiming Beth wasn’t fired. She quit. A new little birdie told me she is […]
By: Diane Benjamin The three agenda items supporting the redevelopment of Eastland Mall all passed easily at last night’s City Council Meeting. That will be the end of easy because Molly Ward and the other pretend nonpartisan aldermen made demands. Molly will not support any further plans unless they include a Project Labor Agreement (PLA). […]
By: Diane Benjamin More retirees are getting paid for accumulated un-used sick days. Does your employer allow this? Was this used to increase the pensions? I know who to FOIA and it isn’t the City of Bloomington! https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/33721/639280818851730000 . With all the excitement concerning Eastland Mall, this regular agenda item was overlooked: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4121/files/attachment/13426 . Negotiations […]
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, […]
