By: Diane Benjamin This meeting was held in response to the damage caused by the tornado that hit Bloomington on April 17th. Just hit play to see some pictures, most I haven’t seen in the media. Slides are included showing the 911 and non-emergency calls during and after the storm. No injuries or deaths have […]
It’s will be 14 years on April 28th since I started writing. I’m taking today off, maybe longer. If anyone is wondering, I don’t get paid for “clicks”. That is a story for another day.
By: Diane Benjamin If you aren’t a subscriber to their emails, you should be: Subscribe here Last week the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its seminal, annual Rich States, Poor States report, which ranks all 50 states on their economic competitiveness using metrics like total tax burden, labor laws and the cost of debt service. Open […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is an email that was sent and answered in March by William Bessler to McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael on behalf of the Finance Committee. The chair of that committee, Val Laymon, at least one other committee member, and administration also received the response from Kathy Michael. Bessler’s questions are listed […]
By: Diane Benjamin Another 1480 jobs have been lost so far in April. https://www.illinoisworknet.com/LayoffRecovery/Pages/IllinoisWARNData.aspx In February, Illinois unemployment was much higher than surrounding states. That likely continued in March with another 2080 layoffs reported according to the above link: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-unemployment-rate-ties-for-3rd-worst-in-the-nation/ . April Reported Layoffs to Date: Resilience Healthcare – West Suburban Medical Center, LLC3 Erie […]
By: Diane Benjamin Staff doesn’t see the humor in calling Committee of the Whole COW. I do. 😁 This is posted for tonight’s scheduled meeting: . The next Committee of Whole meeting is on May 18th. The next regularly scheduled meeting however is next Monday.
By: Diane Benjamin Besides raising water rates 100% over 3 years, the City of Bloomington raised your property taxes too this year. Excerpts from when the water rate increases were passed 11/27/2023: https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/cityblm/9f871a978bec4858933e854eec3650e40.pdf The capital projects will include approximately: (1) $75M to $100M in systemwide distribution improvements; (2) $100M in lead service replacement; (3) $125M […]
By: Diane Benjamin It looks like the County Board Democrats were merely playing theatrics to promote their McLean County Clerk candidate. If you appreciate lies, then we all know who you are going to vote for. PDF page 238 https://mcleancountyil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04162026-1174 This was passed last Thursday: This is what the Board actually approved – from Kathy […]
By: Diane Benjamin In case you forgot, May 1st your water rates are going up again. https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/departments/water/resident-community/water-rate-increase-and-capital-project-updates
By: Diane Benjamin Awarding a new contract to build the underpass is NOT on Monday’s agenda: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5568 Did the Council finally come to their senses? Don’t count on it. Link to just one of numerous underpass stories: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/06/normal-doesnt-have-an-underpass-contractor/ That story says the grant deadline to finish the project is June 2027, but I also heard […]
By: Diane Benjamin The media can either perpetuate lies or report fairly. This will clearly show who is only interested in promoting the left and who actually cares about the truth. I have emails proving McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael responded to the Administration and Finance Committee when questions were raised about budget overages. I […]
By: Diane Benjamin One thing good about Krystle Able: She responds to FOIA requests on the same day I file them! It goes downhill for her from there. You wouldn’t know that if all you read was WGLT: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-04-15/normal-township-approves-ballot-question-on-pro-israel-state-law Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/15/what-really-happened-at-krystles-meeting/ Krystle claims putting the anti-Israel question on the Township Agenda was […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mayor Brady is looking for volunteers to serve on Boards and Commissions. The Japanese Sister City Committee has a lot of vacancies! The Citizens’ Beautification Committee has a lot of vacancies too. Those are just 2 that wouldn’t require an extensive amount of time. See the long list of City Boards and […]
The writer’s name is Jeff Lord, candidate for McLean County Board Distrist 5 By: Diane Benjamin Krystle Able’s version is in this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/15/some-things-you-need-to-know/ This was posted on Facebook by a guy who attended. I would use his name but I don’t have his permission to use it. If he contacts me or comments below, […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-04-15/isu-takes-part-in-campaign-to-recruit-teachers-from-other-career-fields . In other words, if you are WHITE – don’t apply. Teaching skills, including the ability to connect with students, won’t be considered. DEI discrimination is alive and well in Illinois. The lie that students can’t learn from someone with a different skin color is evil. https://www.wglt.org/illinois/2026-04-14/house-speaker-backs-millionaires-tax-but-democrats-split-over-how-much-to-devote-to-property-tax-relief . The ruling party […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when the local anti-semites’ tried to put this on the ballot using the Bloomington Township annual meeting? Shall the United States federal government and subordinate divisions stop giving military funding to Israel, which currently costs taxpayers 3.8 billion dollars a year, given Israel’s global recognition as an apartheid regime with a […]
By: Diane Benjamin One big difference between Mayor Mwilambwe and Mayor Brady: Meetings start at 6:00. I don’t remember time mattering to Mboka. Arbor Day got a proclamation. Trees are wonderful, I’ve got a bunch of them still dropping dead branches from the last ice storm years ago. I hope since Bloomington has two arborists […]
By: Diane Benjamin We spent the weekend in Wisconsin visiting our 4 months old adorable grandson. While northern Illinois is littered with solar fields and wind turbines, we saw none north of the border. We always go through Belvidere instead of Rockford. Besides avoiding paying to leave Illinois and come back, we need a driving […]
By: Diane Benjamin Link to tonight’s agenda Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4102/files/agenda/12569 I bet some local business is kicking themselves for not jumping on the naming rights for the Coliseum. You could have gotten free advertising forever—nobody else seems to want their name on the building. Just pay for a few years, cancel the contract afterward, and your […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is the final consultant report. Stories the last few days total the almost $6 million I reported by on March 18th: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/18/paid-consultants-inccrra/ Heartland Community College got $165,408.88 to run a pilot program to train childcare workers. My original FOIA stated Heartland got $169,408, maybe expenses were exceeded. All of the rest […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this story: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/waste-watch-illinois-gives-500000-to-health-advocacy-non-profit/ Type Bloomington in the SEARCH to see what Illinois budgeted. Wesleyan isn’t the only non-government entity getting money. Is Wesleyan discounting tuition to local residents too much to fund their own projects or did the local reps decide to gift them your money? . Next type Normal in […]
By: Diane Benjamin The groups below got grants. Some grants say PLANNING and some say Implementing, but they all relate to the Birth to Five program: United Way (various locations) Spark $59,900, Northwest Consortium $44,309, Champaign $108,758 YWCA (various locations) Willowbrook-$90,228, Tri-Town (Villa Park)-$52,700, North Chicago-$75,000 The Collaboration for for Early Childhood care and Education […]
By: Diane Benjamin WordPress didn’t allow the title to show as intended! The real company name is 1o8 LLC. The zero isn’t a zero, it’s an “O”. A reader tipped me off to that one! That hasn’t been clear anywhere I’ve seen. It does make it easier to find information! See this website: https://www.inc.com/profile/1o8 Quote: […]
By: Diane Benjamin It took 3 weeks to get a FOIA from IDHS based on this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/18/paid-consultants-inccrra/ The delay was caused by 2 extensions. They had to get the information from the local INCCRRA office. That story includes a list of some of the paid consultants involved in the $17 million Illinois Network of […]
By: Diane Benjamin The video in this story was only on Facebook. https://blnnews.com/2026/04/08/public-comment-chaos-at-springfield-council-meeting/ The City of Springfield now has it on their YouTube channel. Just hit Play to hear the comment from the former Police Chief that started the chaos. You should know the alderwoman who responds is a far leftist. Alderman Shawn Gregory then […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/district-87-superintendent-award The superintendent of District 87 schools in Bloomington has been named a Superintendent of Distinction by the Illinois Association of School Administrators. Enrollment is dropping while Mouser increased taxes. He’s on a spending spree with new projects including pre-school. Test scores are DISMALL! https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/district.aspx?source=trends&Districtid=17064087025 Then there is this gem: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/19/district-87-to-students-being-american-doesnt-matter/ Dr […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is the closest I can get to showing what happened yesterday, because the City of Springfield pulled the video. https://www.wandtv.com/news/illinois/springfield-council-meeting-ends-abruptly-after-clash-between-alderman-former-police-chief/article_e21b6b00-a8f0-430f-99af-9dea8d6d6bd5.html I know many people who speak during Public Comment believe they deserve an instant response from the Mayor or City Council. This is why that doesn’t happen. The former police chief […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Code of Ethics Normal passed last night is really cute, but it has no enforcement mechanisms. Therefore it is meaningless. Four Council members will continue to ignore the citizens who don’t want money thrown away on a $40+ million underpass. Those four will continue to vote for spending whatever it takes […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus isn’t a “progressive”. The local Unitarian Church is: https://uubn.org/wp/ Quotes from their website: Unitarian Universalism is an unambiguously, unapologetically progressive faith. Our congregation affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all people through our work in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Subscribers: I don’t think the Weekend comics posts was sent on Saturday (WordPress problem!). See it here: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/04/weekend-comic-truth/ Illinois has the highest property tax rates in the country: https://smartasset.com/taxes/illinois-property-tax-calculator Those rates make homes and rental units unaffordable. This year they will be increasing again. The new assessed values for taxes this year […]
By: Diane Benjamin IRS form 990 for Brightpoint, formerly Children’s Home and Aid: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/362167743/202521309349300107/full From their tax return: WE ADVANCE THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN BY INVESTING IN FAMILIES TO DISRUPT THE SYSTEMIC AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL CYCLE OF RACIAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC INEQUITY. This webpage shows they operate in 10 counties, but the majority of offices are […]
By: Diane Benjamin Are the electric buses alive now? Are these 12 buses really running? This page lists the bus fleet: https://connect-transit.com/about/our-fleet 6 hybrid. 32 other buses are listed as diesel. This was mentioned at the March 2026 Connect Transit meeting: The Gillig buses that Connect Transit already has are diesel. The documentation for this […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story was inspired by the following article: https://illinoisfamily.org/federal/the-hunger-industrial-complex-part-ii-the-six-figure-charity-racket/ You REALLY need to read that story before continuing. One excerpt: When you compare what food-bank executives earn to the work these organizations actually do, the picture that emerges isn’t one of modest, volunteer-driven charity. It’s a professional system of administration and logistics […]
By: Diane Benjamin Meeting is at 4:30 today. February statistics I care about, others are in the packet: See PDF page 11. New Fare Structure! And Evidently how it is collected: PDF page 4: PDF page 15: BUDGETED 2027 loss: Income: $1,752,000 Expenses: $27,632,170 27,632,170 – 1,752,000 = 25,880,170 25,880,170 / 12 = Connect Transit […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even though Bloomington’s website looks the same, it is now MUCH faster. Try it: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/ Did these guys do something to it? . This was passed at the last meeting. https://blnnews.com/2026/03/26/bloomington-waiting-until-the-last-minute-again/
