By: Diane Benjamin
The ONLY reason I started this site IS the Pantagraph. I watched years of their misreporting that turned to lack of reporting. They messed with the WRONG person! Citizens deserve news, the Pantagraph doesn’t report it unless it fits their purpose. They are completely in bed with local government, Steve Vogel’s daughter was Tari Renner’s campaign manger twice. That’s a point he forgets to make every time he writes glowingly about the City. Does that make Vogel Renner’s campaign daddy? Campaign grandpa? It sure doesn’t make him an impartial reporter. The rest want to keep access to all the wine and cheese events, so making waves isn’t on their agenda.
I’ve been reading Pantagraph anonymous Editorials for years. They love to go after the State Republicans. Recently it dawned on them that Madigan and Cullerton might be a problem! Where have you been the last 10 years Anonymous? Glad to see your head is slightly above water now, too bad you didn’t drown though. Advertisers: Your money supports the Pantagraph’s disgusting misuse of the public trust! Since many people have cancelled subscriptions, you are supporting their propaganda!
While realizing the destruction of Illinois inflicted by over-spending Democrats is an improvement, the same local scenario goes unnoticed. This is a line from today’s garbage: “The era of approving a budget with no grounding in the real world is over.” It is way beyond the ability of Renner’s campaign partners to say the same about Bloomington. A budget was just passed that DOESN’T balance. Yes, it had no grounding in the real world Pantagraph!
What if Rauner had set up a special committee of unelected friends to suggest what to do? Renner did, we already know tax increases are going to be included. Not a peep from Anonymous! How did it work out when Illinois gouged the citizens Pantagraph? Fix anything? No! You write about the State, but Bloomington gets a pass? Seriously?
Since Anonymous refuses to report, I have to. They get paid by advertisers to printing crap. Since I mostly work for free and I don’t have a downtown building to unload, I’m not bought. You will continue to get stories from local media meant to deceive you, like yesterdays report from the McLean County Regional Planning Commission. The MCRPC got paid by the City of Bloomington for a Master Plan. The extensive MCRPC report says Bloomington is growing. Government must grow with it! Completely ignored are the 400 jobs lost in 1 year, State Farm moving people out, Country Companies out sourcing jobs to other countries, enrollment at IWU down, empty storefronts, and on and on and on. The Pantagraph ignores the decreasing tax revenue and the lost jobs. Brilliant reporting!
Since the Pantagraph is encouraging the City to limit public comment, they assume citizens will be silenced. So clueless Anonymous! We have tons of ways to make them listen, starting with burying the staff in FOIA requests. I could call on dozens and dozens of people to file requests – if Bloomington wants to declare war on citizens we are ready. Still think they should change to an illegal public comment policy like McLean County and Normal? Since you led the fight to silence citizens, Tari should contact you for help complying with the Freedom of Information law. Your staff isn’t reporting, so get ready to help them out.
One more note: I know how to file and WIN FOIA lawsuits, just because you didn’t report it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Awesome and thank your for the work you do. I’m sending you $150.00 via the “DONATE” button on this website. I also support the FOIA Assault to get their attention in addition to finding out more about the Commissar & his 8 hooligans have up their sleeves.
wow! Thanks. That NEVER happens!
Remind me never to make you angry.
Liars are the only people I won’t tolerate. You should be good!
The mention of the 400 jobs lost leads me to share what I have recently done while driving around – looking for empty buildings and failed businesses etc and WOW are there a LOT of them. That insanity on the West Side once called the Outlet Mall is always worth a drive through, just to see what struggling business has tried to stay open there, the strip just west of the West Market Walmart is also interesting those places opened for such a short time some I had just heard of before they were closed. Let’s not forget the now empty K-Mart and looming right beside it the now to the point of being kind of eerie and a possible location for a Zombie apocalypse theme park of sorts Circuit City. The old K’s merchandise loomed empty for a LONG time before HyVee finally decided to sink a boat load into it (will be interesting to see how they fare) and there are countless other never opened but advertised as opening soon or never really in the running places dotted all over the landscape of BloNo but I must admit one of my faves the Hotel in North Normal on Bus. 51/Main Street the “Coming Soon Crowne Plaza” – the sign that is fading as more of the windows get broken and boarded up and of course just south the defunct A&W/KFC and Pizza Hut which are both looking quite sad indeed. The Curves on the west side of 51 that was open for how long? I think only a few months and it has been empty ever since. There are LOTS more but those are some of the highlights- WOW we are REALLY booming!!! Also would like to know how Target is REALLY doing since the last time i was in there a few weeks ago it had that same feeling that K-mart had not long before they started the sell-down – and CUB leaving, and I know of course why (Hint it was NOT HyVee I heard that HyVee had barely nicked their over-all business) – has for some reason affected me much more than it probably should – I guess because they survived for so long but even they were eventually beat down by high lease costs and high taxes. Wonder if the Pantagraph would ever be interested in a pictorial of all of the empty buildings in Bloomington Normal… probably not WAAAY to much reality.
That wouldn’t fit the agenda!