By: Diane Benjamin If you missed either of the first two stories, see them HERE and HERE The new information comes from another FOIA request I filed to see if STATE EMPLOYEE (as in YOU pay her salary) Judy Valente actually followed through with her threats to file a complaint against the officers involved in her traffic […]
By: Diane Benjamin I filed another FOIA request for all documents connected to the traffic stop of Judith Valente. See the original story here: https://blnnews.com/2018/06/24/smile-you-are-on-police-video/ My goal was to see if she came to her senses and realized she was acting inappropriately or if she filed complaints against the officers. That part of the […]
By: Diane Benjamin According to the Pantagraph (I actually cite sources), Renner is calling a special meeting July 9th to discuss the welcoming ordinance. Of course, he will have to waste more money holding it at the BCPA. Since threats of violence have been made (yes, you Jenn Carrillo), police officers will have to attend. […]
By: Diane Benjamin This note is on the McLean County State’s Attorney website: http://www.mcleancountyil.gov/index.aspx?NID=96 Sources tell me the State’s Attorney job is mostly administrative, I don’t buy it. If the State’s Attorney has never tried a case or prosecuted anyone, how can they know the people they are supervising are competent? I bet prosecuting the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Jenn has new comments on Facebook this morning claiming she is completely non-violent. Everything not in quotes are Jenn’s words. This is non-violent? Below are the parts of the article Jenn didn’t quote. “this man” is President Trump. https://splinternews.com/this-is-just-the-beginning-1827099100 The U.S. had thousands of domestic bombings per year in the early 1970s. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Ms. Lunny just published a story on the Jenn Carrillo violence post and didn’t mention where the Pantagraph found it. I know where she found it: I have this sweet little program linked to my website that tells me where reads are from. Above are two of the reads, I know there […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington City Council LOVES their SECRET meetings – Executive Sessions. They love them so much they won’t release the minutes from when Tom Hamilton was City Manager! Hamilton retired more than 9 years ago. The only reason to not release evaluations etc. is to hide. Some people are STILL on the […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s only a matter of time before Connect Transit makes at all the way to a $1,000,000 loss in one month. They are trying really hard to get there. PDF page 8: file:///C:/Users/Diane/Downloads/26Jun18%20Board%20Meeting%20Packet%20Final.pdf May income was: Income barely covered fuel expenses of $104,193.08 Total expenses: Total Operating Loss: This isn’t monopoly money! This […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader! There is a typo in this paragraph that would make it impossible to enforce in a court. The entire contract needs proofread, fixed and resigned! More needs changed to MORAL.
By: Diane Benjamin Jenn Carrillo announced she is running for Karen Schmidt’s City Council seat. She even moved to the Ward just so she can take on Schmidt. Jenn runs on “Loving everybody” and “When We Fight We Win”. She’s really running against Karen because of the Welcoming Ordinance and the Council’s failure to pass […]
By: Diane Benjamin Before the vote to neuter Tari’s agenda privileges, he gave a little speech. He claimed an Alderwoman came to him 30 days after he was first elected with a list of over 100 items she wanted him to put on the agenda. He claims that person has NEVER voted for a City budget. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington City Council only had ONE meeting last night instead of 2 or 3. It didn’t help them not spend your money, but at least they only contemplated how to shovel out more. Of course, it was on downtown. More later. Jamie Mathy did not attend, so Ward 1 had no […]
By: Diane Benjamin At tonight’s City Council meeting BN Advantage will get $125,000. That is in addition to the $100,000 currently paid to the Economic Development Council which happens to be part of BN Advantage. Confused? It’s not going to get any clearer since both organizations can not be FOIA’d. PDF page 277 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=18156 This is […]
By: Diane Benjamin This article must be read first: https://blnnews.com/2018/06/24/smile-you-are-on-police-video/ h/t another reader Bio from: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00E9BE1J2/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1?redirectedFromKindleDbs=true Judy writes what appear to be self-help spirituality books. Click the link above to see the titles. Any further comment appears unnecessary.
By: Diane Benjamin h/t To a Reader I could have titled this article: So you think you are above the law? Or: Policemen are Saints! Or: How does she still have a State job? Or: This reporter can NOT be allowed to cover crime Or: How did police know she wasn’t driving stoned? The possibilities […]
By: Diane Benjamin Earlier this month the City of Bloomington claimed the Public Works party was financed with employee money from vending machine profits: https://blnnews.com/2018/06/04/party-at-public-works/ I FOIA’d the City vending machine contracts, of course my FOIA was extended. Yesterday I received two contracts dated in 2004. This one is for vending machine products other than […]
By: Diane Benjamin Budgets for Heartland Community College only go back to 2012 on their website. Below are tuition increases starting in 2012: PDF page 11: https://www.heartland.edu/documents/bo/budgetfy12.pdf Note tuition was increased $16 per credit hour in 2012. 2013: PDF page 11: https://www.heartland.edu/documents/bo/budgetfy13.pdf Since 2012 didn’t mention a “Student Life Fee” and it’s only $1 per credit […]
By: Diane Benjamin Followup to this story: https://blnnews.com/2018/06/19/the-next-mclean-county-states-attorney/ Charges have already been dropped against one of the Coliseum defendants – judge blamed the charges filed by the State’s Attorney’s office. Now rape charges have been dropped against another defendant – again the judge ruled the charges weren’t filed right: See this story: https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/rape-charges-dismissed-against-murder-suspect/article_8ac3ab38-b90e-57ae-9632-e6807d557d95.html In both […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=18132 More pension spiking: Connect Transit gets paid late for April: GreenTop got their tax rebate: Not sure about this one – City Sponsoring something at ISU? Springfield Legal got paid More of your money to non-profits: If referendum approves ending BEC, will this be compatible with County: Just the flight to […]
By: Diane Benjamin According to this article (buried on their website), Heartland Community College is planning on not having a balanced budget until 2021. https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/education/heartland-board-approves-first-budget-with-deficit/article_a0c39e6e-4dca-5637-b1ba-749dc4cd88b1.html Do you deficit spend for 2 years or more? Government does. The planned deficit is because they lost the authority to levy “equity property taxes” amounting to $3 million. Of […]
Bloomington City Council Members: At this point, I have to trust that during the search and decision process for a new City Manager, you all garnered significantly more knowledge and capability, than any single citizen has, linked to selecting the best candidate for City Manager. At this point your constituents can only hope that the future provides […]
By: Diane Benjamin The local paper has an editorial declaring the new City Manager the right guy because Decatur re-did their downtown. They think Normal did, so there is no reason Bloomington can’t. They forgot Normal was in ZERO debt before they spent around $100,000,000 on Uptown. (Is that restaurant space on the Circle still […]
By: Diane Benjamin It sounds like both Unit 5 and District 87 are as tired of TIF Districts as the citizens. Both Barry Reilly and Mark Daniel spoke about 23 years of diverted taxes being ridiculous. The Council tabled any changes until better language agreeable to the school districts could be worked out. Bloomington may […]
. . . . . . . . . .
By: Diane Benjamin The biggest problem in the State of Illinois is State’s Attorneys who refuse to prosecute government corruption. I and the Edgar County Watchdogs have seen case after case of extreme malfeasance by government officials that never gets prosecuted. Breaking the law in Illinois is way too easy, getting by with it is […]
By: Diane Benjamin The GOP met tonight to hear presentations from Bloomington Election Commission head Paul Shannon and County Clerk Kathy Michael. The purpose was to determine if the GOP should support a referendum to combine BEC with the County Clerk’s office. After the presentations, the precinct committeemen voted unanimously to support the referendum. I […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight Bloomington is holding a special meeting to talk about TIF’s. Again, they believe they can create prosperity with the “Right Fit”. Here’s the article they need to read: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/6/18/running-government-as-a-business Excerpts: If you’ve been here with Strong Towns for any amount of time, you know the suggestion that, “the object of a […]
By: Diane Benjamin’ What are the charges against Mitchel Mohr? (See this story: https://blnnews.com/2018/06/08/sonetz-mohr-accident-video/) The accident report states: A charge for not wearing a seat belt is not posted on the County website: http://webapp.mcleancountyil.gov/WebApps/PublicAccess/PubAC_Court_CasesCriminal.aspx 71 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone is 16 miles per hour over the speed limit, not […]
County Board member Jim Soeldner sent a resolution the Board passed in 2008. It needs updated! See it here: 2008 McLean County Resolution _________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin Does the Constitution matter or not? The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. (Militia meant every person capable of using a […]
A reader was concerned about these properties and how they are devaluing the area around them. Are maintenance codes enforced? The captions were written by the reader. Recently closed Heartland Printing on IAA drive. Should owner of commercial property be allowed to walk away and leave ugly property. Owner should be required to at least […]
By: Diane Benjamin Public Works employees aren’t happy, especially with Jim Karch. The feeling I get from discussions with some of them is that they don’t trust him and how the department is run. Start with the new garbage trucks and cans purchased some years ago. It was supposed to save money and the backs of […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Liquor Commission before Tari had (if I remember right) 7 members. The King wanted to make all the decisions himself, so he now has two assistants, one of which is going to vote with Tari every time. Only 3 members means Tari thinks and acts like he alone is the moral […]
By: Diane Benjamin Link to the Monday packet: http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2990 Another 10 minute meeting with not much on the agenda. None of these items will get discussed. At the June 4th meeting $25,000 of Harmon Grants were approved – PDF page 27 http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2973 Monday night they are paying the grants, but the total is $26,500 – PDF […]
A reader sent this pic of the “test” changes going on downtown: Comments? . . . . . . . /
An independent has until June 25th to file. That person would need 549 signatures, and at least 1000 to survive a challenge. I’ve heard a name floated – it would make the race FUN! ______________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin Filing paperwork to run for office isn’t an easy job. Evidently the new Democrat Party Chair, Erik […]
By: Diane Benjamin Continuation of this story: https://blnnews.com/2018/05/10/downs-tif-tensions/ Roger Reynolds has a property that isn’t in usable condition. See the pics in the above story. He never authorized anyone to leave his property in the condition it is today. I also heard Downs is planning on using his property for access to the park Corn […]
By: Diane Benjamin Kat (Kathleen) Cantrell (Wilson) is the person in charge of making sure subscribers get delivery of the Pantagraph. She has access to the database of subscribers and likely payment information, how else could she verify whether a customer deserves delivery? Does her access include credit card numbers? The following is from the […]
