By: Diane Benjamin Recently the Pantagraph put out a call for people to write editorials for them. Evidently Justin Boyd answered the call, this was published on August 12th: Bloomington Needs To Rethink Its Future Who is Justin Boyd? Downtown business owner Tari’s One Voice travel buddy: https://blnnews.com/2019/03/21/bloomington-travels-one-voice/ Justin helped get signatures for Julie Emig […]
By: Diane Benjamin This email was sent by a citizen to Pam Reece. The letter from the FAA to the airport printed in this story was attached to the email: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/13/does-media-ever-get-tired-of-being-lied-to/ The point is: Pam knows the airport forcing the soccer kids to leave the property has nothing to do with danger. If those words […]
By: Diane Benjamin At least they are in Normal! Remember how Mayor Koos shut down Stan Nord over expenses because bills listed have already been paid? Auditors make sure the numbers are in the right columns and the required footnotes and disclosures are included in financial statements. The don’t look for fraud and they certainly […]
By: Diane Benjamin Received by FOIA. I seem to remember Pam Reece saying at meetings that staff can’t investigate any issues the Council doesn’t authorize. Since the sport complex suddenly reappeared, Stan Nord sent this email to Pam: Pam responded – note she responded to the entire Council instead of who Stan copied. Is Kathleen […]
By: Diane Benjamin Karyn Smith is still waiting for a ruling from the Attorney General from when she was denied the right to speak to the Normal Council about the mural – because it wan’t on the agenda. See this story: https://blnnews.com/2019/02/28/ag-investigating-town-of-normal-again/ The Attorney General is supposed to rule within 90 days, but this is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Update to the story on Normal paying property taxes they don’t owe: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/11/normal-like-paying-property-taxes-you-dont-owe/ Every day that Normal fails to file the PTax 300 form to change the taxable status of properties that should be exempt means more taxes. Normal will get billed next year for the number of days it was taxable […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/11/normal-like-paying-property-taxes-you-dont-owe/ Evidently Normal plans to continue paying property taxes on parcels that should be exempt. I received this response from the McLean County Assessor today: Understand now your government doesn’t care about wasting money?
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday WGLT did this story: Youth-Soccer-B-N-Preps-Multisport-Complex-Or-Not One thing is clear, YOU have to stop this complex if you don’t want yet another multi-million dollar money pit! The story contains this statement: Anybody see a problem? We are expected to believe it is so dangerous for the kids to play soccer at the airport […]
By: Diane Benjamin Every alderman managed to make it to the meeting last night! Public comment start at 6:22. Gary Lambert spoke at 9:30 about the council not releasing Executive Session minutes that are now over 10 years old. He also mentioned his recent gas bill had municipal taxes higher than his natural gas cost. […]
By: Dine Benjamin Start with this chart that recaps actual and projected tax receipts in the current budget: PDF page 120 https://www.cityblm.org/home/showdocument?id=22149 The Local Motor Fuel Tax didn’t exist before Tari. Since doubling the tax, the City expects to collect $4,630,000 this year. The Amusement Tax didn’t exist before Tari. The City expects to collect […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up: https://blnnews.com/2019/07/12/jose-rodriguez-is-back-in-jail/ Jose Rodriguez was bailed out of jail again after his bond was reduced. He was taken into custody by ICE agents. I am trying to determine what happens next and if he will face prosecution here. To be continued . . . Several people have noticed Tari isn’t living in […]
Update: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/13/assessor-response-received/ By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the Town of Normal does. This property is at 1217 Adelaide: The Town of Normal bought it in 2015 and has been paying property taxes on it ever since. The property should be EXEMPT – not rocket science! So far the Town has wasted: Pam Reece knows and has […]
By: Diane Benjamin Had enough of “Right Fit” yet? I remember Tari telling the Council they HAD to buy the Sugar Creek Packing property to keep anybody else from buying it. (Like anybody else was interested) $245,000 subverting capitalism. Tari bought the old Mennonite Hospital property so he could control who built there. When the […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=22419 There isn’t any new business on the agenda – everything is on the Consent Agenda. Unless some item is pulled, the meeting will last 10 minutes. The former Gypsy Room, now Mystic Kitchen and Tasting Room is up for a Liquor License. It includes package liquor. To start they will only […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder if Chris Koos will try to blame Stan Nord for this: This is yet another company who contacted Stan. They can turn the mural into a digital picture and save taxpayers a lot of money. Stan forwarded the information to City Manager Pam Reece: Have you noticed how Stan continually protects people […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you didn’t attend the showing of “Scramble the SeaWolves” last night at the Normal Theater, you missed a great movie. It told the story of Navy helicopter crews who provided defense in Vietnam. Didn’t know the Navy had helicopters? Until this movie most people didn’t. The SeaWolves formed out of need […]
By: Diane Benjamin The report provided to both Bloomington and Normal in July of 2018 should have ended the conversation on a sports complex: https://blnnews.com/2018/07/17/sports-complex-must-be-dead-on-arrival/ Why discussions have resurfaced now for an even more expensive facility – $50,000,000 -is slightly a mystery. I know a few people to blame, why anybody thinks this is a […]
By: Diane Benjamin See the story and video here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/illinois-homeowner-wins-25-000-for-having-americas-ugliest-kitchen-300897723.html Excerpts: Robin Kidwell, 69, a Bloomington, IL homeowner, won the $25,000 grand prize in a contest held by Figure, a home equity lender, to identify and help renovate America’s ugliest kitchen. “I’ve got no counters, no light fixtures, the wiring’s bad, and one wall is missing,” says Robin, a […]
By: Diane Benjamin CIRBN is registered with Secretary of State as an LLC – Limited Liability Corporation. They call themselves a Public Utility and claimed tax exempt status as a 501(c)(3). In 2017 they had an operating loss of $778,891 but claim to have assets of $11,907,431. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/461304666/201812419349300236/IRS990 This is CIRBN in short: The Obama […]
By: Diane Benjamin Trustees Karyn Smith and Chemberly Cummings were absent. The easiest way to recap last night’s meeting is by topic. Readers can jump in the video to topics of interest to them. The meeting finale was priceless, don’t miss it. 4:00 – Stan Nord removes B-H on the Omnibus Agenda. Chris Koos is […]
I know most of you aren’t listening! Just an FYI By: Diane Benjamin I have never been a big Rodney Davis fan. At times he does the right thing and at times he’s part of the swamp. He does know a few things about mass shootings though since he was in one on a Virginia […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is another issue I learned about only because of emails I received by FOIA from the Town of Normal. Original story: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/01/the-foia-email-treasure-trove/ Frequently it feels like government doesn’t care about money until they need more of it. Of course, they know where to get it. In Normal we frequently hear about […]
By: Diane Benjamin Partial list of empty buildings in downtown Bloomington: CII East Front and Center and the building to the west Former Clark and Barlow Peoples Bank Elks Former Pantagraph building Ensenberger Condos – 6 for sale on Zillow A large variety of smaller spaces are also empty Bloomington doesn’t need another one! State […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two of this weeks top read stories were about Koos lying to the media. I hope you noticed the media hasn’t issued a correction! I don’t know how you could have missed these stories, but if you did: https://blnnews.com/2019/07/31/did-chris-koos-lie/ https://blnnews.com/2019/07/31/did-chris-koos-lie-part-2/ Last night I was wondering what possesses a supposed public servant to […]
By: Diane Benjamin It is laughable if government is involved! Normal’s City Manager Pam Reece think there is a need: https://www.wglt.org/multisport-complex-discussion-resume The sports complex will never pay for itself. That isn’t my opinion, it was the opinion of Sports Facilities Advisory: https://blnnews.com/2018/07/17/sports-complex-must-be-dead-on-arrival/ Reece claims tourism dollars will flow in! Did they for the Coliseum? The […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday night agenda: http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3373 PDF page 61 Part of Shelbourne already has bike lanes: Has anybody counted how many people use the current bike lanes? The Town claims the residents have been notified and no complaints have been made about the on-street parking ban. This one is fun! The State of Illinois shows […]
By: Diane Benjamin We know why Stan Nord is being attacked in Normal – anyone actually representing citizens always has been. January 24, 2008 Pantagraph Headline: Officials not allowing city workers to talk with council members https://www.pantagraph.com/news/officials-not-allowing-city-workers-to-talk-with-council-members/article_f4228b0d-8f16-5899-b640-0ef103ab4ba3.html The first line: Since I know you can read, click the link and see the rest for yourself. […]
By: Diane Benjamin It could take a long time to report everything I received with a FOIA of emails between Stan Nord and Normal City Manager Pam Reece. One thing obvious is she doesn’t approve of Stan looking at what she and the “professional staff” do. Pam thinks Stan’s job is setting policy, not looking […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night WMDB TV did a story on problems veterans with disabilities will have accessing services at the new veterans clinic in south Bloomington if they have to ride the bus to get there. I wrote about the issues here: https://blnnews.com/2019/07/24/does-bloomington-care-about-vets/ Once again Connect Transit isn’t listening. They plan to erect a […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader From the McLean County Community Action (MCCA) website, the group that runs Mayor’s Manor: https://mccainc.org/who-we-are/our-history The apartments are located on the west side of downtown: It is one block from the Coliseum, if any shows are held – visitors likely have to walk by. The property used to […]
