Normal DOESN’T want to see YOU!

By:  Diane Benjamin When Chemberly Cummings held her poorly attended Daring Diversity Summit the Town of Normal created an entire web page to it, now they are advertising for 2020:  http://www.normal.org/daringdiversity The Town had numerous Facebook posts in September for the October 3rd event.  The Pantagraph even did an article quoting some council members and […]

Normal for Monday night

By:  Diane Benjamin https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3477 PDF page 15:  https://normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/15625/CAFR19-FINAL-DOC $610 for this?  The financial statements were released before they received the 2019 certificate, so they re-used the one from 2018: Bloomington paid her $3000 too:  https://blnnews.com/2019/11/07/bloomingtons-monday-payments/ Purpose? Redistributing your money: Not much exciting on the agenda, maybe a few tears about property taxes not going up.  […]

Update to NEXT Week’s meetings

By:  Diane Benjamin The December 2nd joint meeting of the Bloomington and Normal Councils to print money for a sports complex has been cancelled.  Evidently they found out that is illegal. Actually Bloomington has little interest in funding a $43 million project guaranteed to lose money and Normal can’t do it alone.  Why a meeting […]

Trolls Live Scores, attendance dismal

By:  Diane Benjamin Unlike the BCPA who think event reports aren’t important, VenuWorks posts theirs.  This proves the difference between a company that can be fired and City employees who know nobody cares if they do their job.  The BCPA hasn’t posted any event reports since the last time I FOID’d them.  Thanks for the […]

FOIA Lawsuit filed

Remember when the Edgar County Watchdogs spoke to the Council concerning a police officer who suddenly “quit”?  He is now working for the County.  Since his departure facts were buried, I wonder what he told them? We know there is more to the story.  Numerous emails were redacted – too many to comply with the […]

Bloomington IS Department fails

By:  Diane Benjamin The Live Stream of the Council meeting had no sound last night.  Today a video is posted with no sound until around 12:00.  When there is sound it wasn’t recorded from the microphones, people whispering, shuffling papers, and footsteps can be heard in numerous places. At 8:10  a lady spoke during public […]

TWO meetings you need to know about

By:  Diane Benjamin When government schedules ‘off” night meetings, most people never know about them until it’s too late to attend.  These two you need to know about in advance. The first meeting is December 2nd.  This is a joint meeting of the Bloomington and Normal Councils to discuss a sports complex.  It will take place […]

Glen Ellyn vrs Normal

By:  Diane Benjamin Glen Ellyn also got a federal grant.  While Normal received $13 million, they got $14.4 million. The grant is for reconstructing their Metra station and a pedestrian tunnel: What’s the price tag? $20,000,000 Source:  http://www.dailyherald.com/glen-ellyn-to-celebrate-144m-grant-for-metra-station-project What is the price tag for Normal’s underpass (only)? $22,000,000 Glenn Ellyn’s tunnel will have ramps to […]

A little of what Bloomington is paying Monday:

By:  Diane Benjamin https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=23513 EAC is the employees – this time doing the chili cook off.  I like how the expense is charged to Community Relations, the community wasn’t invited. Martin Luther King’s dream is now officially dead.  Black Administrators need their own forum, the color of someone’s skin must somehow make them want things […]

Bloomington Agenda for Monday

By:  Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1049&Inline=True Details on PDF page 11: Great job by City employees, what took so long to recognize them? PDF page 63 – the City needs to budget for extensive restoration of the outside – BCPA.  This is just repairs. PDF page 93 – Another cost taxpayers could have avoided if they had voted […]

Do I have to FOIA reports BCPA?

By:  Diane Benjamin The last event report posted by the BCPA was from October 2: https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-1784 Are they: hiding losses? afraid to show what happening at this TAXPAYER owned building? on a long vacation? way too busy to do a simple report? coming to work late and leaving early? Taxpayers deserve to know what the […]

What’s going on at Heartland Head Start?

By:  Diane Benjamin First, I am not even slightly familiar with Heartland Head Start.  I am using information I’ve been told and info received by a FOIA request.  HHS isn’t subject to FOIA. There is one familiar name on their governing board:    https://www.heartlandheadstart.org/en/get-involved/governance/governance-board HHS is supported by federal tax dollars and some local organizations.  […]

Combating FAKE News

By:  Diane Benjamin I already reported Mike Matejka left facts out of his forum commentary:  https://blnnews.com/2019/11/15/mike-matejka-leaves-out-some-facts/ Yesterday he did some community organizing to make sure his followers stay fired up and uninformed.  It’s all politics all the time for Mike, facts are immaterial. Matejka didn’t lead this event, but he posted it on his Facebook […]

Normal: Outrageous Price!

By:  Diane Benjamin At Monday’s Council meeting at was announced they think the formerly $24,000,000 underpass can be built for $22,000,000.  This Uptown vanity won’t allow a single car to avoid sitting at a crossing waiting for a train to pass.  It won’t stop people from crossing the tracks on foot at other crossings. Compare […]

Another Lesson in Limited Government

By:  Diane Benjamin There are two types of people in government:   Those who think their position demands they “make progress”   Those who think their job is to create an environment so people can create their own “progress”. One uses your money for their vision, the other allows you to create your own vision.  […]

Normal Recap Part 2

By:  Diane Benjamin City Manager Pam Reece claimed they posted audio of Public Comment from the previous meeting.  All I see is a deleted video. Lesson from this Council meeting: Cummings wasn’t on video this time during the pledge.  Coincidence? If you want to talk for more than 3 minutes during public comment – first […]

Normal recap 11/18/2019 Part 1

By:  Diane Benjamin Normal held two meetings last night.  The first one was a Work Session pertaining to the underpass. Public Comment was first: 7:30  Sonja Reece explained why the underpass is essential.  One item she noted was buses from Chicago bringing field trip kids from Chicago need a way to get the kids across […]

Bloomington recap 11/18/19

By:  Diane Benjamin Two council members were absent:  Joni Painter and Kimberly Bray Connect Transit’s Judy Buchanan didn’t show up.  The presentation was cancelled “due to illness”. Side Note: WGLT reported only 6 members out of 13 attended the illegal Saturday meeting – they discussed items for almost 4 hours anyway:  https://www.wglt.org/connect-transit-likely-delay-fare-increase-again-awaits-working-group-report How much of […]

Champaign gets Costco, Bloomington?

By. Diane Benjamin A new Costco store will be opening in the former Bergners location in the Champaign mall.  Was Bloomington even looked at? https://www.news-gazette.com/news/champaign-council-approves-tax-incentive-deal-for-costco/article_5016464f-879d-5eef-a0bd-73c4f09f9969. Where is the Economic Development Council?  Where is Bloomington’s Economic Development department? Champaign had to promise tax breaks based on future sales, is an empty store better? Bloomington’s mall has […]

Bloomington Tonight – Committee of the Whole

By:  Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1045&Inline=True Dimmitt’s Grove planning will be discussed  If you own property there, pay attention.  Government planning is inflexible and usually steals property rights. This paragraph is included:  Connect Transit must not have room on the empty buses to drop residents off  at any of the grocery stores to the east, northeast, or […]

Update: Normal tonight

The ornaments are for sale: By:  Dine Benjamin https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3467 Since the video had “technical difficulties” just during public comment at the last meeting, the minutes for approval tonight have a TINY bit of info on each person who spoke – emphasis on TINY: All of the speakers with the exception of Dave Shields were against […]

Connect Transit: Empty Buses and Brains

By:  Diane Benjamin After NOT posting the Agenda for today’s meeting 48 hours in advance as required by the Open Meetings Act (LAW!), yesterday Connect moved the meeting and thought people would magically know:    https://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/cttf_working_group/agendas.asp No surprise, they didn’t have enough people for a quorum, some members of the public went to the wrong […]

Jenn recruited Decatur radicals

By:  Diane Benjamin The radical leftists are running rampant again just like they did in the 60’s.  They weren’t stopped then until they showed their violent side, expect the rabble-rousing to accelerate in the future. The Decatur City Council  voted to not allow a cannabis dispensary.  A group called the Decatur Dispensary Project is collecting […]

How to get crowds downtown

By:  Diane Benjamin Last night the Planning Commission approved onsite use of cannabis.  That makes cannabis just like a bar! Where are the bars? Downtown! Users will flock downtown to smoke weed inside even though cigarettes have been banned for years.  Maybe some snack shops will open to satisfy the munchies of the participants. Jenn […]

More from Normal’s meeting nobody attended

By:  Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Council holds Committee of the Whole meetings to discuss items in public.  In Normal they meet during the day for many hours at a time so the public doesn’t attend.  The meeting with Lyle Sumek wasn’t even held in the Council Chambers. All of the pics below are from the […]

Comment from a reader!

By:  Diane Benjamin Read this story first:  https://blnnews.com/2019/11/13/school-indoctrination-on-full-display-last-night/ The comment was made on Twitter, so you won’t see it here. If Bloomington wants to pander to the local socialists and provide warming and cooling centers: They have a NEVER used fire station complete with a kitchen and probably beds. Since it is on the southwest […]

Do electric buses work in the cold?

By:  Diane Benjamin In Indianapolis their electric buses started losing the charge when the temperature got below 50 degrees! See this story:  https://www.theindychannel.com//indygo-electric-buses-having-battery-problems-cant-handle-the-cold Excerpts from TODAY’s story: INDIANAPOLIS — The IndyGo electric buses are already showing signs of trouble as the temperatures plunge. It’s a problem Call 6 Investigates first exposed in March, and now it’s happening. […]