By: Diane Benjamin I’d love to tell you which streets are going to be fixed this year, but the information still isn’t posted on the City website as promised: https://www.cityblm.org/government/departments/public-works/bloomington-streets#ad-image-103 I did hear Hershey and Streid Drive are on the list, both badly needed. Don’t forget – the only money they are spending is Motor […]
By: Diane Benjamin Watch the discussion of Stan Nord’s plat beginning with a speech by Mayor (hypocrite) Koos at 1:06:43. The entire discussion is lenthy, get a cup of coffee and get comfortable. Kathleen Lorenz, Kevin McCarthy, Chemberly Cummings and the mayor all wanted Nord to pay a price for ignoring Town orders. Attn Frauds: […]
By: Diane Benjamin VOTE Bloomington sample ballots: https://www.becvote.org/wordpress/electiondatesandoffices/specimen-ballot/ Everywhere but Bloomington: https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/692/Sample-Ballots You have to vote either Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or nonpartisan (only matters for Letory and El Paso-Gridley Schools). Picking a party doesn’t make you a member of that party. It does prevent you from seeing the same old names on the ballot again in […]
By: Diane Benjamin I don’t want you to miss the comment made to this story: https://blnnews.com/2020/03/15/a-real-emergency-will-kill-you/ It says everything I’ve been trying to tell you: Everyone needs to relax. This virus has been here for some time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the actual number of cases is 10 times what has been […]
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT wrote a story on March 6, 2020 stating: wglt.org/wages-flat-mclean-county-lagging-rest-us-economy __________________________ Tonight’s Normal Town Council agenda: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3580 PDF page 71: Normal gives Cost of Living increases twice a year! Normal’s own propaganda arm – WGLT – stated wages are flat for most residents. I saw a station selling gas for $1.88 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois has not cancelled the primary election for Tuesday! Evidently rumors are on social media saying it is. Show up! Still undecided on Dan Brady? This should help: You can’t get rid of McLean County Auditor Michelle Anderson unless you pull a Republican ballot. She needs to go!
By: Diane Benjamin An EMP taking out electricity for months or even years would kill most of the population. Proof is in the chaos created by a virus. The number of cases of Wuhan Corona virus is going to grow, just like every flu grows. Some people will die, most won’t. Media loves to report […]
I’m sorry both of you do not understand America. I’m sorry you both do not appreciate history and capitalism. I’m sorry you don’t understand that government is the problem, not the solution. Most of the world lived in extreme poverty before capitalism, it works. Many around the globe no longer live in poverty because America showed […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember around a decade ago when taxes you already paid funded garbage service? The City of Bloomington put trash in an enterprise fund and gradually raised your fees to cover the cost. All the taxes you used to pay for garbage have been swallowed by the bureaucracy. Meanwhile the Coliseum is an […]
This will be a national story: (except for ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, or MSNBC) https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2020/03/13/illinois-mayor-may-ban-firearms-ammunition-as-part-of-emergency-over-wuhan-virus-n2564916 By: Diane Benjamin The Champaign City Council held an emergency meeting this morning to respond to Corona virus. What did Champaign do when 60,000,000 Americans contracted the Swine Fly and 18,000 died? Anyone? Anything? This is an obvious abuse of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Years ago ISU decided to tear down old dorms. This led to a plethora of private companies building housing for ISU students. Buildings went up all over Normal that contribute to the Town budget through property taxes. ISU has now decided to build a sophomore dorm. Are 2nd year kids living on […]
By: Diane Benjamin Events all over Bloomington-Normal are cancelled because of the Wuhan Corona Virus. The BCPA cancelled shows through August 12th. Taxpayers are likely cheering that one, months of no money losing shows! Are the employees going to be laid off until then? WEEK compiled a Bloomington list: https://week.com/2020/03/12/bloomington-shuts-down-bcpa-calls-off-arena-events-due-to-covid-19/ Connect Transit still transports people […]
What you need to know: If you don’t feel well STAY HOME. This is a huge threat is to our healthcare system. Even though we are in better shape than a lot of countries, we do not have hospital bed availability for millions of people who may need treatment. Doctors, nurses, and emergency workers could […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since not all readers are in the immediate area: Darren Duncan was a member of the Vermilion County Board when the Board voted to appoint him to County Treasurer. Video of the Vermilion County Board meeting where Duncan was appointed County Treasurer: https://youtu.be/eeISUjvr0mE Top of page 4 March 14, 2017 Vermilion County Board […]
By: Diane Benjamin We know the Secretary of State’s office has screwed up Automatic Voter Registration. Non-citizens have been registered, some voted. Incarcerated individuals were mistakenly removed from the voter roles – after they served their time. Two days ago we found out some people who applied for a Real-ID were taken off the voter […]
By: Diane Benjamin Some time around 2017 the rules changed at the Law and Justice Center for taking electronic devices inside the building. The head Circuit Court judge appointed a member of the media to approve press credentials so they could take in cameras, cell phones etc. The first press coordinator was Edith Brady-Lunny who […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you haven’t heard, the trial for John Butler as a result from his time managing the Coliseum got delayed again. It will supposedly happen on August 10th. More event reports have been posted, all show a profit. See if you can figure out what is embarrassing about this one: VenuWorks is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Heyworth is adding information about local government to their website. Agendas for all meetings should now be posted 48 hours in advance: http://www.heyworth-il.gov/local_government/index.php An agenda is not posted for this meeting as required by the Open Meetings Act. Since it appears Heyworth is trying to inform citizens by expanding available information I […]
By: Diane Benjamin Original story: https://wordpress.com/post/blnnews.com/75482 The Village of Heyworth could easily post Council meeting information on-line so citizens can inform themselves. If they refuse to add that information to their really nice website it will be because hiding information until it gets passed is the real agenda. Transparency is always good policy. Borrowing $500,000 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Both Jamie Mathy and Kimberly Bray were absent. Jenn Carrillo called in because she was sick. Public Comment started with a guy representing the same group that presented in Normal demanding both cities create a climate change plan for extreme weather. See 5:35. He claimed Normal agreed to work with them, I […]
Followup story: https://blnnews.com/2020/03/10/heyworth-you-are-too-late-to-stop-it/ This was in the Normalite, printed with permission of the author: HEYWORTH – The Village of Heyworth may borrow up to $500,000 to finance the 50th anniversary celebration of the Kickapoo Rock Festival. Trustee Clay Wiseman was the lone vote against borrowing the money from First State Bank of Bloomington. The promissory […]
By: Diane Benjamin Who decided it was a great idea to award Jeff Fritzen with not only an expensive party but a retirement bike? Anybody know? Evidently the Town of Normal doesn’t know either, they just paid Chris Koos’s bill submitted almost a year later. I FOIA’d the Town for any communication about the bike. […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Defining what it means to be Progressive is Nikita Richard, failed candidate for McLean County Clerk: Nikita “tagged” McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael and McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage apparently to embarrassed them into allowing prisoners here to vote. Sheriff Sandage responded: Next, Kathy Michael responded, these comments appear […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass must have a tough life living and reporting on the Chicago corruption. If you’ve ever rad his columns, he turns it into comedy. Kass wrote a column on January 30th pertaining to the supposed ethics reforms in Springfield: https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-illlnois-political-corruption-kass-20200130-m44sodf625ab3mjeb7vprhsidu-story.html After Kass is done skewering Pritzker he gets […]
I posted a ton of stories, if you missed any: In order by top stories read, you might have missed the comments! https://blnnews.com/2020/03/03/4-from-decatur/ https://blnnews.com/2020/03/02/koos-doesnt-like-being-challenged/ https://blnnews.com/2020/03/04/jenn-carrillo-vrs-common-sense/ https://blnnews.com/2020/03/03/more-on-fritzens-retirement/ https://blnnews.com/2020/03/02/why-normals-agenda-needed-its-own-story/ https://blnnews.com/2020/03/05/kooss-bike-present/ https://blnnews.com/2020/03/04/cirbn-minutes-by-foia/
By: Diane Benjamin From time to time a reader has left a comment about the deal Nick Africano had with the Town of Normal pertaining to the old Soldiers and Sailors property. I decided to investigate. Here’s what I know: At the September 18, 2017 meeting this check for $483,900 was issued after the old […]
By: Diane Benjamin From the Consent Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1063&Inline=True There is no such thing as 100% Green Energy – the label just makes it cost more. Read Book 1 of the budget here: https://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=24029 I wonder if Mike Matejka knows Jenn Carrillo attacks law enforcement for doing their job. Is that fine with Not In […]
By: Diane Benjamin It doesn’t make sense to send the same representatives to Springfield over and over and over when Illinois is in a death spiral of debt. Pensions need reformed, we don’t need a progressive tax that will chase high income job creators out of the state. We need fighters in Springfield, we don’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin BNWRD is the Bloomington Normal Water Reclamation District. Just once I’d like to see something different in their minutes than: If somebody has been dying to attend (and probably scare them!) details and Agenda for the 4:00 March 9, 2020 meeting can be seen here: BNWRD March meeting The reason I started […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story is a follow-up to this one: https://blnnews.com/2020/02/26/why-normal-needs-fundamental-transformation/ Background: In 2015 the Town of Normal bought: 513 N School for $170,000 509 N School for $150,000 614 N School for $190,000 In 2016 the Town paid property taxes on these three properties. Taxes should have been from only the time in […]
By: Diane Benjamin At last Monday’s meeting of the Normal Town Council Chris Koos tried to justify the Town buying a bike from his business to present to retiring Trustee Jeff Fritzen. The bike was in addition to the lavish party the Town threw for him. https://blnnews.com/2020/03/03/more-on-fritzens-retirement/ Koos claimed he sold the bike to the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Jenn posted this today on her official alderman page: Human Dignity? Seriously? Remember the lady Black Lives Matters bailed out for Mother’s Day in May of 2019? https://blnnews.com/2019/05/10/last-years-mothers-day-bail/ She was in jail for shoplifting while her baby was with her. In December 2018 she was arrested for the same thing in Springfield: […]
By: Diane Benjamin I have avoided any information on where to vote early because I don’t believe in it. All Democrats who early voted in the Primary had a good chance of throwing their vote away because many people have dropped out of the presidential race. An early vote doesn’t means anything more than not […]
A reader located the missing artist fees. The BCPA should know by now they will lose money paying more than $10,000 for an artist! Only 1 show made money! By: Diane Benjamin https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-1784 A lot of reports were recently posted. None of them have the artist fee. I added a few that I could quickly […]
By: Diane Benjamin On February 14, 2020 I sent a FOIA request to the Town of Normal for CIRBN Board meeting minutes. Since Normal calls their 3 employees Town employees, we should see what these employees are up to. This is what I FOIA’d: “Minutes of all CIRBN Board meetings held between April 2018 and […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Raise your hand if you’ve always wanted to be just like Decatur! According to this article, Decatur lost 1000 jobs in two years: 2016 and 2017. This recent article says Decatur is annexing property to increase the population – whether people want annexed or not: https://herald-review.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/after-years-of-population-decline-decatur-is-annexing-hundreds-of/article_4064481d-2f15-532a-acea-6f9191ea1b39.html Tons of articles […]
By: Diane Benjamin In addition to the $448.99 bike the taxpayers bought for Jeff Fritzen, you also threw him a party: Note: You weren’t invited. At the May 6, 2019 meeting, this expense appeared on bills: https://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3285 PDF page 12: Since they likely ate things other than meat at the party you weren’t invited to, […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m sure I missed writing about other great moments from last night, but it was a VERY long meeting! Only two citizens showed up to speak about the budget. The same two spoke at Public Comment in addition to one other citizen. Budget: Karl Sila spoke 6:45. He mentioned the full budget […]
