By: Diane Benjamin Something else happened last Monday at the Normal Town Council meeting that unless you watched it you don’t know. See 46:45. McCarthy pulled approving the minutes from the Omnibus agenda in an attempt to make them say something Stan Nord didn’t say. The minutes in question pertained to Stan’s Trustee comment about […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Responsible Cities PAC is as badly named as the Affordable Care Act, which is anything but affordable. Borrowing money and only paying interest for a decade or more is their idea of responsible. The rest of us know who is really paying the excessive interest, it isn’t them. This group of […]
By: Diane Benjamin The County roads by me are great. Unlike driving in Bloomington and Normal where dodging potholes is a sport and riding a horse would be smoother, the County knows they don’t exist to be developers or entertainers. Where my road meets Leroy-Lexington blacktop a large hole was developing. Turning north either requires […]
I’m going to add emailed comments at the bottom instead of posting them as a comment. By: Diane Benjamin Kids are suffering from closed schools. Parents are suffering and watching their kids fall behind. Meanwhile, Tri-Valley is holding in-person classes while Unit 5 and District 87 are closed. The Unit 5 school board had the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Many of the locally elected aldermen and trustees are inflicted with the same disease. They believe everything they are told instead of looking at facts for themselves. They weren’t elected to represent government staff, they should be representing the people. There were two glaring examples during the Town of Normal meeting last […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve got more sources than I can remember. I have never revealed where I get information! That brings me to an anonymous letter I received in the mail today. All I will say is it involves McLean County. The writer didn’t give me enough to work with. I need a list of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari Renner tested positive for COVID. He stated himself Monday night he had symptoms for 13 days. So far reports to me have him going to a local restaurant and a grocery story WITH symptoms. Don’t forget his dancing antics without a mask too. What are citizens going to tolerate? Is the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when Normal paid Illinois Arts Station $9,000 so the fire department could train for 3 days in a house they planned to demolish? https://blnnews.com/2020/11/17/more-campaigning-during-normal-meeting/ You may not know $9,000 wasn’t the only payment, the Town has contracts to pay them another $9500! Total $18,500 so the fireman could train at two […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even though the Financial Statements (CAFR) have been finished for at least a month, they were finally presented last night. The data was uploaded to the Comptroller’s site many weeks ago, why the City couldn’t take the time to release the data is a mystery. The auditor stated Bloomington is overpaying into […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Work Session proved Normal wants to shut down businesses with FINES. Attorney Brian Day claims Restore Illinois is law even though the legislature never passed it. He needs to be the first employee replaced when new leadership is installed on May 1st. Watch the first 45 minutes, it will prove incumbents […]
By: Diane Benjamin Veterans Parkway and Route 9: My FOIA Request: This statement was included: None of the documents I received have the name of who is inquiring with Prairie Signs to build these. Mostly what I received are drawings. Below is an example, it’s HUGE: Roads can’t get fixed, but you just might be […]
By: Diane Benjamin Due to Christmas the Bloomington City Council is changing their meeting schedule. They will be meeting tonight. One item on the agenda: It should be riveting to hear discussion of data that is 8 months old. Congrats Bloomington, you aren’t supposed to know any facts in a timely manner. I wonder if […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://ilga.gov/commission/lrb/con1.htm Since every office holder in Normal took and oath to uphold the US Constitution and the Illinois Constitution, they can not keep their oath of office by shutting down local businesses without compensating the proprietors. Think Maggie Miley’s liberty and property were protected when Pam Reece sent the police in? They […]
More information: https://blnnews.com/2020/12/07/due-process-normal/ By: Diane Benjamin https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3828 At 6:15 tonight the “professional staff” will present options to the Council to retaliate legally against any business that is not kneeling to Pritzker’s Restore Illinois edicts. Since the legislature didn’t pass it, not complying isn’t against any laws and can’t be prosecuted. Pritzker can’t get compliance so […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Town council is meeting Monday night. Agenda: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3830 Chris Koos needs to explain why on November 2nd he read a statement at Council which said complaints concerning violations of Pritzker’s order would be referred to the Health Department . . THEN: 13 days later Pam Reece is sending the Police […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/post/renner-calls-city-rejoin-metcom-system#stream/0 Tari Renner has been mayor for 7 1/2 years. On his way out he finally gets around to calling for Bloomington’s dispatch to return to METCOM! Leaving METCOMN was a boneheaded idea and should NEVER have happened. Think government works for you? Tari, you could have done something much earlier to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Citizen survey – Normal Police: https://normal.org/FormCenter/Police-10/2020-Citizens-Survey-55 https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3830 Semi-annual bond payments: The majority of these payments do nothing to pay down the debt. Interest totals $1,577,138.75. The amount to reduce the debt is only $470,000. A “Responsible City”?
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normal.org/27/Government The Council meeting below is from 11/2/2020. Mayor Chris Koos states for the record Town policy is to refer any violations of Pritzker’s Executive Orders to the Health Department. He does not say the police will be sent to investigate because he knows no laws are being broken. Just hit play, […]
By: Diane Benjamin The information below was reported to me by a reliable source. Defendant: Mr. Brown shot through a door at his wife and kids in 2017. Today Judge Costigan let him off with time served. He was not able to post bail of $30,000 and has been in jail since his arrest. The […]
By: Diane Benjamin This was posted on Facebook by a Jenn Carrillo buddy: DB is evidently me. When Straza was running in Ward 5 against socialist Lawler of course I would pick Straza. But Straza decided to reach for the moon without having any experience in Bloomington government that I know of. I don’t remember […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was contacted by a citizen pertaining to the treatment of a student. The student has an IEP – Individualized Education Program. Since schools are required by law to provide an education, IEP’s are legal documents that provide rights and protections for parents and students needing special education so they can thrive […]
By: Diane Benjamin See previous story: https://blnnews.com/2020/12/02/normal-shut-down-a-local-business/ I FOIA’d the Body Cam video listed in the Police Incident Report, it didn’t take long to get a response: Evidently: Since no arrests were made (because no crime was committed), they won’t release the video. If the police show up at your business, ask for the warrant. […]
Since everyone isn’t on Facebook, I am posting Marc’s latest story here: What does it take for residents to have a water-quality problem fixed? Apparently, a lot of public activism. For nearly two years, the neighborhood at Grove and Ruston has been experiencing substandard water quality with issues such as brown water, bad taste, and […]
See story update: https://blnnews.com/2020/12/02/body-cam-video-at-maggie-mileys-denied/ By: Diane Benjamin A comment made by radio host Steve Suess during his November 21st show needed an investigation. https://www.spreaker.com/user/cities929/november-21-2020 Fast forward to 87:00. Steve talked about an establishment in Normal that was shut down by Normal police for continuing in-door dining. He didn’t ask the owner for permission to use […]
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT did this story about Mboka Mwilambwe’s bid for mayor: https://www.wglt.org/post/mwilambwe-touts-council-experience-bloomington-mayoral-bid?fbclid=IwAR2V0jLhdCCUinq7tHKN80kTa2tyam6ZGOhV7lzeF6N8iu8QfKFonJN2N3M#stream/0 One paragraph hacked off former illegal immigrant Jenn Carrillo: Although Mboka has never said that I remember, he was likely a LEGAL immigrant. He wasn’t the sneak across the border type or overstay a visa. Jenn Posted this: Here’s the deal […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-SgGF0uzhIlXeWqdYlJ0blXEhDPLrrfh/view PDF page 49: Mark Peterson recommended keeping Executive Session Minutes a secret. The law requires a review twice a year. Bloomington is still hiding them from decades ago. See PDF pages 53 and 54: Connect is participating again this year with Stuff-The-Bus in support of Children’s Home and Aid. See the […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-SgGF0uzhIlXeWqdYlJ0blXEhDPLrrfh/view I could write the same story as every other month. Expenses for October were over $1,1 MILLION, Income was a little less than $59,000, meaning a loss for ONE MONTH of $973,317. No big deal since government keeps throwing them millions of dollars to them to run empty buses. Of course […]
