By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington will be holding a Committee of the Whole meeting to hear the plans for O’Neil park. http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1106&Inline=True The proposed budget for next year has $10,000,000 allocated. Remember when Renner and company wanted a water park? My sources say the neighborhood defeated turning their area into a destination. They […]
By: Diane Benjamin The below is from the local Trades & Labor Facebook page. Of course they endorsed all left leaning candidates, but is it worse? See the Vice-President’s name at the bottom: Who is Adam Heenan? From his Facebook page: https://aeon.co/essays/is-it-time-to-upend-the-idea-that-land-is-private-property?fbclid=IwAR2yjgbJ93CXU5o6tjESVruCjQ434rPD352bLoNTP5RE8K9gts1XH3yGK9I Are all union members socialists now? Do they all agree nobody should own […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Attorney General finally got around to ruling on a slam dunk Request for Reviews filed by Marc Tiritilli in November 2019. Even though the law gives them 90 days to rule, the Attorney General doesn’t comply. While Chris Koos flagrantly violated Marc’s 1st Amendment rights, the rest of the Council sat […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the Eagles song Desperato? That should be the Chris Koos theme song. He has NOTHING to run on so he is now personally attacking Marc Tiritilli instead of addressing the issues. Chris is a divisive leader because he knows people don’t want the things he wants. Marc Tiritilli is running to […]
By: Diane Benjamin The local far left never left junior high. They are the bullies who think people need to think just like them or be banished from earth. Jenn Carrillo proved on her Facebook page she is a bully. Don’t forget her buddies are just as clueless: “People First” means criminals first (defund the […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was told the fine for illegally placed campaign signs used to be $50 a day. Since those wanting to illegally place signs write the laws, it isn’t anymore: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet90/sbgroups/sb/900SB0655LV.html The fine is now worthless since tickets aren’t going to written for $2 a day. The illegal signs will only get worse […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even though private schools and public schools like Tri-Valley are open for in-person learning, this guy doesn’t think yours should be: Your kids are going to be a year behind much of the country and the world because on-line classes don’t work. Most parents know that! Gavin is teaming up with another […]
By: Diane Benjamin This time it’s tooooo close to the road on South Veterans Parkway: Evidently to win Straza wants to obstruct traffic. Sorry it’s a little fuzzy, a reader sent it. Below is the original photo before I cropped it: The local GOP is supporting Straza because the GOP chair and him go to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday’s story: https://blnnews.com/2021/03/11/campaign-signs/ Just to prove these signs are on Town of Normal owned land, below is the GIS showing the Town owns the land along Beech Street: Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy, and Chemberly Cummings must not care about the law. Of course those who have watched Council meetings . . . […]
By: Diane Benjamin Consider: Alderman Jenn Carrillo wanted a “discussion” on defunding the police at the last Council meeting while presenting no evidence other than it’s trendy. Carrillo obviously hasn’t seen the crime statistics in cities that have taken money from the police. You can see here: https://washingtonwatch.org/democrat-run-cities-that-voted-to-defund-the-police-now-face-soaring-violent-crime-rates/ Other far left groups in Bloomington are […]
Update: https://blnnews.com/2021/03/12/campaign-signs-still-there/ For those running for office: It is ILLEGAL to put campaign signs on government property. I will give Koos, McCarthy, and Cummings until the end of today to remove theirs before posting pics. Citizens can remove illegal signs. Take a picture first so you have proof they are illegal.
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the $5 million water project Normal has in the budget? Stan Nord asked many times why this project is in the budget. Normal is running water lines on top of Bloomington’s. The only answer he ever got from Pam Reece was: 1) Nobody has requested water service 2) It is for […]
By: Diane Benjamin This map isn’t as crazy as it first appears: When the Town of Normal runs new sewer lines they assess fees to the new area to recover those costs. All those shaded areas have been mapped to recover those costs. The fee per acre is printed for each. This is the map […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal (taxpayers) own the vehicle Chris Koos drives: Taxpayers also pay for the plates which could have been GOV plates for much less: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3881 I am told Koos has Mayor vanity plates instead of government plates. Use of a taxpayer owned vehicle amounts to additional compensation. So how much […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night a debate was held between Normal’s current Mayor, Chris Koos, and his challenger Marc Tiritilli. In 2017 the same two faced off, only 18.2% of registered voters bothered to vote. Think your vote doesn’t mater? Look at this: WGLT has the debate posted on their Facebook page. Tiritilli thinks Normal […]
Today at 6 PM CST – 7 PM CST Hear from the candidates running for Normal mayor in the April 6 election. They are Chris Koos and Marc Tiritilli. This debate is co-sponsored by WGLT, the League of Women Voters of McLean County, the Bloomington-Normal branch of the NAACP, and Illinois State University’s Center for […]
By: Diane Benjamin There has been a moratorium on evictions for around a year now. There are local landlords who haven’t received rent for that long. Even though assistance is available, some renters have decided to live for free instead instead of doing the paperwork. Worse, the City of Bloomington is attempting to collect past […]
By: Diane Benjamin Jenn Carrillo showed at the Bloomington Council meeting last night what a Council with her buddies on it would look like. Readers: The media isn’t going to tell citizens the truth or make much effort to get people to vote. You have to! The majority of the City does not even know […]
The budget will be discussed tonight, residents might want to tune it at 6:00! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS8WR70NFd2XMmFYRDHEGEw
By: Diane Benjamin FOUR bills are working their way through committee you NEED to Create A Witness slip for. How to create a Witness slip: (it’s easy and fast) For IDENTIFICATION, enter your name. For REPRESENTATION you can enter “Self” unless you represent a group For POSITION, you FILL THE DOT AT “OPPOSED” or “PROPONENT” […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari’s greatest lies part I lost count: https://www.cities929.com/steve-suess-podcast/ Tari Renner’s interview with Steve Suess starts around 45:00. Lie #1 Nobody has ever stated your entire police force is corrupt. I stated a bad cop can make ALL of them look bad. Lie #2 Diane makes stuff up. Since Tari claimed he doesn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Township races are ones citizens know little about. They likely don’t know much of what the Township even does or why it exists. It is another layer of government Illinois is famous for, we have way too many. Normal Township is where Supervisor Sarah Grammer went after two candidates to […]
By: Diane Benjamin A friend sent me this video, Normal was #9. Shockingly, the narrator stated Normal schools rated an F! I emailed the video creator to ask where her information came from and she referred me to this site: https://www.areavibes.com/normal-il/schools/ She included this disclaimer: Source:Â The Normal, IL education data displayed above is derived […]
Congrats to the Village of Downs! Proof the American Experiment is finished: I suggest the Trustees remaining increase property taxes by 100% to wake your citizens up! Think people might notice? Of course you could ask Bloomington to annex Downs, you too can have crappy roads. Oh wait, parts of Downs already does. (perfect fit)
By: Diane Benjamin The winners on April 6th will be determined solely on turnout. Around 20% will bother to vote, most people won’t know there is an election. They won’t understand local politics will hurt them far more than any November election. Unless YOU get people to the poles, these people will win. Guess who […]
Last November I wrote about my Dad coming to live with me: https://blnnews.com/2020/11/11/my-changes/ It has been challenging and a lot of fun, but in a couple weeks he and my mom will be moving out of State. Yes, they will be escaping Illinois! This move has meant cleaning out their house. Yesterday I read some […]
By: Diane Benjamin The below was sent to candidates running in Bloomington by the local Black Lives Matter group: The below was included, they didn’t update it after Illinois ended Cash Bail very soon. They must also think the County Clerk conducts Bloomington elections. That office should but doesn’t because Bloomington has unelected people running […]
Actually Straza signed as Treasurer. The CHAIR never signed. Evidently he isn’t required to, but the form still proves who is behind Responsible Cities. (Status Quo progressives) By: Diane Benjamin The title is is a quote from Normal Township Supervisor Sarah Grammer who challenged the petitions of two people running for the Township positions, she […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night the US House passed HR1 – For the People Act. Even though the Constitution states legislatures in all 50 states make election laws, this bill: Requires same day voter registration in every state mandates automatic registering of felons, illegals, and 16 year olds requires prisons, ICE facilities, and welfare offices […]
By: Diane Benjamin Every dollar Connect Transit spends is grant money. Where does that GRANT money come form? Tax dollars – YOU. They spent $1,715,000 on solar panels and charging infrastructure in preparation for electric buses. https://blnnews.com/2020/12/01/more-connect-transit/ Last month Connect ordered their first 4 electric buses: PDF page 26 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yp2A-6qp7zjhmjc2XVjk9RPUrY9-yDxx/view That brings the total that […]
By: Diane Benjamin At the WGLT mayoral debate the good leftist host had to bring up systemic racism, that discussion kept him from asking about real issues. You are expected to believe minorities can not succeed because whites won’t let them. Obviously it’s a myth because their are countless successful minorities. Obviously it is a […]
By: Diane Benjamin The 6th Illinois Department of Corrections employee was arrested in an unrelated case to the 5 previous arrests because of a bar brawl in Lexington: https://blnnews.com/2021/03/01/thugs-on-the-other-side-of-the-bars/ See the details and mug shot: https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2021/03/another-pontiac-corrections-officer-arrested/ Andrew Krominga was charged with Domestic Battery/Bodily Harm, and Domestic Battery/Physical Contact, on Friday, February 26, 2021.
By: Diane Benjamin You can listen to the debate last night at this link. Watch who reads their answers and who answers from convictions. The questions asked were what can be expected from a public radio station. https://www.wglt.org/post/bloomington-mayoral-candidates-tackle-covid-police-reform-welcoming-cities One thing was clear: Jackie Gunderson is a social justice warrior and big government fan. If you […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal has two water problems: The first is spending over $5 million to run water lines on top of Bloomington’s out West College The second is brown water or worse at various locations around the Town. Chris Koos keeps trying to claim discolored water doesn’t exist. Just hit play to hear him […]
By: Diane Benjamin Proving yet again the priorities of staff have nothing to do with what citizens expect: The Town is going to fix West College, it needs it! The problem is they aren’t just going to fix it. So far just DESIGN is budgeted at $1.45 MILLION. DESIGN Nothing is going to be built […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night’s Normal Town Council meeting was slightly over 4 hours. It started with a presentation by County Board Chair John McIntyre and County Administrator Camille Rodriguez pertaining to sales tax increase to fund mental health. That presentation took close to an hour. Was that on purpose to deflect from the budget […]
Since the Edgar County Watchdogs already have them posted, go to their site to see them:
By: Diane Benjamin Last week I received a tip concerning chaos that happened at DAT bar in Lexington. The Lexington police gave me the following this morning: (Don’t quit reading!) Adam Deal, age 38 of Pontiac, IL. Deal was arrested for Aggravated Battery. The McLean County State Attorney’s also charge him with Mob Action. Bond […]
