POW/MIA Flag raising at the Mclean County Museum of History. New Normal Township Trustee Art Rodriguez led the event. Rep Dan Brady and County Board member Jim Soeldner attended. The bugler from Leroy Axillary Unit 79 was superb. Flags have been at half staff for quite awhile, nobody remembers why. It may have started under […]
Note: John Adams only defended the British because he knew real justice means everyone gets a defense. He was vilified for years because of it. Read more:
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT reported yesterday Bloomington was found guilty of violating the Open Meetings Act in 2017 for discussing ending the Metro Zone agreement with Normal in secret. The Attorney General had previously ruled it illegal, according to the article the current ruling reversed a lower court ruling. https://www.wglt.org/post/appeals-court-bloomington-violated-open-meetings-act Besides the fact Justice Delayed […]
By: Diane Benjamin I do know at least one classroom at a local school had the kids read this book: Ask your kids if their class read it. I’m more interested in where the discussion went after reading it. Also, what age was the class? More later . . . .
Amvets Post 270 and the Marine League will raise the POW / MIA flag Friday April 30th at 11:00 am, McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington. This is an informal event, all the McLean County names will be read.
By: Diane Benjamin How about a luxury apartment subsidized by taxpayers? Is this Normal’s version of affordable housing? 1 Uptown Circle would never have been built without taxpayer money. Normal continues to rent an entire floor for close to $36,000 a month so around 20 employees can work there. Remember when the Council named it […]
A few corrections
Final clarification: Farm Bureau supports 4-7 Districts while maintaining at least 20 Board members. The alternate plan to the Democrats 20 districts is not 10, it should have been 5. That was a typo on my part. The Farm Bureau claims now they aren’t supporting any plan even though I was told they were. The […]
By: Diane Benjamin I posted this story on April 16: https://blnnews.com/2021/04/16/hey-normal/ Since Federal and State grants will be paying for most of Normal’s new FANCY bike trail under the railroad tracks in Uptown, even if you don’t live in Normal you have a right to comment. Buzzing around I overheard comments have been largely negative. […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader South Mitsubishi Parkway, now Rivian Motorway, was never completed. The anticipated development never happened which also made Bloomington’s #5 Fire Station a relic before it was ever used. Sometime in the last week it did become a dumping ground however. Maybe Bloomington is going to finish it in brick! […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is an email I received as part of a FOIA from Normal. Note it is entirely redacted: I’m not sure why Normal had a copy since they aren’t listed. I noticed it was written to a City of Bloomington employee, so I FOIA’d Bloomington for this email. See if you notice […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you thought brick streets were ever going to get a little money you’d be wrong. Mollie Ward objected to diverting the unused grants balance of $82,784 to repairs. She wants curbs made ADA compliant first. See 1:04:15. I didn’t hear an explanation from Mollie, but she amended the motion to spending […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yes, I’m defending Tari. One very frequent guy showed up at Public Comment last night – Scott Stimeling. (Spelling may be wrong) I have to correct one thing he said, Tari did not pay back the City for his girlfriends ticket to Japan because he got caught. He paid it back somewhere […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two landlords appeared at Public Comment a few meetings ago complaining about being billed for City water because their tenants didn’t pay the bills. These landlords have also not been paid rent for at least a year. This information is for landlords. Proving yet again Stan Nord is capable of working with […]
By: Diane Benjamin In the latest example of FAKE NEWS, local media is still acting like Jenn Carrillo was censured at the special meeting last Monday. Evidently they didn’t watch the meeting or can’t read the agenda. “Possible action” was on the agenda, not actually doing anything. The vote was 6-3 to do something in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Story from 2018: https://www.adaptbn.com/home/2018/6/25/going-local-vitesse-cycle-shop Excerpt: “Constitution Trail has been a big benefit to biking and to bike sales,” said Chris Koos, owner of Vitesse Cycle Shop in Normal. I bet you thought all those Bike Trail extensions Normal keeps making their citizens pay for while the roads are less than adequate were […]
By: Diane Benjamin So, Bloomington was billing Normal’s customers for using the sewer system and not paying Normal. This story has links to all previous stories: https://blnnews.com/2021/04/23/nice-of-the-pantagraph-but/ Throw another twist into this story: Did the effected customer get charged more because Bloomington billed them or not enough because Normal’s rates are higher? I didn’t look […]
By: Diane Benjamin Somebody at the Pantagraph must read this site because they picked up and expanded the sewer billing fiasco between Bloomington and Normal. They even credited BlnNews for the story! You might want to read the comments: https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/documents-bloomington-may-owe-normal-up-to-600-000-in-unremitted-sewer-charges/article_be624fb0-2c5f-50e4-8150-73c1f5824ac8.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1 Link to both stories I wrote: https://blnnews.com/2021/04/21/return-to-civility-by-normal/ What they didn’t cover is: Pam Reece and […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1112&Inline=True Monday will be the final meeting for: All three will be recognized at the start of the meeting. Kim’s common sense will be missed. I wonder if Joni ever figure out she was lied to? https://blnnews.com/2015/10/26/problem-joni/ I have my own parting gifts for Tari! 1) Remember last February when Tari Renner […]
Today is my 9th anniversary of writing. Time flies, thanks readers – I’m closing in on 8,000,000 page views. Thanks so much to all of you who have contributed. You make me feel appreciated. If you would like to help me keep doing this, click here: https://blnnews.blogspot.com/
By: Diane Benjamin A LONG comment was left to today’s Earth Day story that I didn’t post. Below is just the first lines and proof this person doesn’t care about facts, I left their typo: China is at the forefront of mitigating global warming. Apparently America’s exceptionalism means we blame other countries fro our lack […]
By: Diane Benjamin All of the below is from a reader because District 87 isn’t making their policy public, even to parents. One would think more than a year into the lockdowns and refusing to hold regular in person classes for many months, a policy would be in effect to make sure students aren’t losing […]
By: Diane Benjamin The earth isn’t the warmest it has ever been: Climate Change isn’t a crisis either: Climate Change is only about the $$$$ – yours. . . . . .
By: Diane Benjamin See Part 1 here: https://blnnews.com/2021/04/21/how-politics-works/ h/t a reader Excerpt from April 19, 2021 Normal meeting packet: https://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3953 From the list of Chris Koos campaign contributions: https://elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/ItemizedContributions.aspx?FiledDocID=YIs54h%2fevxf7J8yKlr0dbQ%3d%3d&ContributionType=2YAmdxRebQQqctsvHCZ198%2f3abzMbtvHeOGYYfK0I884AkEx74lNcz3lvc4Cs7JKibdJ1GoqCdw%3d&T=637545917602780968 If his address didn’t tip you off: Figure out who he works for? https://www.cardinalinfrastructure.com/our-team His real name is Bennette Ressinke, the spelling seems to change depending […]
By: Diane Benjamin See all first quarter campaign contribution to Chris Koos here, others might surprise you: https://elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/D2Quarterly.aspx?id=Z24PjB%2frtA5MTMtkHT2GVw%3d%3d&T=637544171509537959 Connect Transit will likely be announcing the new General Manager soon. They are meeting in Executive Session tomorrow for “personnel issues”. https://www.connect-transit.com/documents/Meetings/AGENDA%20-%20SPECIAL%20Session%20%2004-22-2021.pdf
By: Diane Benjamin Remember this story? https://blnnews.com/2021/04/08/normals-professional-staff-comedy/ Normal City Manager Pam Reece wrote a letter to Bloomington’s City Manager claiming sewer fees had been collected by Bloomington for systems owned by Normal. It only took her 9 years to notice a problem existed. The letter was complete with a 2 page 11 point questionnaire she […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you can’t wait to hear Public Comment from the pre-meeting concerning Jenn Carrillo’s Facebook post, just hit play below. It starts right after roll call. Another Public Comment session (much shorter) took place before the 6:00 meeting. It starts around 50:50. Jenn Carrillo was not censured last night. The 6-3 vote […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m just going to pick a couple items to write about. Item one is a check written to CIRBN for $256,985.34. Listen to Pam Reece describe this payment at 14:15. It sure sounds to me like the Town of Normal is refunding the contributions made by CIRBN for their 3 employees who […]
The letter below was written by a parent. Tuition for the school his daughter went to was $54,000 a year. It was originally printed at: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/you-have-to-read-this-letter Parents, this thinking is spreading rapidly throughout the education system. Find out if it is in yours. Children are the future, kid’s indoctrinated with Critical Race Theory will not […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even though Jenn’s Democratic Socialists and Illinois People’s Action buddies appeared at public comment, the majority of the Council didn’t buy Jenn’s comments pertaining to Nick Becker and Sheila Montney had anything to do with freedom of speech. Video will be posted tomorrow, citizens did also speak appalled at her comments. You […]
By: Diane Benjamin PDF page 51: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3953 On tonight’s Normal Town Council agenda: Will anyone mention Sprague’s Super Service hasn’t been open for the past year? Will anyone mention this trail also goes by 1 Normal Plaza where Koos buddy and campaign supporter Bob Broad (and wife Julie Hile) own property? https://illinoissunshine.org/committees/32789/ The documentation doesn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3953 The entire agenda is Omnibus which means the meeting would have been 10 minutes before Stan Nord was elected. Lately the Council has stretched meetings much longer. Bill payments can’t be discussed even though things are on the list that should be. Another almost $36000 is being paid to rent the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Special meeting at 5:15 http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1113&Inline=True I wonder if Jenn Carrillo will bother to show up? A Code of Conduct is a loser folks. The Council has no ability to do anything but censure and that did nothing to straighten out Tari Renner when he got one. The Council should instead be telling […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember this Pam Reece email: This isn’t the only time Reece implies (or flat out states) spending $5 million+ to lay water lines on top of Bloomington’s isn’t to steal providing water to Rivian from Bloomington. I wonder how she explains this email: That brings me to this email from August of […]
https://www.normal.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2268 The Normal Town Council has never voted to build the underpass, that hasn’t stop “staff” from making it happen anyway. Citizens now have a chance to comment. Your comments will supposedly be forwarded to the Federal Railroad Administration. Read the description at the link above and then email comments to: [email protected] Utopia is only […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you shop at Green Top Grocery you might want to find a new place for groceries. I’ve been watching this play out on Facebook for awhile, now 25% of the staff claims they aren’t going to show up for work. Evidently one management person is making their lives miserable. There is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Carrillo was part of a protest in downtown Bloomington around the Law and Justice Center. She took it upon herself to use her vehicle to “protect” the protestors. She was arrested for illegal parking and disobeying a police officer. The improper parking only cost her $25: Not following the directions of a […]
By: Diane Benjamin More emails the Normal taxpayers need to see. Note the date, Rivian never requested water from Normal. The Town of Normal is trying to talk them into it. Pam Reece has said OVER and OVER spending $5 million+ for water lines on top of Bloomington’s is for future economic development. The email […]
