By: Diane Benjamin The TIF reports for Normal have been posted on the Illinois Comptroller’s website. This is the report for the Uptown TIF: The Tax Increment Financing district was started in 2003, that means the majority of it is expiring in 2026. A small part was extended because development hasn’t occurred yet. The theory […]
By: Diane Benjamin A group of parents attended last night’s meeting. It was held in the auditorium at BHS, a room that big was not needed. Two weeks ago many of the same people attended at the same location and walked in without masks. Last night two police officers were posted at the door not […]
By: Diane Benjamin I previously reported information about hospitalizations and deaths in vaccinated people was not available for Illinois. https://blnnews.com/2021/09/23/idph-foia-covid-data/ Now it is, but it is deceptively reported by IDPH. https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccine/vaccine-breakthrough.html The bottom of the page has CUMULATIVE numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in COVID vaccinated people. Who cares about cumulative? I don’t. I download […]
By: Diane Benjamin The McLean Country Board Executive Committee met Monday. Members: Every one of them is Republican except for Laurie Wollrab. Josh Barnett is questionable at best even though he claims to be Republican. I think one person were absent, I don’t know who since role wasn’t called. This group is capable of holding […]
All the needed money has been raised! Both Unit 5 and District 87 School Boards are meeting tonight at 6:30. As of this morning Unit 5 parents have raised around $4700 to sue Unit 5 over the mask mandate. Both School Boards need to know parents won’t stand for indoctrination and masks. Contribute here: Wouldn’t […]
Do you like Joe Biden? You will love Karen Schmidt. She is the Joe Biden of local politics. When Ms Carillo moved out of her Ward I ventured out on a limb and said to someone you all know, “Schmidt will get that seat.” Of course we had to be drug through the silly charade […]
By: Diane Benjamin The neighborhood I went to yesterday is East of Evergreen Cemetery. It is adorable with many of the homes rehabbed which proves these residents care about their community. Many American flags were flying and lots of dogs where being walked. This community also had basements wrecked with raw sewage. It wasn’t a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington has their own Adam Schiff(s). Remember when bug-eyes himself would run to the closest microphone all 4 years of the Trump administration and state “We’ve got him now”. He was lying to the media and they lapped it up. WGLT is the latest to fall (or volunteer) for the lies of […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s not what you are thinking! The Public Comment below is from Chris Collins who started a non-profit called HOPE – Housing Our People Everywhere. HOPE has a website: https://etihw34.wixsite.com/website-1 This organization wants to build homes for the local homeless. He has talked with the Community Development Department, they told him he […]
By: Diane Benjamin FOURTY TWO Minutes of the meeting were wasted last night by Jeff Crabill attempting to make changes to the Welcoming America commission that will be established. His comments start at 43:10, the final vote wasn’t over until 1:25:30. The alderman meet in small groups with the City Manager, they know what is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two performance fee bills were paid last night for the BCPA: 9/29 was: Escape to Margaritaville 10/8 was: When Disco Was King Two other events were held earlier in September. Meanwhile, an events tab hasn’t even been created yet on the Bloomington website: https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-114 In previous years I had to FOIA these […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/watch-now-womens-march-at-isu-demands-equal-rights-freedom-of-choice/article_192dd8ff-3efb-5bc7-9694-e8faae98a26a.html Mollie Ward was originally appointed to the Council by Tari Renner to fill the seat vacated by Scott Black. WGLT did a story on her at the time: https://www.wglt.org/news/2020-10-27/renner-tabs-fierce-advocate-of-west-bloomington-for-council-vacancy That story included this pic of Mollie: Yes, she is wearing a collar because she claims to be an Episcopal chaplain. Proving […]
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the leftists on the Council want to use media to get their choice for Ward 6 alderman. WGLT has now done two stories, the latest after Jeff Crabill posted to Facebook over the weekend: Jenn couldn’t find a single place in her Ward to live! Not buying it. It is much […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1136&Inline=True This could be a short meeting! Remember when the Council voted to join Welcoming America instead of declaring Bloomington a sanctuary city? This is on the agenda, after it passes apply here: https://cityblm.seamlessdocs.com/f/MayoralAppointmentApplication Other Boards and Commissions might have openings too. Apply! Private Sector Entertainment! They see a need and want […]
By: Diane Benjamin The memorial tribute of Jelani Day was taken down because the Town of Normal is authoritarian. You can’t talk at a Council meeting until the end, whenever that happens to be, if what you want to say doesn’t pertain to the agenda. You could wait hours to get 3 minutes of their […]
By: Diane Benjamin One reason: https://illinoisavengers1.wixsite.com/savederek/post/covid-cash That link has a BUNCH of questions school districts MUST answer. You can access all the payouts Illinois forked over to schools in emergency relief funds from that link too. I pulled out McLean County. Here’s your homework: Start sending FOIA’s. Blind copy me please, blnnews@yahoo.com Since lots of […]
By: Diane Benjamin More information concerning this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2021/10/06/one-more-on-normal-more-must-watch/ Yes, more sewer tap on fees. This is deep stuff you must read carefully! It’s your money. The development that was approved at Monday’s meeting was charged a sewer tap on fee by the Town even though it was not on the Tap On […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Pantagraph article on the Normal Town Council meeting: https://pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/watch-now-mural-controversy-raises-new-questions-about-disconnect-in-normal/article_9ea2ebcb-99b6-55e9-8798-76e5962bb873.html Excerpt: Did the reporter watch the meeting? A “number of people” were disrupting the meeting. Was the reporter told not to mention the only reason Public Comment was moved is because Stan Nord made a motion to let them speak? It wasn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder if municipalities that hate the 1st Amendment right to address government will also call on the DOJ to declare citizens terrorists? Teacher unions and school boards have: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-addresses-violent-threats-against-school-officials-and-teachers It looks like Antifa doesn’t protest Marxists in government. For a meeting that only lasted slightly more than an hour, it was […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normally Chris Koos would have been banging Stan Nord out of order at the urging of Kevin McCarthy for doing what he did at Monday’s meeting. Koos didn’t Monday night. First the back story: At the previous meeting the Council (minus Stan) voted to spend $81,018 from the Water Enterprise Fund to […]
Nobody asked any questions at the Justice Committee meeting! By: Diane Benjamin The County Justice Committee is meeting today. See the documentation here: https://mcleancountyil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/8339 The coroner’s report is included every month, year to date numbers aren’t. See PDF page 5 for August 2021 numbers. I had to chart the suicides by looking at reports for […]
By: Diane Benjamin More videos from last night. Koos lost control early. The crowd did not respect his “business meeting”. Stan Nord made a motion to let them talk, Scott Preston seconded. Koos asked for head nods if the Council approves, I don’t see all the heads moving. Koos deemed it passed: The video below […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hope the Normal citizens who never confront Koos and his bobbleheads were watching last night’s meeting. Passion shut down Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy couldn’t even get a Point of Order recognized. More on that one later. Last night I posted a screen shot showing how many citizens showed up, many: https://blnnews.com/2021/10/04/koos-and-crew-not-having-fun-tonight/ […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Below is a short clip of a discussion before the meeting started last night. Chris Koos was not going to allow all the people who showed up to speak, he wanted Public Comment limited to 30 minutes. He also had no intention of letting them speak at the beginning […]
By: Diane Benjamin I suggest any readers click this link to watch the meeting now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC8s6_w_7Tk One speaker broke the rules. He told the Town he wanted to talk about chemical purchases and then went on a rant about Jelani Day’s memorial picture being taken down. This is what the Council is looking at right […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington has a calendar of events. Meetings are listed, but so are other events like Ice Cream at the Zoo and BCPA events. https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/calendar Missing are the Farmers Markets which actually do get people downtown on Saturday mornings. Also missing are Saturdays on the Square. In case you missed the 2013 extensive […]
By: Diane Benjamin I couldn’t find what I was looking for on the Bloomington website, not surprising – it’s a BAD website. Instead, I found something I wasn’t looking for! https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/26749/637628729553900000 The people who have believed for years that just millions more will get people downtown did a study. Keep in mind, the COVID shutdowns […]
I hear he’s still taking applications! By: Diane Benjamin H/T an associate who did some research on the Ward 6 candidates. Replacing Carrillo with a liked minded individual validates her vote buying with candy bars. Ward 6 didn’t know who they were voting for, she didn’t win with overwhelming support from the Ward. Since Democrat […]
By: Diane Benjamin Monday might actually be a 10 minute meeting, especially when bills can’t be questioned. https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4088 The list of bills paid has a ton of performance fees again. I wonder if the Sweet Corn Circus made any money or if it’s just another event to get people in Uptown? Is that what Make […]
By: Diane Benjamin More details in this story: https://blnnews.com/2021/09/10/chemberlys-activist-training/ Below is one more short video from the last Normal Town Council meeting. Chemberly Cummings is trying to find kids to turn into activists for the democrat party. Of course she is using tax dollars to do it. Once again, not all 9th-11th graders in Normal […]
By: Diane Benjamin The below information is from the Illinois Comptroller website: https://tinyurl.com/w25h7sk9 Start with the Total OPEB Liability. In TWO years it increased 42.86%. What is OPEB? Other Post Employment Benefits, in other word promises to retired employees other than a pension. The Town of Normal pays these costs as incurred. Unlike the private […]
