Missing Data – McLean County Deaths

By: Diane Benjamin I am purposely refraining from using percentage increases in the data below. I believe that would distort the actual numbers. For example, I could tell you confirmed suicides increased 40% between 2019 and 2020. The actual number increase was 9, very tragic but 40% sounds far worse than 9. There are a […]

Inflation: The Visual

I bought both of this “waterpik” type teeth cleaners two years apart. I paid $39.99 for both. I’ve had a waterpik, these are better – but there is a problem. The new one is on the left. It is much smaller than the one on the right. This is how much water each holds: That […]

Fly on the Wall: Local GOP accountability

Flying around I heard the local GOP has a new committee: Accountability Committee. This committee was formed to hold GOP elected officials feet to the fire. If they don’t believe in the principals of the GOP they shouldn’t call themselves Republicans. Anybody else know about this committee? Is it a secret? Is accountability to party […]

Uptown 2.0 takes flight!

By: Diane Benjamin Is anyone occupying the first Floor of 1 Uptown Circle yet? Has Pam Reece found someone to sublet the second floor so taxpayers aren’t stuck with the ridiculous lease? The Council told her to do it well over a year ago! How many other empty spaces are there in Uptown? Didn’t the […]

No vote Bloomington?

By: Diane Benjamin I filed a FOIA request with Bloomington earlier in January. Since I watch every Council meeting and never heard a discussion about moving offices to the Government Center, I wondered how much it cost. I also wondered who was still working at the Old City Hall. I got the FOIA yesterday, I […]

Fly on the Wall: Government Center theft

There is NO security at the Government Center in downtown Bloomington. Yesterday someone walked into an office, got into purses, and stole credit cards from a County office. The City of Bloomington offices in this building have security cameras, the County has cameras that don’t work. The building is wide open. Anyone could walk in, […]

Normal’s proposed budget

By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal will be holding an all day budget meeting soon, nothing is posted yet saying when. I’ve heard the meeting is tomorrow, that would violate the Open Meetings Act which requires posting 48 hours in advance. I FOIA’d the proposed budget so you can see it: Highlights: The proposed […]

Bloomington tonight, tune in!

By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1152&Inline=True PDF page 10 is a proclamation declaring the first week of February: National Gun Violence Survivors’ Week. Has Mboka figured out Chicago has moved downstate? This is part of the declaration: That is probably true in Chicago where crimes aren’t prosecuted and kids are frequently shot and die because criminals with […]

More info and Summary of the National Fitness Champaign Scam

By: Diane Benjamin The National Fitness Campaign installation was not bid out. I previously posted a picture of equipment from another company who courted Normal: https://blnnews.com/2022/01/21/want-to-see-what-a-scam-looks-like/ The FOIA I received had yet a third company: No mention was made at the Council meeting about these two other companies. It appears Doug Damery, head of Parks […]

Requiring vaccinations will hurt you

By: Diane Benjamin To Community Players who only want vaccinated people at their shows, and Marcus Theaters who are doing shows just for the vaxed: Being vaccinated doesn’t prevent hospitalization, death, or even getting Covid: https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccine/vaccine-breakthrough.html Illinois hospitalizations and deaths in fully vaccinated people: Those are only the serious breakthrough cases, many more still get […]

Want to see what a SCAM looks like?

By: Diane Benjamin Below is a clip from the January 4, 2022 Normal Council meeting where the National Fitness Campaign project was discussed. The speaker is Doug Damery, head of Parks and Recreation for Normal. Remember the $25,000 grant Normal received? Damery details how difficult the process was to get that grant: (less than 1 […]

Fact-Checking Rodney Davis’ Claims of 31 County Republican Central Committee Chairmen Endorsements

By: Diane Benjamin Rodney Davis claimed endorsements on his campaign website: https://electrodney.com/rodney-davis-announces-2022-re-election-campaign-to-congress-in-new-il-15/ In case Rodney decides to “revise” his website, below is part of the list he has on his website now: Rodney probably thought he wouldn’t be fact checked, unfortunately for him he was. Of the County Party Chairmen who were contacted either by […]

Denied FOIA because Koos blew a vote?

By: Diane Benjamin I FOIA’d what Chris Koos read at the January 4, 2022 Council meeting. This video is 20 seconds, it includes a little of Scott Preston before Chris Koos: The camera was not on Chris Koos when he was reading his statement, I could not tell he was reading from his phone: This […]

Arena shows actually made money!

By: Diane Benjamin Both of these shows were re-schedules from before Covid was a thing. One is listed as a rental, the other was co-produced meaning the City of Bloomington wasn’t assuming all the risk. Co-producing also means the profit is much less, but at least both show a profit. I had to FOIA both […]

Community Players goes woke

By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Did you hear the UK will no longer require masks anywhere, including schools? https://www.india.com/news/world/uk-to-lift-additional-covid-restrictions-from-next-week-says-boris-johnson-5194531/?fbclid=IwAR0YbCYFx_sis73chTIP2kRw4Pi0unJwUNsYHLFiHP_ooIbbVE8s150920M Anybody who remotely follows the news knows Omicron has been very short lived in countries that got it first. (South Africa and UK) Some people haven’t heard being vaccinated doesn’t prevent getting Covid. Community Players […]

Clear example of media only reporting what they want to report

By: Diane Benjamim Both the WGLT reporter and I watched the same Normal Town Council meeting last night. Nothing in the story I wrote this morning was mentioned in their story. Mine: https://blnnews.com/2022/01/19/message-to-trustee-mccarthy/ Theirs: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2022-01-19/normal-new-public-data-portal-puts-more-information-at-your-fingertips Media picks and chooses what to report, obviously fraud isn’t something WGLT cares to cover if the Normal Town Council […]

Message to Trustee McCarthy:

By: Diane Benjamin Hey Kevin, did you do your homework? Sit back and watch an elected official lie on video folks. The National Fitness Campaign vote came up several times during last night’s meeting. Kevin McCarthy used his comment time to blame everybody who was defrauded by the vote, not the two people who provided […]

District 87 and Southern Poverty Law Center

By: Diane Benjamin I’m only using NPR as a source because leftists would think any other source is bias: https://www.npr.org/2019/04/17/713887174/after-allegations-of-toxic-culture-southern-poverty-law-center-tries-to-move-for The article is from 2019, the organization had to dispose of the founder and top people over charges of a toxic workplace, discrimination, and sexual harassment. If you Google Southern Poverty Law Center many articles […]

Normal has a fraud problem, the only question is by who?

By: Diane Benjamin Remember the year around (cough cough) fitness court the Normal Council voted to proceed with? https://blnnews.com/2022/01/06/conflict-of-interest-by-mccarthy-sure-looks-like-it/ Scott Preston appears to have only voted YES because he was told the National Fitness Challenge is a nonprofit. Just hit play below to hear Pam Reece state it “appears” they are a nonprofit, then Scott […]

Hilarious FOIA responses

By: Diane Benjamin On October 29, 2021 I submitted a FOIA to McLean County pertaining to John Butler’s case. After a couple reminders about the FOIA being late (they have 5 business days), I was told it’s taking so long because of staff shortages. I was promised I would receive the information on December 8, […]

Hannah Beer’s disrespect

By: Diane Benjamin Not only does Democrat County Board member Hannah Beer refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, she has little respect for the death of a County employee. She refused to stand while the rest of Board did. If she can’t stand for a medical reason, she needs to explain that one! […]

It’s gone!

By: Diane Benjamin Remember this sign in the middle of the Raab Road? This one is bolted to the road. It’s gone. Normal should be putting up stop signs on the trail, but they won’t. That would make too much sense. Was it a Town snow plow?

Good News

By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington cancelled next Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. They use these meetings to soften up the Council for futured spending. Citizens are temporarily safe: (and I don’t have to watch 2 meetings in one night!) Not sure if this is good news, it depends on who is planning to run for […]