09/21/2022 – 03/23/2023 KayLee passed away due to SIDS on March 23, 2023 at only 6 months old. She left behind her mother, JusLee Bukowski, her father De’ondre Loyd Sr., and a brother De’ondre Loyd Jr. Miss KayLee was a very happy little girl. She always was full of laughter and always willing for a good […]
By: Diane Benjamin Is Koos a narcissist for the heading on this letter? Note how many times he references Our Normal. In other words if you are part of “his” club you can stay, others aren’t welcome. -Do you get to live in a Town property for $120 a year? -Are you invited to the […]
By: Diane Benjamin More on this story plus the NEW Ward 6 map: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/30/ward-6-cody-hendricks-violates-law-but/ The Democrat Party held an event for Hendricks. Note his opponent Jordan Baker wasn’t invited. Don’t forget Democrats Dave Koehler and Sharon Chung held a fundraiser for him too: https://blnnews.com/2023/01/17/its-official-local-elections-are-partisan/ Obviously Hendricks is running as a Democrat in a nonpartisan election […]
By: Diane Benjamin The person this was sent to is not going to participate. Does this have anything to do with funding Pritzker’s transgender agenda? https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-money-behind-the-transgender-movement/
By: Diane Benjamin In Illinois there are rarely any penalties for people who break campaign laws. Evidently CODE based on State Law is just a suggestion. (Heard any electioneering charges yet?) Keep in mind Hendricks teaches CIVICS at Olympia, somebody please check what version he teaches! Bloomington Code: https://ecode360.com/34402871 It violates City Code to run […]
By: Diane Benjamin This website is funded by the Democrat Party with money Pritzker is pouring into local elections. Non-partisan doesn’t exist and hasn’t for a LONG time (if ever). https://defendourschoolsil.com/ Below are some bills the Democrats just passed they say who the extremists are: HB 3093 – Requires all public restrooms be stocked with menstrual […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you have ever watched a Normal Town Council meeting you know the Council is immaterial. Asking questions that might stop whatever is on the agenda will get you called “Out Of Order”. Government For and By the People is a joke in Normal. Kevin McCarthy proved this point when he went […]
By: Diane Benjamin Thank you Nick Becker for asking why the Bloomington Election Commission exists and why this redundancy needs to continue. See 1:57:45. Donna Boelen was acting mayor last night. She claimed she couldn’t vote, I remember other acting mayors voting in Bloomington. She is still an alderman so not voting meant her Ward […]
By: Diane Benjamin Let’s pretend you bought a piece of property in Normal. That property has been connected to Normal’s sewer system for a least a decade. You are the 4th owner of this property in that decade. You want to develop the property but the Town tells you to include parts of the property […]
By: Diane Benjamin HB 3337 was heard by the Counties and Townships Committee because Sharon Chung is a member. Duh, the Town of Normal isn’t a County or Township so this bill did not belong in this committee. Even though Republicans on the Committee mentioned this, they were ignored. The committee passed it and now […]
By: Diane Benjamin Wow – 3 Public Hearings where likely no public will show up to speak: That last one will lead to approval of that Annexation Agreement. I’m the first one to admit I am map challenged, but this sure looks like the land on the SW corner of Ireland Grove and Hershey that […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m pretty sure most of you got a card in the mail from Responsible Cities telling you who to vote for. Guess who also got a card in the mail addressed to “Responsible Citizens at . . . .”: Me I can’t vote in Bloomington elections -their preferred candidates are on the […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader This pic below is a card mailed by the Unit 5 Teachers Union. Is this why testing scores are decreasing? Teachers can’t spell or proof read? It’s also misleading – reversing recent cuts has NOT been promised! Voting for representatives the Union wants means taxpayers aren’t represented.
By: Diane Benjamin A reader sent me this link to a book co-written by Sarah Bonner: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807767549?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_YPCEB6G2WCP116Q67G00 Much of the description sounds mundane until you get to this line: which ultimately positions young people to be change agents in their communities. Change agents for what Sarah? From the books and video links found in your […]
By: Diane Benjamin The map below was created using a list of vacancies compiled by a citizen. It includes the 1st Floor of 1 Uptown Circle since there is still not an operating business there. Click the link below – each X has a description. Next ask Normal (and Trustees/candidates) what success is. Government buildings […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sarah Bonner is no longer teaching Language Arts in Heyworth after parents found inappropriate materials in her classroom. Bonner is still listed on the Illinois State University website as a teacher training students to do exactly what she did in her classroom: Click this link: https://education.illinoisstate.edu/faculty_staff/profile.php?ulid=sabonne#fs-tabs-accord2 Next click on RESEARCH. It looks […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sharon Chung admitted the Town of Normal approached her to change Illinois law. She claims Normal went to great expense to defend themselves against citizens and doesn’t want to again. She was then asked if the Town Board approved this, of course the answer is no. A lobbyist for the Town of […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you are an insider with the Town of Normal you get deals like a place to live for $120 a year. Review this story on the “Historic” Sprague gas station: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/21/lets-revisit-the-route-66-gas-station-gift-shop/ Normal is going to spend more money on the building. They are requesting bids for asbestos removal: https://www.normalil.gov/bids.aspx?bidId=387 You can […]
By: Diane Benjamin Please continue to file Witness Slips as an opponent to HB 3337: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/22/file-witness-slips-now-hearing-is-1100-tomorrow/ Below are the Committee Members who will hear the bill at 11:00 am today. The Republican Board members are aware of the real intent of this bill, the Democrats aren’t. Sharon Chung doesn’t even know what the bill is, […]
By: Diane Benjamin You need to file 2. Then SHARE! This link is to file against Chung’s 2nd amendment to HB 3337: https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/148499?committeeHearingId=20041&LegislationId=148499&LegislationDocumentId=186620 This link is to file against Chung’s 3rd amendment to HB 3337: https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/148499?committeeHearingId=20041&LegislationId=148499&LegislationDocumentId=186917 Review this story if you need help: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/20/do-this-right-now-witness-slip/ Opponent – Record of Appearance Only .
By: Diane Benjamin There wasn’t a hearing on HB 3337 yesterday because Sharon Chung filed an amendment to the bill. That means it has to go back to the Rules Committee before being heard at the Counties and Townships Committee. The amendment was a stall tactic, it didn’t change anything. Maybe she saw the Witness […]
By: Diane Benjamin Thankfully Bloomington’s Monday meeting was short. Most of it was the annual report of the Public Safety and Community Relations Board. The Board only had 3 cases to review for the entire year. In one case the Board made a policy recommendation the police did adopt but in all three cases the […]
By: Diane Benjamin HB 3337 is a bill the Town of Normal wants so they can claim a permanent right to deny citizens a voice in government. Kevin McCarthy testified at the first hearing and claimed to represent Normal. The Council never voted, so McCarthy really represented Chris Koos. This bill would not be necessary […]
By: Diane Benjamin 6 people spoke during Public Comment last night. Of course they had to wait until the end of the meeting because the Town of Normal wants to make sure the plebs don’t interfere at the beginning. Luckily the agenda was short so they weren’t sitting around for hours waiting to speak. The […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is going to take more than one story. I have to start with proof Chemberly Harris isn’t intelligent enough to be a Trustee. The Town did vote to end the Use tax when purchasing a vehicle. The tax is .0075 of the net selling price. Obviously this wasn’t about saving taxpayer […]
By: Diane Benjamin More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/11/sharon-chung-screws-normal-taxpayers/ The language of this bill was modified so it has to go back to the Counties and Townships Committee. That will at 4:30 tomorrow. If you see this bill for the sham it is, please file a Witness slip as an opponent: Use this link: https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/148499?committeeHearingId=20004&LegislationId=148499&LegislationDocumentId=186620 Fill […]
By: Diane Benjamin Besides Public Comment approving minutes: SUBJECT: Presentation and Discussion of the Public Safety and Community Relations BoardAnnual Report, as requested by the Administration Department.
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4597 PDF page 36: Normal is handing out your money to promote Uptown. More interesting is this paragraph claims Trail East and Trail West are still going to happen. Unless they aren’t telling citizens, nothing is happening with either. The latest developer backed out last November: https://blnnews.com/2023/02/22/proof-normals-staff-runs-the-town/ PDF page 66: The Council […]
By: Diane Benjamin This comment was made today to a story from November of 2019: Unit 5 indoctrinating kids with CNN. I am printing it because most people won’t see it. It breaks my heart that some Unit 5 teachers are doing this to kids. I know some schools have banned To Kill A Mockingbird. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Story from 2016: The required $25,000 per turbine for decommissioning could have been in an interest bearing account. $25,000 will not cover the cost of returning the ground to farm land. It didn’t when the agreement was signed – it REALLY won’t now! Better late than never? Some details: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-02-16/mclean-county-says-2-companies-owe-money-to-decommission-wind-farms . .
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/07/normal-buy-local-is-immaterial/ At the March 6, 2023 Council meeting the Water Director, John Burkhart, wanted to start buying parts from a company in Washington Il instead of the local supplier they have used for decades. Here’s the problem: Normal doesn’t stock a lot of parts because they claim they […]
By: Diane Benjamin Besides the fact that Weikle has known about the “structural deficit” for years and did nothing to fix it, she is either allowing illegal activity or promoting it. Anyone believe how she runs Unit 5 is perfectly legal? She is hiding what is really being taught to your kids. What did Dr. […]
The below is compiled from data on the Illinois Sate Board of Education. More in this story: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/policy-shop/the-policy-shop-how-to-fix-illinois-public-schools-falling-test-scores/ Quality of Education is going down. More money isn’t going to reverse this course. Electing the people who caused the problems won’t either. Don’t get excited about Unit 5 being above Statewide average. Illinois is BELOW the […]
Does the Normal Town Council know they are Reece’s boss? Does Reece know she works for them? Does Reece know she can’t dictate the speech of Trustees? Does Reece know she can’t bar your representatives from representing? Is Reece preventing NPD from investigating electioneering? Is she barring release of findings? Will the results be buried […]
By: Diane Benjamin Everyone endorsed by this PAC have an agenda. That agenda isn’t doing what’s right for taxpayers, it’s doing what THEY want done regardless of your opinion. Did you want a $30 million pedestrian underpass in Normal? I hope you are noticing what electing progressives means. They work for government, not you. Dave […]
The two video below are from West Side Neighbors Facebook page. They are evidently inviting a few candidates at a time to speak to their group. Brad Wurth and Mollie Emery were also there. Since Danenberger and Hendricks skipped a forum I attended, these videos will allow you to hear both for yourself. Both think […]
By: Diane Benjamin At court the day Judge Fellheimer ruled for Normal four lawyers were there representing the Town. One was the Town attorney (Brian Day) and one was Michael Kasper. One other lawyer said nothing but the 4th lawyer did a lot of talking. I don’t believe the 3rd and 4th lawyer worked for […]
The link to see tonight’s Board Packet suddenly said Access Denied. Here is the packet:
