Month: July 2025

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Is Unit 5 hiding information from Parents?

By: Diane Benjamin This link contains of list of schools nationwide that has Nonconforming Transgender Policies: https://defendinged.org/investigations/list-of-school-district-transgender-gender-nonconforming-student-policies/ Page down to Illinois, there are a lot of districts listed. Yes, Unit 5 is one of them but District 87 isn’t. Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Policies openly state that district personnel can or should keep a student’s transgender status […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Illinois discriminates against White Males

By: Diane Benjamin Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requires discrimination. CEI is an Illinois government Commission on Equity and Inclusion. This quote is from a document produced as a result of a survey on procurement in the private sector: By addressing these challenges head-on, CEI will help pave the way for a more inclusive, equitable, and […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Local Communism

. When the Berlin Wall fell, nobody ran east toward communism. Sonny must have missed that history lesson. Your kids have probably missed it too. There is always a segment of society that hates freedom and will actively try to steal it. Communists believe they are smarter than you and should therefore rule. If you […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Bloomington Monday Night: Attn: Mayor Brady

By: Diane Benjamin Council members do NOT have a right to demand items be placed on the agenda. Aldermen have a procedure for doing it called Council initiatives. The public would know who is behind items and the Council has to vote to consider items at future meetings. Mollie Ward knows the procedure, maybe the […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Hijacked Vote in Bloomington

By: Diane Benjamin Last night’s meeting will take at least one more story. I don’t know when I will get to another story, so stay tuned. Bloomington voted unanimously to suspend payment of the 0.25% sales tax to the county for at least one year, intended for mental health services—primarily because the county holds more […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

What’s Bloomington Up To Tonight?

By: Diane Benjamin Agenda: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/cityblm/334d59458cb7051d070970f18fdb52b10.pdf A Public Hearing and vote are on the agenda to annex 74.5 acres on Lutz Road for a solar farm. Under state law the solar farm can’t be stopped, so opposition isn’t possible. Once built this farm will be using city water to clean the panels. Unless they buy trucked […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Make crime illegal again!

By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader for the video Monday night Bloomington will consider the same pause in funding to the County for mental health that Normal did: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/cityblm/334d59458cb7051d070970f18fdb52b10.pdf The Behavior Health Coordinating Council (BHCC) was changed to a secret group in 2024. Advising on spending millions of dollars in secret is a huge part […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Would you send your kids to this school?

By: Diane Benjamin Being below State standards is pretty difficult to accomplish, this district is way below. The dark green is State: . Learning the basics is evidently not required for graduation: . Community Colleges are forced to teach the graduates of this school because the District didn’t: . The teachers can’t be blamed because […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Illinois now has the highest property taxes in the country!

By: Diane Benjamin Locally we still haven’t been told when the airport is going to start taxing the county. If you forgot, Democrats got that passed in Springfield with members that don’t represent rural McLean County. That used to be called Taxation Without Representation. Assessed values are about to go up again. Since the area […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

McLean County Strategic Land Use Plan flawed

By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County Planning Commission starts with a flawed assumption: PDF page 7 This plan is designed to guide growth, ensure the efficient use of resources, and maintain a balance between urban and rural areas for the next 20 years. McLean County isn’t growing. Numerous websites show the same as below. Pretending […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

The Truth about Renewable Energy

By: Diane Benjamin Illinois is going to lose the AI war because of the Democratic Party’s war on fossil fuels. AI takes MASSIVE amounts of energy, wind and solar can never produce enough and it’s too expensive. Of course citizens are already seeing the electricity price increases because of these failed policies. Under Illinois law […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Shoplifting Is Legal at Home Depot

By: Diane Benjamin This story was told to me by a reader – it happened yesterday: I just watched a guy shoplift a couple grand worth of Milwaukee tools from Home Depot in Normal. I got pics of  his vehicle and plates along with him from the side. I found out Home Depot doesn’t report […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Top Heavy Administrations

By: Diane Benjamin Wonder why all local governments need ever increasing amounts of your money? The County, Bloomington, and Normal all have 3 top Administrators. Budgets keep increasing because all these people need things to “administer”. If problems were ever solved they wouldn’t have jobs, so nothing is ever solved. . Which administrator created an […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Obituary: former Alderman Judy Stearns

Judy Stearns, age 74, from Bloomington, Illinois, was called home to be with the Lord on Friday, July 18, 2025. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 25, 2025 at Epiphany Catholic Church in Normal. A visitation will be held from 10:00-11:00 a.m. prior to mass at the […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Town of Normal stopped funding, Bloomington next

By: Diane Benjamin Since Bloomington canceled the Committee of the Whole meeting last night, I watched the Normal meeting only because suspending contributions to the County Intergovernmental Agreement was on the agenda. Funding for Mental Health was the reason since that fund has $20 million plus. (Why-the-county-is-sitting-on-20-million-for-mental-health/) The discussion was lengthy. I can’t say any […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Why the County is sitting on $20 Million for Mental Health

By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the media wasn’t listening to public comment at the 7/14/25 County Executive Board meeting. Former Board member Susan Schafer was heavily involved with the mental health funding and spending. She spoke about the expense involved implementing EGIS. It is some replacement 911 system that is going to cost $20 million over […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Raped via Shell Bill

By: Diane Benjamin The State of Illinois stole the ability of downstate counties to deny green energy projects for any reason. If Chicago needs electricity, the state authorizes the raping of prime farmland downstate. The developer of the proposed eastside solar farm can not be stopped unless a lawsuit against the State of Illinois for […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Voter Deception: The 1% Sales Tax Controversy

By: Diane Benjamin Remember the 1% Sales Tax approved by voters last March? Remember the investigation into election interference by the school districts? https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/mclean-county-sheriff-investigating-alleged-election-interference The sheriffs office completed their investigation – the report has been sitting in the State’s Attorneys office for awhile now. Does Ericka Reynolds think people are going to forget about it? […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

More Bloomington Prosecutions for Code Violations

By: Diane Benjamin Elected officials are once again exempt from prosecution. All future local elections will be highly partisan since 3 democrats got away with violating city code. Republican leaning candidates need to play the same game and expose the far left candidates who want you to believe they are just normal democrats. They aren’t. […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Destroying Farmland for Chicago

Printed below is what reader sent to me. The writer wants to remain anonymous. Yes, the power generated, just like the wind turbines, will be sent to Chicago. The quality of life in McLean County suffers because Chicago is raping local farmland for electricity they aren’t allowed to generate themselves. In my opinion the County […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Your Illinois taxes went to Racial Healing Events

By: Diane Benjamin https://www.dhs.state.il.us/2024 Healing Grants 184 organizations across Illinois received grants to engage in racial healing activities: This description is on the grant award: Anti-racism is racism. It requires discrimination in order to promote others who haven’t earned it. My original FOIA was to the Comptroller’s Office. After playing games with extensions for 3 […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Flashback to 2016

By: Diane Benjamin In 2016 Bloomington bought a property at 807 North Main street: . Bloomington bought this property to control what was built there. Bloomington still owns it. Coldwell Banker couldn’t sell at after Bloomington hired them. https://blnnews.com/2020/07/02/bloomington-5-years-and-no-news/ A link in that story explains why nobody bought it. The City wanted to control what […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Birthright Citizenship Facts

By: Diane Benjamin Someday when I have time I’m going to look for my ISU graduation certificate so I can burn it. It has to do with stories like this: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-07-14/isu-scholar-expects-birthright-citizenship-will-be-upheld-after-confusion-and-harm?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook Missing from the story is the background of why the 14th Amendment was passed. It’s not easy to add an amendment, so why it […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Connect Transit Eats and Travels

By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit frequently has expenses for Travel and Meetings. The June meeting listed $5,861.95: https://connect-transit.com/file/3674/2025%2006%2024_Board%20Packet.pdf I don’t remember FOIAing expenses since 2016 when I learned 5 employees feasted in San Francisco: https://blnnews.com/2016/11/14/connect-transit-spending-theft/ I figured it was time. I filed a FOIA for receipts. Expenses for trips to Texas, Atlanta, DC, and Forsyth […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Last night Bloomington Council

By: Diane Benjamin Below are highlights from the meeting last night: 1) City Manager Jurgens reported the church that collapsed on E Mulberry was demolished because of the emergency of further collapse. The City hopes to recover the cost from the church’s insurance/congregation. It sounds like nothing could be salvaged because the building was unstable: […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Want less housing? Lift the rent control ban!

By: Diane Benjamin See an event tomorrow at the bottom. Rent/stabilized controls in New York City has led to 61,000 vacant apartment (2021). The number doubled in one year because landlords aren’t allowed to raise the rent for new tenants. https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/10/19/60000-rent-stabilized-apartments-vacant-warehousing-nyc-landlords-housing/ That story has lots of reason for why apartments are vacant. This excerpt describes […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Bloomington tonight: Downtown, downtown, downtown

By: Diane Benjamin Decades of spending money downtown have failed to transform it from a place of lawyers by day and revelers by night. Bloomington’s new goal is to reposition downtown as the entertainment capital of Central Illinois (That was stated at a June meeting: https://blnnews.com/2025/06/17/committee-of-the-whole-recap/) The pattern of bidding projects “shooting for the stars” […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Are Solar Farms Noisy? YES!

By: Diane Benjamin The proposed solar farm east of Bloomington isn’t contiguous: . Read this story: https://www.acentech.com/yes solar farms can produce noise Excerpts: The transformers in the solar facility are used to step-up the voltage for easier transmission into the local electrical grid. There are three sources of noise from within the transformer: (1) core […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

AI replaces Consultants

By: Diane Benjamin Does anyone truly believe a consultant from California can offer advice to Bloomington on missing “middle housing”? Many people can no longer afford homes in California. I will only care about what Opticos Design says after they solve California’s housing problems where they are located. https://blnnews.com/2025/05/28/bloomington-part-2-missing-middle-housing/ Computers are rapidly becoming over 100 […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

The latest people Bloomington prosecuted for violating City Code

By: Diane Benjamin Alderman Cody Hendricks isn’t on it. Neither is Alderman Jenna Kearns or Alderman Abby Scott. Elites can violate laws without consequences, these peons got dragged into Administrative Court.

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Olympia didn’t want you asking questions

By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader I wrote in June about the Olympia property taxes debacle. In this story I quoted their website stating a meeting would be held July 14th (if needed). That link at the bottom no longer works, This is the new link to meeting dates: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/395/district/5796161/24-25_BOARD_OF_ED._MEETINGS-DATES.docx__3_.pdf July 14th (if needed) was […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Remember the Connect Transit Gravel Lot?

By: Diane Benjamin FYI: I won’t always be writing early in the morning because of garden work that I want to do early – before it gets hot. I wrote about this gravel lot here: https://blnnews.com/2025/07/02/connect-transit-gravel lot Connect needed a place to park all the buses that don’t run. Most, if not all, are electric. […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Impact of Dirt on Solar Panel Farms Efficiency

By: Diane Benjamin The country is a dirty place. My vehicle parked in the garage with no doors open gets covered with fine dirt. Tilling and planting creates blowing dirt, harvesting does too. Sometimes it gets really bad – May 16, 2025 filmed looking out my garage door window: . Did you know dirty solar […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Sounds like a threat to me

By: Diane Benjamin Attacks on ICE agents, including shooting them, is up 700%. Is this guy instigating the same attacks on law enforcement personnel here? The job of ICE is to enforce federal law. Looks like Sonny needs investigated. . His girlfriend “liked” his post and then posted this: . Laws are immaterial to these […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Ameren Help

More information is available – see the bottom of this page. With higher rates demand is increasing. . More information:

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Why is Homelessness Increasing?

By: Diane Benjamin This story epitomizes why people flee Illinois and ignore local media: https://www.wglt.org/illinois/2025-07-07/housing-funding-cut-in-illinois-budget-as-homelessness-increases Title: Housing funding cut in Illinois budget as homelessness increases Illinois just passed the biggest budget ever – $55.1 billion. Excerpt: “Last year homelessness increased 116% in the state of Illinois,” Doug Kenshol, co-founder of the Illinois Shelter Alliance, told […]