By: Diane Benjamin Does Matt Chapman teach anything about the history of the Democrat Party? Slavery, Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, blocking desegregation in schools, opposition to civil rights legislation? (Just to name a few) From his Facebook comment he isn’t: . This comment was left by one of his students: . Chapman is obviously […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was contacted last week by a resident of Nashville Tn after she found stories I wrote about Opticos Designs. No surprise their plans for Nashville are Missing Middle Housing, same story as Bloomington. Nashville has a bigger problem than Bloomington because the population growth is huge as people flee states like […]
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-10-08/normal-looks-to-create-new-uptown-tif-to-spur-development?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook 2024 Downtown Development TIF report: https://files.illinoiscomptroller.gov/LocGovTIF/FY2024/06409531/24TIF06409531Downtown_volpment_1.pdf PDF page 8 shows this TIF is underwater: ($47,720,848) Normal taxpayers are on the hook for expenses the TIF didn’t generate enough revenue to pay. Now Normal wants a new Uptown TIF and claims to have developers interested. The WGLT story did an […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night I had a comment from a person I didn’t post. The writer claimed Matt Chapman was a great teacher who helped a son a lot. This person also stated Chapman wears shirts with political messages to spur classroom discussions. That person failed to notice not every student at NCHS is […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you don’t understand that concept you didn’t read yesterday’s story word-for-word: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/proof-political-propaganda-is-allowed-at-unit-5/ This isn’t a tough thing to understand if you start with the fact kids are classroom captives. They can’t get up and walk out. They are forced to endure whatever propaganda a teacher wants them exposed to. If communication […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader More to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/proof-political-propaganda-is-allowed-at-unit-5/ If you have any doubt Matt Chapman is teaching propaganda instead of US History and Civics, see this Twitter/X post: . Chapman is teaching kids to HATE their country. He sees no intrinsic value in teaching real history. This is insurrection and your kids […]
See more to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/see-what-matt-chapman-is-teaching/ By: Diane Benjamin Ever heard of a Learning Resources Department? Normal Community High School has one: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfzNT6fVHQoWP_qpPrqoXpTzqEAlWzMvOonbdQfn8Kw/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.6q39cva8yy6e 28 teachers are listed with an additional 6 support staff. This guy is one of the listed teachers: . Note Chapman teaches Civics and US History. This is also Matt Chapman: . […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois government not only collects a Gas Tax per gallon, they also get Sales Tax. They really hate when the price of gas drops because their revenue drops too. Gas tax: $0.483 per gallon https://tax.illinois.gov/research/taxrates/motorfuel.html In case you forgot what this tax used to be: . That is an 87% in 6 years. […]
By: Diane Benjain Abby fails to state her husband, Corey Beirne, is employed by Unit 5. Beirne can’t say this himself since he is likely running for re-election: . Let me remind you what Alex Williams stated on social media: . Abby thinks his comments are positive? According to Abby Scott, Bloomington Ward 9 alderman, […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Illinois Policy Institute recently posted a story that contains a link to easily look up school superintent’s salaries: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-superintendent-pay-doesnt-match-performance-district-consolidation-could-help/ I don’t necessarily agree with consolidation because larger organizations usually become less efficient. When they aren’t spending their own money there is no incentive to be fiscally responsible. Anyway: These salaries mostly […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois passed a bill in 2015 to reform education. In 2014 the US Department of Education determined racist policies (civil rights violations) existed in Illinois schools. Who was president in 2014? See the report from the Illinois Education Association dated January 2024 below. I wonder if Unit 5 Board chair Alex Williams […]
By: Diane Benjamin More information on this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/01/bloomington-foia-fail-planning-commission/ Just so everyone is clear on what happened with my FOIA request, I’m printing these screenshots from the emails I sent to Corporate lawyer Chris Spanos. I consider Chris one of the good guys, but even he has limits in what he can admit. I’m surprised […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader The State of Illinois doesn’t believe in judging students based on their character/behavior. The Illinois State Board of Education looks only at the proportional discipline based on skin color. Unit 5 was put on notice that too many people of color have been suspended or expelled. They were forced […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Illinois layoff list is back to updating daily: https://www.illinoisworknet.com/LayoffRecovery/Pages/IllinoisWARNData.aspx In September another 2,069 people in Illinois have been notified they will be laid off. The August layoffs were 1,065. In the last 12 months the total is 16,112.
See this 2022 story about the same school: https://blnnews.com/2022/11/23/evans-junior-high-6th-graders-indoctrination/ By: Diane Benjamin The below was sent to me by a parent who received it. It came from Evan Junior High and not signed by the sender. The return email address is generic. The bottom line is: 6th grade students are being punished because of the […]
Space is limited, so sign up in advance to attend. On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the College Republicans at Illinois State University will welcome American activist and detransitioner Chloe Cole. Known for her remarkable story of transitioning at the age of 12 and detransitioning at age 16, Cole speaks with firsthand authority on the deeply […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you still don’t understand laws in Bloomington only apply to citizen peons, this story should convince you. Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/09/13/strike-3-bloomington/ After the Planning Commission postponed hearing the case for allowing a homeless shelter in a single family neighborhood, staff hung around to answer questions and hear comments from the […]
