By: Diane Benjamin The Board packet included reports for both September and October. I put them side by side so it’s easy to compare: https://connect-transit.com/file/3951/2025%2011%2025_Board%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf The loss PER MONTH is racing toward $2,000,000. It’s only money. Yours. October is the highest one month loss to date. September is second. If you look at PDF page […]
Most of us show up to vote in presidential years, and that’s good. But too many of us sit out the elections that actually decide who runs McLean County day-to-day: the primaries and the spring local elections for county board, sheriff, circuit clerk, coroner, regional school board, township officials, and even the judges who will […]
. Add, thanking GOD for all the blessings this country offers! Read the REAL story of Thanksgiving schools don’t teach: https://prayamericagreatagain.com/rush-limbaugh-the-true-story-of-thanksgiving/ Socialism failed the Pilgrims, capitalism saved them and set the course for this new country. If you don’t teach your kids they will never know the true story.
By: Diane Benjamin Below is the playbook the far left uses to win elections. Show up everywhere, act like you are everybody’s best friend, pretend being elected isn’t about obtaining power, and saying whatever you have to for votes. See Abby Scott: https://blnnews.com/2025/11/25/bloomington-%f0%9f%a4%a6%e2%99%80%ef%b8%8f/ Of course Abby and her husband Corey Beirne are friends of Krystle’s. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since October numbers weren’t available when I did this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/11/24/before-bloomington-raises-property-taxes-ask-them-to-explain-this/ Let’s look at them! In that story, for 5 months, Bloomington had already collected $2,434,698 more than in 2024. Half way through the fiscal year, they are already over $3 million more. . Your property taxes and grocery tax HAD to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Next May Bloomington water bills go up to make the trifecta of 100% increase in 3 years complete. All other fees go up 3% every year without a vote. Your property tax bills, courtesy of the City and Library, are also going up. There was an election in April of 2025. Cody […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Library didn’t get the memo. A $200,000 house last year isn’t assessed at $200,000 this years. They expect you to believe your library tax is going down: . The City of Bloomington was smart enough not to pull that scam: https://blnnews.com/2025/11/22/bloomington-flunked-the-transparency-test/ The City claims that $200,000 house last year is […]
By: Diane Benjamin If corporations kept 2 sets of books, the leaders would be in jail. Bloomington is doing that: https://blnnews.com/2025/11/22/bloomington-flunked-the-transparency-test/ Did you know Bloomington is only paying interest in the Coliseum bonds? If it ever gets paid off the real cost will likely be close to twice what the original cost was. 1 year […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember this post with REAL profit from a show at the BCPA? The show was Adam Wainwright. The event report originally displayed was posted by mistake. That event report actually showed how much he got paid to appear and therefore the TRUE profit. Now go to this page to see the “revised” […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://illinoiscomptroller.gov Data Bloomington submitted I’m using Bloomington’s numbers they sent to the Controller’s office: Population: 2023: 78,864 2024: 78,587 2025: 78,680 Number of Employees 2023: Full time: 665 Part time: 542 2024: Fill time: 687 Part time: 569 2025: Full time: 678 Part time: 1,111 Salary Paid to All Employees: 2023: $58,611,055 […]
By: Diane Benjamin I can’t post links to this information because a PACER account is required to access federal case information. Lopez has one charge against him. His court appointed attorney requested bail, the judge denied it. An Order of Protection against him was granted, I don’t know who requested it. The below was copied […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town used the same tax scam recapped in the previous story: https://blnnews.com/2025/11/20/property-tax-scams/ WGLT gladly played along: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-11-18/normal-town-council-discusses-2025-tax-levy-during-sometimes-tense-meeting . That $280,000 home isn’t $280,000 now. Your Town of Normal property tax bill will increase MORE than $48. It would have been nice if Trustee Preston had mentioned that, he didn’t. Worse, they […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you own a house you are renting it from all those taxing bodies on your bill. If you don’t pay the bill it will be stolen from you. Scams abound this time of year because all of them are raising your taxes. More than once I’ve heard “the owner of a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Just to make sure everyone knows: The Obamacare subsidies that haven’t been extended were passed under Biden during Covid. No Republicans voted for them. Democrats put a 5 year expiration date on the additional money. This article explains why the subsidies shouldn’t be extended, Cato isn’t a bunch of conservatives: https://www.cato.org/blog/six-reasons-not-extend-enhanced-obamacare-subsidies Obamacare […]
By: Diane Benjamin Cloudfare, the company keeping the internet safe from attacks, was attacked earlier today. It appears to mostly back up and running but it has affected WordPress and therefore my posts. I don’t know if stories are going to anyone who hasn’t subscribed. Now would be a good time to subscribe if you […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader The US Post Office is buying electric mail delivery vehicles. The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act included $3 billion to make that happen. This is a pic of the E. Empire location. It appears they are installing EV chargers: . In 2021, the USPS signed a 10-year contract with […]
By: Diane Benjamin The ruling party in Illinois wants citizens to bleed. No one is allowed to keep money they earned. Basic economics is a course they all skipped. https://www.rrstar.com/story/business/economy/2025/11/17/illinois-fails-to-adopt-no-tax-on-tips-or-overtime-trump-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/87315915007 People spend the money they don’t pay in taxes – that generates even more taxes than government swallows. Illinois doesn’t like free people who keep […]
By: Diane Benjamin The families of murder victims deserve justice. The families of Jennifer Lockmiller and Carol Rofstad deserve justice and haven’t received it. Has the DNA from Jennifer Lockmiller been uploaded to CODIS? Is any DNA available from the Carol Rofstad case? If you don’t know what CODIS is? https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/dna-fingerprint-act-of-2005-expungement-policy/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet If CODIS doesn’t have […]
By: Diane Benjamin Instead of a Committee of the Whole meeting, the Bloomington City Council is holding a retreat tonight: Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4096/files/agenda/8026 Since it is being held at the library, no video will be produced. . If citizens want to know what is being planned they have to attend. See the agenda for details.
By: Diane Benjamin See if you can follow how ISU responded to my FOIA. I was looking for emails mentioning Charlie Kirk around the time he was on the ISU campus. Read the below chain, what don’t they want you to know? Original request 9/12/25: All communication in any form by any ISU employee using […]
By: Diane Benjamin Declare yourself an asylum seeker in Illinois! Can’t afford groceries? Illinois uses your tax dollars to feed illegals. Ditto healthcare. If you can’t afford the premiums, imagine how many US citizens living in Illinois could have been funded with the money our dear leaders have thrown to illegals. AI generated summary: . […]
This is a statewide event: http://www.allianceforcommunityservices.org/home.html The National Debt is now over $38 Trillion: https://usdebtclock.org/ Alliance for Community Service claims the country isn’t broke, see link above. SNAP cuts included people here illegally, dead people, and those who never qualified. Food is a Right? Is it okay to steal food since it’s a Right? Healthcare […]
By: Diane Benjamin The current Sales tax rate is 10.25, if Pritzker signs the bill it increases to 10.5% Read more: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/chicagos-high-sales-taxes-about-to-increase-to-no-1-in-nation/ Bloomington and Normal have the same Sales Tax rate – 9.75%: . Aren’t you proud the local Sales Tax rate almost matches Chicago? The 1% School Facilities Tax was put on a local […]
By: Diane Benjamin Once again it’s time for every unit of local government to raise your property taxes. You will hear the average homeowner will only pay X more a year. Look at your property tax bill from last year. How many units of government are listed? Each one of them wants more money, not […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is part of what Able posted on Facebook. It recaps her rise to “power”. Note, nowhere does she talk about policies that got votes, she just showed up. . That last paragraph shows her politics is about POWER. Did she tell the Normal Township voters she would be keeping her first […]
By: Diane Benjamin Pictures of the Northern Lights were plastered across Facebook last night from all over our area. I could only see faint color until I took these pictures about 9:30pm. The lights on the right side are oil leaking wind turbines. AI claims they might be visible every night until Friday. My cell […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday buying a 1.734 acres was on the BNWRD Agenda. This property is undeveloped according to the pictures, but it does have Goose Creek. It appears BNWRD wants to control that creek since it drains into Sugar Creek. I’m just wondering why it cost $90,639? Can anyone explain it? $52,272 an acre […]
On this Veterans Day, we pause to honor the quiet courage of those who stood watch in the dark, who carried the weight of freedom on their shoulders, and who returned home forever changed. Your sacrifice wove the fabric of our nation’s story, thread by thread, battle by battle, heartbeat by heartbeat. To every veteran: […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Council meeting was pretty boring except for one item. Sheila Montney pulled approval of a liquor license for Spinnegan’s, LLC from the Consent Agenda. This business is located where Crafted was on Airport Road. Obviously Montney received information pertaining to this license application that was not considered by the Liquor […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington is paying $50,000 to settle a claim made by Jaylin Bones. See details here: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1011/files/report/2488 Of course the City denies any fault. The Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District (BNWRD) is paying $150,000 to settle a federal employment discrimination lawsuit filed by Joseph Brewer: . I researched this Federal Case and found something […]
By: Diane Benjamin Did you know Dick Durbin was one of the rogue Democrats who voted to reopen government? Either he was terrified of Republicans voting to abolish the filibuster or he decided to do the right thing since he’s not running for re-election. Of course Krystle Able would show her outrage by quoting the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Agenda for tonight: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1011/files/agenda/7996 Just two items on the Regular agenda. Only government can get by with reporting financial information 6 1/2 months after year end. Does anyone care what Bloomington’s financial conditions were on 4/30/2025? The same auditor that has been used too many years in a row will say all […]
By: Diane Benjamin I have stated many times I rarely cross Veterans Parkway. I also avoid driving Veterans Parkway. Is anyone seriously thinking of reducing it from 6 lanes to 4? Why does that make me think of the people who wanted to build an East side bypass? Do planners want people crying for a […]
By: Diane Benjamin This morning I heard from a Country Companies retiree who received a notice for next year. Blue Cross insurance, just for her, will cost is $543 a month next year. If she wanted her husband covered too, the total cost is $1,969 a month. She’s going with a plan for major medical […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is the article that needs some work: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-10-30/new-report-cards-show-fewer-exemplary-b-n-schools-and-more-with-struggling-student-groups The “new report cards” are based on results from LAST SCHOOL YEAR. The article fails to mention that fact, reading it makes it sound like the information is current. Results from kids now in school won’t be known until the kids are tested […]
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-facing-lawsuits-over-property-tax-theft/ If you don’t pay your property taxes, Illinois counties will “sell” them. After 3 years, if the same person bought them all, that person can own your property. It doesn’t matter how much they paid vrs how much the house if worth. The Supreme Court has ruled that unconstitutional. Read the whole story above, […]
