Month: December 2025

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Top Stories of 2025

By: Diane Benjamin The top 6 stories are ALL Unit 5: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/proof-political-propaganda-is-allowed-at-unit-5/ https://blnnews.com/2025/12/04/can-your-3rd-grader-read-likely-no-in-public-school/ https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/see-what-matt-chapman-is-teaching/ https://blnnews.com/2025/09/23/unit-5-school-board-doesnt-care-what-you-think/ https://blnnews.com/2025/09/20/controversy-surrounds-unit-5-board-chair-alex-williams/ https://blnnews.com/2025/10/02/want-to-know-why-every-kid-at-evans-is-punished-see-this/ If you haven’t taken the Unit 5 survey: https://forms.gle/sfLWSF4Bcv92EU3bA Maybe people will actually vote the next time school board members are elected – 2027. Maybe people will actually run, in 2025 only union candidates ran.

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

BNWRD story #6

By: Diane Benjamin All previous BNWRD stories linked here: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/20/bnwrd-property-purchase-update/ Just to review, BNWRD is buying these 3 properties: (Bloomington Normal Water Reclamation District) . The first property should have been 21-06 instead of 21-08. It was severely under assessed for property taxes at $27,082 x 3 = $81,246 total value vrs a sales price […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Illinois Stealing Money from You

By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington has alluded to State cuts before but they have never provided actual numbers (that I remember). Cities across Illinois used to receive 10% of the money the State collected in local income taxes. Lawmakers reduced that to 7% in 2012. This story allows people to see how much that has cost […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Connect Transit is paying Braun for 20 weeks

By: Diane Benjamin Last year Connect Transit paid Managing Director David Braun: In November he abruptly announced a leave of absence and then resigned. Wasn’t he the guy who wasted around $16 million on electric buses? Media reported his leave of absence and that he may not return: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-11-13/connect-transits-managing-director-takes-leave-of-absence In December media dutifully reported the […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Nick Shirley video

By: Diane Benjamin Here’s the full 42-minute Nick Shirley video everyone’s talking about—except the legacy media. Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old independent journalist, exposed massive Somali-owned business fraud in Minnesota. Federal and state funds were handed out with zero verification of legitimacy. In just one day (and 24 hours of work), he uncovered more fraud than […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

More on the Not In Our Town Frauds

By: Diane Benjamin My definition of fraud: being against some hate speech while ignoring others that don’t fit the agenda. I’ll never quit exposing Not In Our Town (NIOT) as frauds. Elected officials are threatened to sign their pledge—if they don’t, they’re inundated with calls and emails asking why they’re not against hate. NIOT isn’t […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

3 Things You Need To Know

By: Diane Benjamin 1) Gas price in Wisconsin, we also saw $2.32 but not in time for a pic: . Less than 20 miles south of the border in Illinois the price was $2.78. Meanwhile Illinois roads are pathetic, especially I39 north. 2) Excerpt: . I asked AI how many homes would that amount of […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Weekend Mixed Bag

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Merry Christmas

. To  one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To  one without faith, no explanation is  possible”.    ~Thomas  Aquinas

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Readers:

Christmas is REALLY hectic this year so don’t expect many stories this week. I’m waiting for one FOIA request that should have been so easy I should have received it within 24 hours. I didn’t. I’m also waiting for a response from the Assessor’s office about the property in this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/20/bnwrd-property-purchase-update/ Should I expect […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Filing False Statements of Economic Interest

By: Diane Benjamin A statement of Economic Interest is required in Illinois because: The disclosures “are intended to avoid any conflict of interest between the government and its officers and employees and to instill in the public trust and confidence in its elected officials.” Crudup v. Sims, 292 Ill. App. 3d 1075, 1076 (1997). When candidates just write-in N/A […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

BNWRD Property Purchase Update

By: Diane Benjamin All previous stories are linked in this one: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/16/bloomington-township-assessor-its-not-my-fault/ Just to recap, The BNWRD packet for December had three properties listed they were buying. Two of them had problems. First: Pin #21-05-154-020 This property was listed on the County website as owned by the City of Bloomington. I finally got an answer […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Weekend Comedy

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

No prosecution, the Unexceptional Rewarded

By: Diane Benjamin In case you forgot, review these stories. The McLean County Public Schools all wanted the 1% Sales Tax to pass, all used the same talking points, and all pointed to the same website to “inform” voters. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-02-11/complaints-filed-over-alleged-political-advocacy-on-school-sales-tax-informational-website https://blnnews.com/2025/07/18/voter-deception-the-1-sales-tax-controversy/ Copied from an email to Dean Fletcher who filed one of the complaints: My […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Unit 5 Raised Property Taxes

By: Diane Benjamin The below is from the Unit 5 agenda last Wednesday: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=722323 The Board held a Public Hearing on property taxes. This slide was included: . The highlighted number is what they plan on taking from property owners. We know the increase Equalized Assessed Values are mostly due to higher values assigned to […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Something Else I Found By Accident

By: Diane Benjamin See if you notice a difference in what these 2 candidates for Precinct Committeeman filed. Patrick Cortesi if the Chair of the McLean County Democrats. He is running for Democrat Precinct Committeeman. This is the packet he filed to get n the ballot: . Connie Beard, GOP Fundraiser, is running for Republican Precinct […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Just Something I Found By Accident

By: Diane Benjamin Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is the opposite of meritocracy. Most people believe success has to be earned, not handed out to fill self-imposed quotas. Judging people on the color of their skin is evil. Most people used to know that. The YWCA doesn’t know that. https://www.ywcamclean.org/education-advocacy/ FREE DEI Education The YWCA does […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Dueling Facts: Bloomington

By: Diane Benjamin Last Monday City Manager Jeff Jurgen announced there was plenty of parking downtown – Just hit Play: . Mayor Brady is quoted in this WGLT story stating the opposite: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-12-16/bloomington-considers-downtown-trolley-service-during-parking-crunch Brady wants a trolley service when big events are going on because parking near the places holding events is limited. Which is […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Dan Brady Creates a Trust Chasm

By: Diane Benjamin The 7-2 vote last Monday to massively raise property taxes made housing even more unaffordable. Numerous people running for office claim they will lower your taxes. Monday’s vote proved that lying is how you win elections. Bloomington aldermen aren’t the only taxing body grabbing for your wallet. Below is Dan Brady’s campaign […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

UPDATE: Bloomington Township Assessor: It’s Not My Fault

I contacted the Assessor’s office to find out who the assessor is for PIN #21-06-278-031. They told me the guy listed below. I sent him another email on 12/17/2025. By: Diane Benjamin All previous stories: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/13/bnwrd-continued-and-did-unit-5-get-screwed/ At the end of that story I stated I was going to ask the Bloomington Township Assessor about the […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Rent to Increase Again in Bloomington

By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Council voted 7-2 to increase property taxes 13.4% last night. The library increased taxes by almost 2%. After a Who’s on First like re-enactment, discussions took place by the Council both during the Public Hearing and before the vote. 7 members swallowed whatever staff fed them, only Alderman Sheila Montney […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Bloomington tonight: a Fleece for Christmas

By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington voted in July to suspend payments to the County for the Behavioral Health Action Plan starting July 1, 2025: Shared Sales Tax suspended Why is this payment listed on Bills and Payroll if payments are suspended? Bills and Payroll 12-15-2025 I’d ask but getting an answer is evidently […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

BNWRD continued, and did Unit 5 get screwed?

By: Diane Benjamin I sent BNWRD another FOIA yesterday, it was answered the same day. Thanks Tim Erwin. See the 2 previous stories here: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/12/more-on-the-bnwrd-property-purchase/ I still haven’t received a response from the Bloomington City Attorney pertaining to the property listed in the County records as owned by the City:  PIN #21-05-154-020. More on that […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Is Bloomington and Normal water safe?

By: Diane Benjamin Story on Bloomington’s water and contaminates: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/10/bloomington-water-quality-2024-report/ Don’t forget this fact: What is in Normal’s water? https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=IL1130900 . See more details at the EWG website which includes recommended filters to remove these chemicals. Did you notice how many cause cancer but have no legal limit? How much are you paying for water? […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Weekend Since You Are Stuck Inside . .

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Facts For Krystle

By: Diane Benjamin Why are Illinois Democrats going to tax tips, Krystle? Is affordability only a talking point for people who work tipped jobs? Funny—I haven’t heard Illinois Democrats rushing to tax federally exempt overtime. Is that because overtime is more associated with union and blue-collar jobs? Illinois will lose a lot more revenue from […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

More on the BNWRD property purchase

By: Diane Benjamin Original story: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/09/bnwrd-bought-what/ I had to ask twice to get a response, Tim Irwin told me his wife had surgery which delayed his response. Packet for the December 8, 2025 meeting: https://blnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/December-2025-Board-Packet.pdf In the original story I showed the PIN #’s for three properties. 21-08-278-031 didn’t exist in the County property database. […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Where does Normal’s EMS Revenue Go?

By: Diane Benjamin Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/10/how-much-does-normal-charge-hudson-lexington-and-towanda/ I asked the Town Clerk a simple question about the FOIA I filed: Security Key:2491BAE5 Reference Number:RR-1767-2025 Can you tell me what fund this revenue goes to? This is the response I received from Clerk, Angie Huonker: Hi Diane, The deposit account (001-0000-341.16-00) is the “Charge for […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Arrests with no prosecution?

By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Police recently posted these arrests: . Are these three actually being prosecuted? The driver was impaired but not charged with DUI? Try searching for criminal records: Maylon Tate https://publicaccess.mcleancountyil.gov/PubAC_SearchCriminal.aspx That name brings up this guy: . I’ve seen searches linked to somebody using an alias but never the wrong guy! […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Downs Public Hearing on Annexing Something

By: Diane Benjamin It would have been nice if this document said what they wanted to annex. I’m only posting it in case it’s the Rt 150 property again. Previous story: https://blnnews.com/2025/03/13/downs-tonight-flooding-shaddyville/

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

How much does Normal charge Hudson, Lexington, and Towanda?

By: Diane Benjamin I filed a FOIA request to find out how much revenue Normal received from providing fire related services to Hudson, Lexington, and Towanda. Remember, when Normal is running calls outside of Normal they aren’t available to run calls in Normal. The timeline for my FOIA was 1/1/2023 – 12/1/2025. That amounts to […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Bloomington Water Quality – 2024 Report Trouble?

By: Diane Benjamin This is a link to the 2024 Water Quality report on Bloomington’s website: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/24534/638878274396400000 It shows no violations for contaminants detected. This is a more comprehensive report from 2024 on Bloomington’s water quality. It was published by Environmental Working Group (EWG) in Washington DC. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=IL1130200 That reports also shows no direct violations, […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Bloomington, Bloomington

By: Diane Benjamin Everything passed last night. The Convenience Center will be closing. City Manager Jurgens stated it could be relocated but getting permits might be a problem. Hum, who issues permits for City owned property? Are residents dropping off hazardous waste? The CCC has to relocate because of the detention pond they are building […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

BNWRD bought what?

By: Diane Benjamin BNWRD is the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District. They tax everyone in Bloomington-Normal. The documentation for the yesterday’s BNWRD meeting is on this page: https://blnnews.com/bnwrd-docs/ This jumped off the page, especially since last month BNWRD bought 1.734 acres for $90,639. https://blnnews.com/2025/11/11/i-need-a-realtor-to-explain-this-one/ PDF page 3: The contract for sale starts on PDF page 109 […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Bulk Garbage Changing Again – Bloomington

By: Diane Benjamin The City finally perfected picking up bulk waste twice a year, so staff needs it changed. Instead of preventing local contractors and landlords from dumping bulk waste at the convenience center, the City wants to close it. That means going back to picking up bulk every two weeks instead of twice a […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Is Normal Raising Property Taxes Tonight?

By: Diane Benjamin A special meeting is being held tonight. Since only the Agenda is posted with NO documentation, it’s likely safe to assume the answer is Yes. https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5453 There is no packet posted explaining what this means: Nothing about property taxes was on the December 1st meeting agenda. Don’t fall for “the rate will […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

How Much Intelligence Does It Take to Recycle?

By: Diane Benjamin Evidently too much for too many people. Maybe the signs need to say Pretty Please. Location: Recycling bins on the north side of the Normal Walmart:

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Weekend Fun

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Why can’t 3rd graders read? Don’t Blame COVID

By: Diane Benjamin More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/04/can-your-3rd-grader-read-likely-no-in-public-school/ The 3rd graders tested last spring weren’t affected by school closings during COVID. They weren’t old enough to be in school. They were in: 3rd grade – 2024/2025 2nd grade – 2023/2024 1st grade – 2022/2023 Kindergarten – 2021/2022 Illinois schools were closed for COVID in March […]

Written by Diane Benjamin - editor

Proactive Property Maintenance Plan? Heavy Hand of Government?

By: Diane Benjamin This can easily turn authoritarian since Bloomington has their own Administrative Court. Of course aldermen who break City code aren’t dragged into court, just you peons. You are expected to forget Bloomington practices selective prosecution: https://blnnews.com/2025/03/25/cody-hendricks-chief-cheater/ Staff is going to drive around town looking for violators? Can anyone think of a better […]