Since most people never saw it, the writer asked me to print it too. LETTER: Chung, council ignore taxpayers Normal made two recent requests seeking public input regarding art and the proposed Vernon Avenue improvements. However, Normal only accepts input when it supports the proposed project as presented to gain public support for the projects. […]
By: Diane Benjamin A total of 1,609 scientists, professors and other scholars have signed on to a new declaration that argues there is no climate change crisis. https://www.thecollegefix.com/more-than-1600-scientists-and-other-scholars-sign-no-climate-emergency-declaration/ That didn’t stop Normal City Manager Pam Reece telling WGLT Normal has been affected by Climate Change: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-09-22/climate-change-impacts-noticeable-in-bloomington-normal Reece claims the trees were affected by heat and […]
It is impossible for me to cover all local units of government myself, therefore I am going to quit covering Normal. If anyone actually cares about schools, I need help there too. Your part-time mayor driving a vehicle taxpayers paid almost $74,000 for and putting regular plates on it instead of government plates didn’t make […]
By: Diane Benjamin Ever wonder why people keep voting for leftists in cities being destroyed by progressives? See Chicago. Normal is well on their way to defeating all opposition – just like Chicago. The meeting video which includes a short Liquor Commission meeting was 34 minutes long. There was a Public Comment at the beginning […]
By: Diane Benjamin I was shocked when Connect Transit picked Proterra as their electric bus supplier. It appears the Board members appointed by the mayors of Bloomington and Normal didn’t bother to do a simple Google search. Plenty of stories were easily available detailing the problems with these buses and cities that quit using them […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader This isn’t a “fleet vehicle”. Check the plates.
By: Diane Benjamin So far this fiscal year the federal government has spent $1.61 TRILLION more than it collected in taxes. That is why inflation will continue. That didn’t stop Normal from applying for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. They want $100,000 and will find out in November is they get […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4719 West College isn’t being fixed because it is STILL being designed: Maybe the Town is trying to decide how to build it since inflation ate their grant. Gravel parking lots aren’t good enough in Normal. (don’t they drain better than paved?) They were good enough for a special use permit in […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) For readers who get email notifications of stories: I did change a setting that should make your email notification look different. I needed the change to make the stats calculate accurately. 2) This is the article that makes what the Town of Normal wants to do with banning natural gas illegal: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Quote: “Climate change is getting to be a significant issue and we’re going to have to do things outside of the realm of just makes economic sense,” he said. Source: WGLT Does Chris Koos know heavy equipment doesn’t run on electricity? Economic sense isn’t spending a likely $30 million to dig a […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/08/16/has-work-started-on-west-college-and-the-underpass/ Nothing is happening at the underpass site: Work is being done instead the Children’s Discovery Museum instead:
By: Diane Benjamin West College was despicable when the Normal Town Council approved a plan to fix it clear back in 2020: https://blnnews.com/2020/06/23/normal-on-fixing-west-college/ According to the Community Investment Plan the Town first had to extend sewer lines to the West side of Rivian Motorway. That work should have been completed in FY 2023 which ended […]
By: Diane Benjamin Doug Farr was paid $80,000 for the Uptown South MASTER PLAN that includes no natural gas: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/07/normal-buy-local-is-immaterial/ This story is to document what the 4-3 vote was proclaimed to mean. In a year or two when a subsidized developer is found I predict the same council will claim the document labeled MASTER […]
By: Diane Benjamin No the science isn’t settled. Real science is never settled. The “science” of Climate Change is computer models and non-scientist Greta Thumburg angrily proclaiming we have 8 years before the world is destroyed. For decades clowns have been claiming the same thing. Predictions have not come true, just stealing your freedom to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night’s meeting is going to take more than one story. Let’s start with the ridiculous. The microphone issues have been happening for months. Many of the council’s “buzzed” when they spoke, Scott Preston’s made it impossible to hear him. He’s wearing a microphone in addition to the one on the desk. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight’s packet: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4708 This meeting won’t be 10 minutes. Most of the agenda won’t be discussed but a few items probably will. Approval of the Uptown South Master Plan: The plan does include no natural gas lines even though that is illegal. Typical for progressives, do it and see it anyone sues. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The climate change pushers ignore facts. When they claim the earth is burning because of fossil fuels they use temperatures since the 1960’s when a new ice age was being predicted. They will not tell you the 1930’s were hotter than now! https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/bloomington-normal/month-august Why were the 1930’s so hot? It certainly wasn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin Fitch downgraded the US credit yesterday: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/shock-u-s-credit-rating-downgrade-by-fitch-rings-alarm-bells-about-economy/ar-AA1eGOTE This is a quote from the story: According to the company, despite the fact that the debt ceiling standoff was resolved two months ago, “the repeated debt-limit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management.“ Let me interpret: Fitch would rather see […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when Normal bought the two Rivians? The pickup was $73,631. The SUV was $77,931. Both numbers include $1000 down payment. Council thought the two vehicles would be added to the fleet so they could be used as necessary. The pickup has regular plates that no one has ever explained. The SUV […]
By: Diane Benjamin Freedom of Information requests wouldn’t cost near as much if the Town of Normal Clerk wasn’t trying so hard to hide information. I FOIA’d information pertaining to BOTH Rivian vehicles they purchased, I did not receive everything I FOIA’d. It appears the second Rivian vehicle has government plates. The first one doesn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4698 Another $1,050 in performance fees for Make Music Normal are on PDF page 11. That brings the total to over $37,000, not including staff time. https://blnnews.com/2023/07/05/how-much-did-normal-charge-you-for-make-music-normal/ There are lots of other performance fees listed the taxpayers get charged for. Call it government approved entertainment. A reader FOAI’d the performance fee for […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) The smoke from Canada is back: 2) The company Bloomington hired to do the $750,000 downtown study is all in on DEI. https://www.cmtengr.com/dei/ The report is due in August. The City keeps using recommendations from old outdated reports like Bring It On Bloomington and the Downtown Bloomington Task Force. How many […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m not going to reveal who is doing this – the Town of Normal knows and refuses to take any action against the property owner. This guy brings bulk waste from rental properties in Bloomington and dumps it in Normal where the Town picks it up for free – eventually. It might […]
By: Diane Benjamin If the citizens of Normal want to believe their government works for them, go for it. The below is from the World Economic Forum website. They are pushing a Smart City plan for cities worldwide. They have “experts” who plan for cities and then members fall in line with the plan. FYI: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Taxpayers won’t, but I do. The video is 25:28 minutes long. Around 5 minutes is a Liquor Commission meeting before the Council meeting. Around another 5 minutes is Trustee comments, only Chemberly Harris mentioned Make Music Normal, it shows she doesn’t care what you think about a taxpayer funded drag show, just […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hope you were able to take Monday off, the Town of Normal was supposed to meet since that was the first Monday in July. Of course they needed a 4 day weekend instead. Agenda and Packet: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4685 I was in Normal on July 3 to see The Sound of Freedom at […]
By: Diane Benjamin All of the below are payments made to performers (MMM). This is likely not the complete list. Not included is the staff time it took to hire and pay all these performers. It also doesn’t include advertising. Government entertainment means government gets to pick your entertainment, not you. Normal doesn’t want to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read WGLT’s version: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-06-30/former-town-council-member-sues-normal-over-high-haven-cannabis-dispensary-permit Jeff Fritzen would get a lot more support if he hadn’t sided with the Town of Normal against the citizens who wanted representation according to Illinois law. He sided with the Town instead. If you haven’t heard, Pritzker signed the legislation making Normal the only Incorporated Town that […]
Maybe a base salary of $144,757.20 last year and inflation means Beth can’t afford her own vehicle. Can’t ride the bus? https://www.normalil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14857/Total-Compensation-Report—Town-of-Normal
By: Diane Benjamin Kathleen Lorenz and Scott Preston didn’t bother to show up. Maybe they know their presence isn’t necessary. Two items of note from the meeting: The navigator needed 4 votes to pass. Since Lorenz and Preston were absent and Chemberly Harris recused herself (she is on the Mid Central Community Action Board), they […]
By: Diane Benjamin Another hearing is scheduled in the Senate for Amtrak Directors. Maybe Biden finally picked candidates that represent the whole country, the last list failed to move forward because everyone but Koos was from the East Coast. https://blnnews.com/2023/04/26/a-democrat-is-keeping-koos-off-amtrak-board/ The hearing can be watched live – June 21st at 10:00. https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2023/6/nominations-hearing-amtrak-and-ntsb Chris Koos is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unlike Chris Koos in the Town of Normal, Mboka Mwilambwe asked the Council if they wanted to extend time for Public Comment. They all said yes so they could hear from two final citizens. Recently Koos used his tyrannical powers to end Public Comment, nobody on that Council objected: https://blnnews.com/2023/05/03/one-guy-stood-up-to-koos/ The actual […]
NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/new-drug-marijuana-addiction-shows-promise-small-study-finds-rcna88258?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma&taid=64822554f01664000108a88d If cannabis isn’t addictive, why are drugs being developed to cure it?
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting started early with a Work Session. The first presentation was an update on Normal’s Smart City Plan. All you need to know about this plan is the World Economic Forum is pushing it: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/what-is-a-smart-city/ Government making decisions for the future is always a planned disaster to eliminate pesky citizens planning […]
By: Diane Benjamin Have you been following the debt ceiling debate? Did you hear Fitch is threatening to downgrade the US credit rating because increasing the debt ceiling was controversial? Fitch is the only credit rating service that has the Town of Normal at AAA. Now you know why. Fitch is delighted with Normal’s new […]
By: Diane Benjamin This email was received by FOIA. Although long, it has lots of good information you probably didn’t know – like the Town of Normal “settled” for Chick-fil-A. I wonder if this company that racks in tax dollars for Normal know? Remember, the Council pre-election voted 6-1 against High Haven. After the election […]
By: Diane Benjamin Note: Any media in bed with government isn’t going to report things that would sever the relationship. That would be WGLT, even the Pantagraph noticed. This email is part of a huge FOIA request I’m taking my time reading. Readers: Refrain from commenting on my grammar after reading the below.
By: Diane Benjamin Normal’s “professional staff” redactions – one completely redacted the other one not. Both on-line comments support approving High Haven. I redacted the email address on the first one, staff redacted the name and email address on the second. Why were they treated differently? Because staff is protecting the second person? Normal doesn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m paging through a FOIA I received with communication concerning the two recently approved cannabis dispensaries. Most emails in support of approving the special use permits have the name of the supporter illegally redacted. Those opposed don’t. Emails are no different than appearing at Public Comment, therefore names can not be redacted. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m excited because I can now just write the same story after every meeting: Everything passed, nothing was questioned. Citizens of Normal should know they have no representation. Trustees are elected to represent you, the ones in office now represent the Town. Everything is great! Normal is a wonderful place to live! […]
