By: Diane Benjamin Source: https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/109/Filing-an-Assessment-Complaint I copied and sorted the Equalization Factors from that page. They are listed from highest to lowest. Some townships are getting hit really hard. This website has a good explanation of what is happening: https://www.cutmytaxes.com/what-is-illinois-equalization/ The Illinois Department of Revenue conducts their own sales ratio tests on all 101 counties […]
By: Diane Benjamin On Facebook Beirne is accusing McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael of being deceptive about the number of employees in her office. HR has told him and others how many full time employees are in that office, he evidently is having trouble reading. He really wants a democrat running local elections – anything […]
By: Diane Benjamin Campaign signs are being stolen, the only ones I’m aware of are Republican signs. I suggest candidates attach an Apple Air Tag on one likely to be stolen and track it’s demise. 😊 Far left radicals found out they can get Advisory questions on the ballot by going through Township Annual Meetings. […]
By: Diane Benjamin What was learned at the Committee of the Whole meeting: The State usurped local control over regulating E-Mobility. A local consortium will develop rules so people don’t have to worry about inconsistent laws anywhere in the County. E-bikes etc are allowed on Constitution Trail, probably subject to speed limits that no one […]
By: Diane Benjamin How many students did Unit 5 have last year? I don’t know because the Illinois Report Card website hasn’t been updated since the 2024-2025 school year. Once again, government transparency doesn’t exist. I do know 2 years ago the district had 12,219 students: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/district.aspx?source=studentcharacteristics&Districtid=17064005026 I FOIA’d Unit 5 for how many they […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read this story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-09-15/bnwrd-steps-in-to-solve-colonial-meadows-water-woes The Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District (BNWRD) charges monthly and on property tax bills. Both will go up because they need your money. Meanwhile, BNWRD is giving the Children’s Discovery Museum $2 million for an exhibit. Slick move! One unit of government taxes you more so another unit of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when Bernie Sanders could have been the Democrat nominee for president before the process was “fixed” against him? Democrats used to know he could never win. Krystle Able would vote for him. . Labor didn’t create a 40 hour work week, Henry Ford did 12 years before the Fair Labor Standards […]
By: Diane Benjamin Please note that Not In Our Town doesn’t care about hate speech from the left. It is a fraudulent organization created to stifle the right’s free speech. NIOT has said nothing about this. I have reason to believe the author is a local elected official. If he thinks I’m offended by this […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Township Supervisor has two 40 hour a week jobs. This is Krystle Able’s other job: . The lesson Krystle Able never learned: . Anyone who attends didn’t either. Why? Look at who has 45 minutes at 2:00. . This is the ISU communist: . From the 2025 tax return for […]
. Property Tax Crisis in Illinois Like a fierce thunderstorm with tornado-force winds, the property tax system in Illinois forces tax payers to take cover wherever they can. Insurance companies scramble to avoid paying claims after a major storm is like JB and his super-majority refusing any and all discussion of property tax reform. In […]
Maybe because he doesn’t want asked about his vote against this: Only 2 Democrats voted for it and are facing consequences of not voting NO as ordered. Map of the 17th Congressional district – obviously gerrymandered. A small part is in McLean County: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Press Contact: Blake delCarmen 334.590.2524 blake@strategymanagementllc.com Sorensen’s 1,437-Day Debate […]
By: Diane Benjamin This Labor Day celebrate local governments stealing your hard earned dollars. A home in Bloomington property tax history: . In 10 years, 2016 to 2025, property taxes increased 47.2%. The assessed value in 2016 was $75,995, in 2025 it was $119,493. That is an increase of 57.24%. The left side is taxes […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Unitarian Universalists Church website: https://uubn.org/wp They call themselves “progressive”. Keep reading, I think the below shows Progressive is the same thing as communist. I was sent this recently: . I wrote about this flyer in April: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/07/who-is-the-arbitrator-of-hate/ Note: The church abbreviation (UUBN) and their address is on the flyer. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Does ISP think FOIA laws don’t apply to them? You decide. If records can’t be found for a recent local investigation, does that mean the investigation was closed? You decide. If it is closed, shouldn’t they announce there is no investigation since it was VERY likely initiated for use as a campaign […]
By: Diane Benjamin This post was made by Unit 5 music teacher and County Board member Corey Beirne who is running for reelection: . A music teacher is teaching kids about sexual identity? Why Corey? Because behind closed doors you can? A US Court of Appeals issued their ruling on August 30th on a case […]
By: Diane Benjamin This WGLT article misses a huge point taxpayers should notice: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-09-01/path-to-resolution-of-shared-sales-tax-dispute-remains-unclear The County, Bloomington, and Normal can’t agree on funding local mental health initiatives. Keep in mind your SALES TAX was increased to fund it. It is your money they are fighting over. Quote: Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens said even after […]
By: Diane Benjamin Rick Perez is a Democrat running for McLean County Board District 3 – the seat George Wendt held. From his Facebook page: . From his LinkedIn – notice it’s the same picture: Perez lives here: Just to verify, this is his statement of candidacy showing the same address: . . He bought […]
By: Diane Benjamin A new website tracks the amount of JB’s own inherited money he has used to buy Illinois: https://pritzkermoney.org/ In 2022 Pritzker bought Illinois Supreme Court justices – $2,000,000 From 2024-2026 JB funneled $12,000,000 to PACs – $10,000,000 of that want to Juliana Stratton’s Senate primary In 2022 JB spent $350,000 on candidates […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader . Fake history got turned into a musical. Town of Normal Trustee Karyn Smith promoted this event on Facebook. It is being pushed by Unit 5, the Normal Human Rights Commission, Normal Parks and Recreation, and the Normal Public Library. Tax dollars anyone? I’m pretty sure it won’t mention: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Midterm elections are November 3rd. Closely following are local primary elections on February 23rd (if needed) and local supposed non-partisan elections on April 6th. Turnout for that election is aways ridiculously low since most people don’t even know an election is happening. It’s almost like the people who established election dates did […]
By: Diane Benjamin I did attend part of the data center meeting last night. I was told it was filmed and would be on the City website today, so far I don’t see it. The crowd was large, parking was ridiculous, and out-of-town agitators were present waiving red cards is they disagreed with anything a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Citizens of Bloomington-Normal not only pay BNWRD monthly through water bills but also through Property taxes. The Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District is charged with processing waste water. Evidently they are now in the business of creating a “Wildlife Sanctuary Outdoor Recreation Enhancements Project”. . The State of Illinois gave them authority. Since […]
By: Diane Benjamin How often is Michele Anderson in her office? Nobody knows because she is rarely seen at the Government Center. The McLean County Veterans Assistance Commission is established by law and not subject to the same policies and guidelines other County Departments are. The do have their own County website page: https://mcleancountyil.gov/98/Veterans-Assistance The […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington wants people to report storm damage. If the County does, a drone will be required to see it. Some corn fields show damage like this one: . The extent of this damage can’t be seen from the road. Many other fields have standing corn along the road but you can see […]
By: Diane Benjamin It appears assessed property values will be increasing between 5 and 6% again. Local governments are salivating at the amount of money that will available to them. They will be setting their Tax Levy soon. That is the amount of money they want to collect in property taxes. ANY amount over what […]
h/t a reader Paid by McLean County Democratic Central Committee: https://illinoissunshine.org/committees/159/ By: Diane Benjamin A couple of past stories: https://blnnews.com/2026/08/01/day-care-drama/ https://blnnews.com/2023/03/05/it-wasnt-corey-beirne/ . All of the spending on the 2026-2027 political campaigns isn’t available yet because the 2026 election is still months away and 2027 isn’t until early next year. https://illinoissunshine.org/ has some current and all […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Callahan was the driver on Raab Road who crashed into a power pole and was arrested for DUI, speeding more than 35 mph over the speed limit, reckless driving, and improper lane usage. Of course the power was out in that area; maybe a reader can comment on how […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader This was sent to me: . There is a local effort to fund daycare with taxpayer money because of the daycare closings. Government created the problem and now wants to solve it. More on that one soon. Meanwhile: Fact: Only a socialist expects you to pay other people’s bills. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Did you know JB just put another $65 million in his campaign warchest? Illinois does have a KING who buys representation! . Did you know Pritzker skipped a stop in Bloomington-Normal to view storm damage on his way north to the burbs? https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/Pritzker-State Fair to the suburbs Is Pritzker’s warchest funding the […]
By: Diane Benjamin The video below is part of the 7/21/26 Normal Township Board meeting. The ARC report proceeded this. If you missed this story showing public commenters weren’t happy about the firing of long time employees at the ARC, see it now: https://blnnews.com/2026/07/29/whats-going-on-at-the-arc/ The Director, Elicssha Sanders, was promoted to that job in April. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Indiana population is 85,000. The Bloomington Illinois population is 78,680. . 2000 Zillow apartment listings in Bloomington In: https://www.zillow.com/bloomington-in/rentals 266 Zillow apartment listings in Bloomington Il: https://www.zillow.com/bloomington-il/rentals Prices are higher in Illinois because of short supply. The answer to the housing shortage isn’t government. They created the problem, they can’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader The tax levy is the total amount each government board wants to collect the following year. This amount is usually set in late fall. Boards do not set the tax rate but they know about what it will be based on the amount of money they want to collect. […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Below is a screenshot from Corey Beirne’s campaign website: https://corey4mcboard.com . Know why Corey said “tax rates” instead of “taxes”? Because he voted to raise your property taxes last year! Let’s look at part of a property tax bill in his district: Paid in 2026: . Paid in 2025: […]
By: Diane Benjamin All of these prices come from https://www.gasbuddy.com/gasprices/ These are all the cheapest gas prices in each State, the local price isn’t close to Rock Island. The cheapest price in McLean County is Sam’s Club at $3.99. Who you vote for matters, unless you like being fleeced.
By: Diane Benjamin This is a case of: Tell me who you vote for without saying who you vote for. The re-invent Veterans Parkway Plan: https://mcplan.org/plans-and-programs/transportation-planning/veteranspkwy Quote: The most critical employment and commercial corridor in the region, Veterans Parkway is also the most dangerous road in Bloomington-Normal. In 2024, the McLean County Regional Planning Commission […]
By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit didn’t report their loss for June because 6/30/26 is their year-end. They always delay that reporting. https://connect-transit.com/file/4510/2026%2007%2028_BoT%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf It doesn’t matter how thick the bus wrap is to cover the windows. We still know those huge buses are empty and confirmed by what Connect reports monthly: . . For June 2026: […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Redacted email response from the McLean County Trial Court Administrator – William Scanlon: . Why is any County employee adding a message to every email? Why would anyone quote an anti-capitalism libertarian socialist? It’s a nice quote, the meaning behind it isn’t what should be conveyed on government email. […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is one story I will never forget. High school kids at BHS proved they were indoctrinated by a teacher who told them the 1619 project was real history. They were lied to with your tax dollars funding it. The original story: https://blnnews.com/2021/06/11/2-district-87-kids-1619-project/ Did you know Abraham Lincoln was a White Supremacist […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois is #1 in property taxes because the people elected at all levels in Illinois think government “needs” outway your right to keep the money you earned. This is the result of electing progressives or not bothering to vote at all. You get to pay for your house twice: . Assessed Values […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Remember the Wisconsin bar that offered free beer on the day President Trump is assassinated? https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/07/28/minocqua-brewing-loses-license-n2680214 . Guess who was there having a beer? The guy who thinks he deserves your vote in November: . The good news is: 2) If the local League of Women Voters doesn’t want to be […]
