By: Diane Benjamin Krystle didn’t have to time to perform two 40-hour a week jobs plus meeting with union rabblerousers all over the state, so she resigned from the County Board months ago. William Bessler is on the far right in this picture, politically he’s a far left tax and spend democrat. Ask him about […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416 Illinois has the highest tax rates in the COUNTRY! Taxes are high but the ruling party always wants more money. People will continue to leave Illinois for lower tax states. Click the link above for a lot more details. Next, vote your interests instead of re-electing people who will never have […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Town Council meeting last Monday had parents of students at Glenn Elementary show up for Public Comment. The parents know Unit 5 might vote to close Glenn, they want Town officials to intervene to keep their neighborhood school open. I wonder how many of them voted in the last consolidated […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Is the current principal quitting at the end of the school year? Is Mariana Nicasio is there? What’s going on at Chiddix? I just heard Mariana has resigned as of the end of the school year. It’s not nice to keep secrets from parents Unit 5. See this link […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story and the last one about CIRA are because a reader contacted me. Part 1: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/03/cira-part-1-2/ That reader left a voicemail at CIRA on February 5, 2026: . The name is redacted because it isn’t important to the story. Based on what this reader was told, I FOIA’d CIRA for what […]
By: Diane Benjamin I found this while looking for who went on the One Voice trip to Washington DC: . The Lorenz donation was a pass-thru from someone who wanted to remain anonymous, it wasn’t from the Republican Party. Smart? Nope. Bloomington is beholding to the Democrat Party thanks to Cody Hendricks and Jenna Kearns. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Taxation without representation: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-02-13/cira-cruises-along-at-a-stable-altitude Springfield allowed CIRA to tax the County thanks to Sen Dave Koehler https://blnnews.com/2023/04/27/cira-doesnt-need-money-they-just-want-it/ Your property tax bills this year will reflect that. County property owners get yet another line item added to their bill. Bloomington-Normal gets a decrease. One of the dumbest parts of the WGLT article: “The Airport […]
By: Diane Benjamin Original story: https://blnnews.com/2026/01/09/bloomington-fireman-8-i-think/ I didn’t think anyone had worse handwriting than me, but I found a judge who is at least a close rival. All the charges were dismissed against Bloomington fireman Jon Caponi yesterday. It turns out the dashcam video didn’t match what the deputy testified to and wrote in his […]
This one is from New Illinois. It is a narrative covering many topics Illinois residents care about. Worth reading!
By: Diane Benjamin I don’t know the guy who wrote this, but I do know Jeanne Ives – former State representative: . Bloomington staff has complained about this one forever. The Illinois Municipal League has a good explanation of FGDF on their website: https://www.iml.org/file.cfm?key=15419 Bloomington used to receive 10% of all income taxes the State […]
By: Diane Benjamin The EIN number for The Immigration Project is 43-1700482 With that number you can look up how much the State of Illinois has paid them: https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/vendor-services/vendor-payments-new This organization not only provides provides legal services to “immigrants”, they send out ICE warnings to their rapid response people. Taxpayers are funding the obstruction of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Matt Burgess, Home Sweet Home Ministries, gave a presentation on how the first month operating The Bridge is going. He gave an honest report that is worth listening to. 4 people have already been kicked out. 2 others left voluntarily. Others had difficulty adjusting to living indoors. Matt has also seen people […]
By: Diane Benjamin The pic below was sent to me by a reader. The Senate version has been referred to Assignments. The House version has been referred to the Rules Committee. That means neither versions is dead. Why only a $27 minimum wage by 2032. Why not $50 or more? Does everyone want to pay […]
By: Diane Benjamin Not really. Smart people know facts about candidates never come out until a lot closer to election to day – March 17th. People who don’t vote in primaries will complain about their choices in November while forfeiting their right to decide who appears on the ballot. Early voting started February 5th. This […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you believe mail-in voting is the least secure way to vote (like Jimmy Carter did), file a witness slip opposing this bill: https://www.ilga.gov/house/hearings/details/3110/22403/CreateWitnessSlip/?legislationId=161868&GaId=18&View=Create&fbclid=IwZnRzaAP9uYtjbGNrA_2r12V4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMmJ1TEZ0cUdCcnI0UXROMExzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeHvldQnGykVQ9QF2QhUtasHWRqVU-lW50PiWlTTicr5tNT5RC2mFh4NcFLnQ_aem_A-yI2QCswrei74xph3gobw HB 3355: Amends the Election Code. Provides that an election authority may elect to mail a vote by mail ballot to all qualified voters instead of sending notices […]
. . . .
By: Diane Benjamin This story shows the HUGE increase in funding as shown on the nonprofit tax returns of INCCRRA: https://blnnews.com/2026/01/16/the-local-ngos-tax-return-inccrra/ . Those numbers are MILLIONS – a huge increase from 2019 to 2020. What did they do with that money? At least part was the establishment of Birth To Five. Illinois was divided into […]
By: Diane Benjamin You will never know! Remember, ONE guy owed $22,105.11 https://blnnews.com/2026/02/07/unpaid-county-fines-bloomington-liquor-license/ This link shows what the Circuit Court policy for collections is: https://mcleancountyil.gov/166/Cases-Referred-to-Collections Either none of the actions listed were enforced or none of them mattered. Was there a warrant issued for his arrest? He supposedly owes an additional $6,631.53 for being turned […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mike Matejka posted this on his Not In Our Town Facebook page: . Of course Mike is implying there is no difference between the KKK and ICE. Since Wikipedia has a fake history of the KKK, see History.com instead: https://www.history.com/articles/ku-klux-klan Quote: Founded in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) extended into almost […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) If you are white, don’t apply for a teaching job at District 87. Superintendent Dr. Mouser’s will openly discriminate against you: ‘”Operationally and organizationally, the district remains stable and progressing forward. We have successfully negotiated three collective bargaining agreements and continue to maintain excellent relationships with all of our bargaining units. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read the McLean County GOP press release below. To summarize: Colleges across the country send personal student data to the National Student Clearinghouse. That organization then hands the data to Democrat-aligned NGOs in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Those NGOs distribute students’ personal data to Democrat activists, […]
By: Diane Benjamin This item is one Monday’s Bloomington City Council agenda: . Bloomington must be desperate for new businesses! Right fit? See that part about payment in full to McLean County? This is a screen shot of Aaron Francis’ record: , See all those *Cs? They are there because the County sent all the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Just a few months ago mentioning illegal aliens were receiving federal tax dollars outraged the left. I used to be told by left-leaning people that illegal aliens weren’t getting benefits because that would be illegal. Suddenly, it wasn’t illegal anymore—once there was plenty of proof that illegal immigrants were indeed receiving tax […]
By: Diane Benjamin This was brought to my attention by a reader. I’m going to start this story by stating there is no proof the 2 businesses involved are anything but Christian organizations doing God’s work from these two buildings in Gridley, Il. The one on the left is Lifesong for Orphans, the right building […]
By: Diane Benjamin I downloaded the McLean County Sheriff’s Office app awhile back. Just watching the jail population change is interesting. This morning inmates totaled 232, yesterday showed 228. I’ve seen it higher and it was around 20 less before Christmas. I have no idea why except I was interested, but I attempted to track […]
By: Diane Benjamin Plenty of opportunities to prove who you voted for last year: . Does 50501 know Barack Obama sued Arizona and won because the Constitution gives the Feds authority over immigration – not states? Do attendees know Illinois coddles illegals with your tax dollars while raising your taxes? 50501 isn’t non-partisan. Only one […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Unit 5 schools don’t exist to teach kids essential life skills—unless you want your kids to grow up protesting on weekends as adults while you support them. Learning critical thinking skills requires being able to read. Opposing Federal Law Enforcement enforcing the law every president has in the past, […]
By: Diane Benjamin This office is run by Pritzker 2023 appointee Major General Rodney Boyd. Office of the Auditor General: https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Compliance-Agency-List/Military-Affairs/FY24-Military-Affairs-Comp-Digest.pdf Let me interpret: This department buys things with your tax dollars and loses them. The same problem has been reported since 2012. Let me interpret again: Nobody in this department cares about taxes you […]
By: Diane Benjamin The General Election is November 3rd. The Primary Election is March 17th. Illinois thinks voters need many weeks to actually vote, so early voting starts February 5th. State and Federal offices will be contested, local races mostly won’t. (Maybe none) Democrats get to pick Dick Durbin’s ballot replacement. Those who vote Republican […]
By: Diane Benjamin ICE is Federal Law Enforcement. They aren’t pretend cops. They are removing criminal illegal aliens – pedophiles, murders, rapists, etc. Chaos wouldn’t exist in blue cities if democrats didn’t incite people to interfere. Democrats didn’t have problem with deportations when Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama were deporting millions. The only reason they […]
By: Diane Benjamin State Compliance Examination Release Date: March 27, 2025For the Year Ended June 30, 2024 This report shows 3 failures at ISU: The auditor stated these are MATERIAL WEAKNESSES for failure to comply with State Law. “Material” are the worst kind of weaknesses. The first one was noted in 2011, 2015, and 2019. […]
By: Diane Benjamin More to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/01/15/is-there-fraud-in-illinois-child-care-spending/ INCCRRA stands for Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. INCCRRA tax return for the year ending 6/30/2024: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364096312/202530429349300303/full The revenue on this tax return isn’t close to what OpenTheBooks shows they received in calendar year 2024. A tax return for the other NGO, Excelerate Illinois, […]
By: Diane Benjamin This link has a list of all companies in Illinois with H1B Visas: https://h1bgrader.com/states/illinois-il Click on any name. Page down until you see a RED box that says “View latest H1B Visas . . “. This is part of what you will see for Rivian. Note the dates, many are already in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Previous story: https://blnnews.com/2026/01/15/is-there-fraud-in-illinois-child-care-spending/
By: Diane Benjamin Open The Books created a database of “child care” spending by State after the Minnesota fraud came to light: https://open.substack.com/pub/openthebooks/p/minnesota-daycare-scandal-the-power?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email Quote from that story: We’ve created the most comprehensive database of government spending in history, from federal to state and local governments, so that every taxpayer can become a citizen journalist and […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Illinois lawmakers who propose unConstitutional laws should be kicked out of office: https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?GAID=18&DocNum=2820&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=164963&SessionID=114 Senator Laura Fine proposed SB2820 Creates the Prohibited Hiring of Federal Immigration Officers Act. Provides that a law enforcement agency may not hire as a law enforcement officer any person who was hired as a federal immigration officer […]
By: Diane Benjamin The local Immigration Project is part of the Rapid Response when ICE is spotted. In other words they are warning illegal aliens. Yesterday: . The are paid with your tax dollars! According to OpenTheBooks.com: . You work hard for a paycheck so the State of Illinois can spend your money to obstruct […]
By: Diane Benjamin Update – I was just sent this: I am the father of the student in question. Your story is not correct at all and very misleading. Yes she contacted my kids outside of school approved technology. That was the only inappropriate thing that happened. No laws were broken. We have been kept […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/01/12/the-local-clueless/ Every President before Biden knew illegal immigration wasn’t good for a sovereign country. If you want proof, ask me! The comments to Krystle Able’s post prove where mental illness comes from. Did Krystle mean to incite violence? See if you think she did. I added notes to […]
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting was short! Nothing was even slightly controversial until comments by aldermen. More on that in a minute. The only agenda item concerned swinging doors downtown hitting pedestrians. This downtown picture is from the slide show presentation: Businesses like Windy City Wieners want more indoor floor space, so they want the […]
