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 […]
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! […]
By: Diane Benjamin With all the local taxing bodies raising property taxes, the cost of rent and homes will continue to rise. You are being taxed on unrealized gains. Your home is worth more but you will never see the profit unless you borrow against it or sell your home. Home Equity loans won’t be […]
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 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 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 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 […]
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 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, […]
By: Diane Benjamin For 9 months ending September 30th, the below is from the Sheriff’s report at the County Justice Committee meeting 11/5/2025: PDF page 26: https://mcleancountyil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/1064?html=true PDF page 43 – State’s Attorney Report: PDF page 48 – Circuit Court Clerk report: Are the warrants for people released without bail who didn’t show up in […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Nayoka Griffis was just elected to the Normal Township Board last April. She quit already with no explanation given by Krystle Able who posted she is accepting applications to fill the seat. You have to prove you are democrat. 2) Another No Kings protest Saturday. Why are friends and neighbors struggling […]
Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/29/lopez-arrested-again/ Thanks to a reader who sent this to me:
Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/29/derek-s-lopez-arrest-details/ By: Diane Benjamin Derek Lopez, the guy who flipped the Turning Point USA table at ISU, was arrested again: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/22/derek-lopez-confession/ Lopez lives in El Paso which is in Woodford County. No other information is available. He might only be in custody because he hasn’t appeared before a judge yet, I […]
Read the story from the Edgar County Watchdogs: Illegal-Aliens-Tied-to-Vehicle-Collision-in-Westfield-that-Killed-2-US-Citizens-Injured-2-Others
By: Diane Benjamin There were 2 interesting public comments last night. The first guy incurred thousands of dollars for water bills at a house no one was living in. The shutoff valve at the street keep getting turned off and on which flooded the basement 3 times. He came to Council expecting to get answers […]
H/T a reader Did you know October is LGBT history month? What happened to all the other letters? Elementary kids are probably 5-10 years old. How are teachers explaining to them what LGBT stands for? Ask you kids! Cedar Ridge Elementary students and visitors are greeted with this: . Since the entire month of October […]
H/T a reader This story is only to document what Illinois did to make test scores look better. When reports show huge education progress next year, you need to know why. Watch who will be celebrating. State board of education recommends lowering student proficiency standards – May 28 2025 “Lowering proficiency benchmarks will inflate the percentage […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read to the bottom of this one! Getting millions of tax dollars and tax breaks requires transparency. Rivian stopped providing even the basics. We have no idea how many employees work in Normal because they stopped saying: https://wirepoints.org/after-getting-millions-in-tax-breaks-rivian-now-wont-say-how-many-people-work-in-normal-wglt-npr-at-isu/ Do you know Rivian just settled a lawsuit for $250,000,000? https://www.rttnews.com/3585443/rivian-automotive-reaches-250-mln-settlement-in-securities-class-action.aspx 600 employees across […]
By: Diane Benjamin It is alway nice when criminals confess. Derek Lopez wrote the below on X. He blamed the victim and not himself, typical deflection: . Below are excerpts from an email sent by Turning Point USA: . Pick a side.
By: Diane Benjamin The below was sent to me by a reader. Note Able’s 2021 post was on Mike Matejka’s group: Not In Our Town. If you stop by the NIOT Facebook page, it claims they exist to: stop hate, address bullying and build a safe, inclusive community. That isn’t true since nothing is posted about […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you didn’t know, the McLean County Sheriff’s office has an app that allows looking up inmates being held: https://mcleancountyil.gov/95/Sheriff I know it feels like too many accused persons are let loose with no bail, but the app is currently showing 218 inmates. One of them is Lopez even though initial reports […]
By: Diane Benjamin This one is easy, but read this first: . The current Auditor has a surety bond. That bond is required for her position and is paid for by taxpayers. Michele Anderson has now cost the County money because she didn’t do her job. The County can make a claim against her bond […]
By: Diane Benjamin The first comment has been visible for two days. It could have been deleted by the Administrator of this Facebook page but wasn’t. The base of the Democrat Party wants socialism. They do not believe in America. Pick a side. 250 years is in jeopardy even though socialism has never worked anywhere. […]
Picture added by request By: Diane Benjamin This is the email writer: . This self-admitted communist sent this email – note the typos and command of the English language: . In case the print is too small, here is the text: I tried to leave a comment on your posts about the Nazi situation (I […]
Issued today by: Connie Beard, Communications Chairman
1) Be The Change Today would have been Charlie Kirk’s birthday 7:00pm Location: Miller Park Bloomington IL. About This Event:This gathering is about honoring Charlie’s faith, courage, and strength. The event will feature speeches, including words from a close friend of Charlie, and time to share stories, make connections, and lift one another up. While […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader More to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/proof-political-propaganda-is-allowed-at-unit-5/ If you have any doubt Matt Chapman is teaching propaganda instead of US History and Civics, see this Twitter/X post: . Chapman is teaching kids to HATE their country. He sees no intrinsic value in teaching real history. This is insurrection and your kids […]
See more to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/see-what-matt-chapman-is-teaching/ By: Diane Benjamin Ever heard of a Learning Resources Department? Normal Community High School has one: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfzNT6fVHQoWP_qpPrqoXpTzqEAlWzMvOonbdQfn8Kw/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.6q39cva8yy6e 28 teachers are listed with an additional 6 support staff. This guy is one of the listed teachers: . Note Chapman teaches Civics and US History. This is also Matt Chapman: . […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois passed a bill in 2015 to reform education. In 2014 the US Department of Education determined racist policies (civil rights violations) existed in Illinois schools. Who was president in 2014? See the report from the Illinois Education Association dated January 2024 below. I wonder if Unit 5 Board chair Alex Williams […]
It appears McLean County is doing a study and the McLean County Regional Planning Commission is doing another. This story mixes the two and will take more work. By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County Regional Planning Commission website shows 7 employees and 2 interns: https://mcplan.org/about-us/about-mcrpc/staff Those employees didn’t want to create or aren’t capable of […]
By: Diane Benjamin The posted plan is a Google doc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16zzKHLTUw6LhtiEwbCtnyqkehUx2kXin/view I converted their doc to a PDF so AI could read it: I had both Chat GPT5 and Grok analyze the effect it has on rural land. I only looked at rural because that is where I live and a person who is looking […]
The McLean County yearly audit is 3 months late. There is a way to recoup whatever money the County is being forced to pay an accounting firm because 1 employee didn’t do her job. This way will also remove the responsible person forever. The only question is: Will they do it?
