By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader for the video Monday night Bloomington will consider the same pause in funding to the County for mental health that Normal did: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/cityblm/334d59458cb7051d070970f18fdb52b10.pdf The Behavior Health Coordinating Council (BHCC) was changed to a secret group in 2024. Advising on spending millions of dollars in secret is a huge part […]
By: Diane Benjamin Since Bloomington canceled the Committee of the Whole meeting last night, I watched the Normal meeting only because suspending contributions to the County Intergovernmental Agreement was on the agenda. Funding for Mental Health was the reason since that fund has $20 million plus. (Why-the-county-is-sitting-on-20-million-for-mental-health/) The discussion was lengthy. I can’t say any […]
By: Diane Benjamin Does anyone truly believe a consultant from California can offer advice to Bloomington on missing “middle housing”? Many people can no longer afford homes in California. I will only care about what Opticos Design says after they solve California’s housing problems where they are located. https://blnnews.com/2025/05/28/bloomington-part-2-missing-middle-housing/ Computers are rapidly becoming over 100 […]
More in this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/07/07/terri-ryburn-are-you-receiving-two-pensions/ By: Diane Benjamin Since I don’t follow the Normal Council meetings anymore, I don’t know the answer to that one. I do know her name is still on the windows according to this story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-07-04/b-n-tourism-group-gets-state-grant-for-route-66-renovations-at-spragues-in-normal I also know the place received another $150,000 grant from the State, your money that […]
By: Diane Benjamin Do people making laws, like completely eliminating fossil fuels by 2025, ever bother with facts? Wind turbines don’t work without fossil fuels. If the goal was to decrease the temperature, solar farms aren’t the answer. They actually increase the temperature. This link is highly scientific, like using photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy production […]
By: Diane Benjamin All the elected officials in McLean County will never tell those of you who don’t bother to vote thanks, so I will. The schools boards love people who don’t care enough to make sure the teacher’s unions don’t get the candidates elected they want. Negotiations are so much easier when those paying […]
By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit owns a property they don’t need in downtown Bloomington – PIN #21-04-389-006. Connect held a special meeting on June 13th. This information is from the packet for that meeting: https://connect-transit.com/file/3675/06%2013%202025_BoT_Special%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf Connect Transit’s Oakland Avenue property is the former site of Connect Transit’s operations and maintenance facility prior to our current […]
By: Diane Benjamin What is government speak? It’s elected officials or staff who use terms you’ve never heard of before. One example: Road Diet That one was big a few years ago. It means narrowing the roads to slow down traffic. East Washington was put on a road diet so bike lanes could be added. […]
By: Diane Benjamin What does this screen shot from last night’s Normal Town Council meeting tell you? . Does the Deputy Clerk have her hand over her heart? It sure doesn’t look like it. The citizens of Normal are paying the salary, benefits, and pension for a Deputy Clerk who refuses to say the Pledge […]
By: Diane Benjamin Watch tonight’s City Council Meeting at 7:00 on YouTube. Make popcorn first. 😁 See the agenda here: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5282
By: Diane Benjamin The water quality problems are close to over. The Council approved one more algaecide treatment @ $82,534.80. Lake Bloomington water levels are back to normal and evergreen is slightly below normal. The other controversial item was supporting the sale of Connect Transit’s property to Home Sweet Home Mission for the shelter project. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hear the Planning Commision meeting last Thursday was around 4 hours long. Many citizens from the area spoke, their quiet neighborhood and property values will be affected. Chris Koos’ handpicked commission members mostly ignored them and approved the project. I think 3 story buildings got reduced to 2 stories. Will that […]
By: Diane Benjamin I took the weekend off to spend time with with family and friends. I’m back! Agenda for Bloomington tonight: https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/cityblm/3fbd5444-814f-4e17-a65f-83fbc20272bb-d854eb82-3702-4140-9de6-ac3a8e3f379d-1746819050.pdf Two items on the Consent Agenda caught my eye: Item H – The Ecology Action Center is requesting that the City pay a total of $166,342.97 for the three-year Energy Efficiency Program. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I expect lots of opposition to show up for this meeting: . Media coverage should be enlightening. I won’t be covering it.
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT published this story concerning the new electric aggregation contract both Bloomington and Normal agreed to: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-04-16/some-electric-bills-in-bloomington-normal-are-about-to-go-up A friend sent me the letter Constellation Energy sent to all customers. It has no information about the new contract, but it does have the price customers paid through 12/31/24: .0785 The WGLT story rounds […]
By: Diane Benjamin I have been contacted by numerous residents of Normal regarding this development. The property was originally zoned for single-family use but was abruptly rezoned for multi-family housing in the heart of a single-family neighborhood. Area residents fear this will disrupt their tranquil lifestyle, increasing traffic and crime. Normal’s leadership appears unresponsive to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is a map of some local crimes. https://communitycrimemap.com/map If you go to that link you can customize what crimes appear. The crimes shown below are since January 1st, 2025. You can also zoom in to specific area. Purple is residential burglary. Brown is theft, doesn’t include shoplifting. Green is motor vehicle […]
By: Diane Benjamin February 2025 and Year-to-Date ridership: PDF page 9 The first circle highlights the COST per ride in February, the second is Year To Date costs per ride. . Click PLAY to hear the Board Chair, re-elected Ryan Whitehouse, ask David Braun if Flex Ridership is going up because Mobility Riders are switching […]
By: Diane Benjamin Democrats now completely run the Normal Township. Expect tax increases in your future. Krystle Able got 5,045 votes – Chris Koos was re-elected with only 3,914. Is this how a socialist and cohorts got elect? By handing out presents on the ISU campus – getting votes from students who don’t have to […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) The Down Village Board failed to get a motion to take a vote: https://blnnews.com/2025/03/13/downs-tonight-flooding-shaddyville/ The issue isn’t totally dead, the people affected need to stay vigilant. 2) Barry Reilly’s Vote Yes for McLean County Schools received some donations they couldn’t hide until after the vote: Since the Unit 5 Teacher’s Union […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-03-04/housing-water-taxes-take-center-stage-at-bloomington-mayoral-forum Remember when environmentalists cried over countries carving farmland into the Amazon Rainforest? You won’t find old media reporting this, look on X. . How does Cody explain this destruction so people can get to a Climate Summit? What about “Ban natural gas” Chris Koos? The propaganda has always been to take […]
By: Diane Benjamin This just might make everyone with common sense realize there is no hope for Illinois: https://www.newsbreak.com/mystateline-com-wtvo-wqrf-1589920/3854313830110-illinois-clarifies-no-local-laws-can-restrict-homeless-camping-in-public-areas According to the State of Illinois, local governments must allow “camping” on public property: . I wonder how Illinois lawmakers would feel if “camping” was all over the capitol building grounds? Do the Normal mayoral candidates […]
By: Diane Benjamin Local council and school boards are labeled nonpartisan because doing what is best for the people they serve shouldn’t be a political football. I’ve stated for years progressives don’t believe in nonpartisan. They want power and now they aren’t afraid to just say it outloud. Excerpts: The 2025 local elections are the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Twelve days later (yesterday): Flash Back to 2017: https://blnnews.com/2023/02/10/koos-is-upset-trains-are-blocking-his-crossings/ Chris Koos told WGLT freight trains should be shorter so they don’t block the tracks for so long. Instead of building an underpass on Linden for pedestrians and vehicles, Normal still plans a vanity underpass. You should have this fact memorized by now: […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you want to buy something and then find out the cost is more than twice what you expected, what do you do? If you’re the Town of Normal and want to save 50 feet with an underpass that vehicles can’t even use, you plow ahead and look for more money from […]
By: Diane Benjamin The 2 videos below are from the GOP candidate forum held January 18th. These are the question and answer session for the Bloomington mayoral candidates. All of the videos can be found here: https://www.mcleancountyrepublicans.org/meet_the_mayoral_candidates Chemberly Harris and Kathleen Lorenz videos are also on that link. Chris Koos was out of town that […]
By: Diane Benjamin I continue to see comments concerning Normal’s debt. Some people don’t understand Normal paid off all their debt so they could take out bonds for the grand Uptown plan. TIF report as of 3/31/2024: https://files.illinoiscomptroller.gov/LocGovTIF/FY2024/06409531/24TIF06409531Downtown_volpment_1.pdf PDF page 8 shows the debt Normal too on for Uptown: The point of creating a TIF […]
By: Diane Benjamin The same far left cabal voters soundly defeated 4 years ago just regrouped as different people. Cody Hendricks is no different than Jackie Gunderson. Abby Scott is no different than Jenn Carrillo and Jeff Crabill. If socialists/Marxists are supporting you, it’s not a stretch to see you are one too. Abby Scott […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal’s Community Investment Plan: https://tongis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/df07946434c947f7936743df5c4eb076 I have no plans to watch Normal’s meeting last night where the Community Investment Plan was passed. The underpass spending is much less than the bids received. Since Normal has no one with better ideology to vote for in the April 1st election, watching it to see […]
By: Diane Benjamin The title is the real article headline. If you want to read this story you have to jump through their hoops to do it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/walkable-neighborhoods-suburban-sprawl-pollution/?tid=wa_hardregwall_auth The story was written by an immigrant from New Delhi. A few excerpts: People, however, do not live according to the preferences of planners. Pew Research Center recently […]
By: Diane Benjamin ISU has two unsolved campus murders. Is anyone trying to solve Jennifer Lockmiller’s murder in 1993 after Alan Beaman was declared innocent? Crickets. The Normal police haven’t solved the 49 year old murder of Carol Rofstad either. Was this a jab at Normal police? https://www.25newsnow.com/video/2024/12/23/normal-police-rigorously-working-solve-49-year-old-cold-case-killing/ Last year CI Proud and News 25 […]
By: Diane Benjamin I attended the bid opening in Uptown Normal today for building the underpass. The lowest bid was $35+ million, the only other bid was $40+ million. Watch the video. One bidder submitted a HUGE stack of papers, the other didn’t. More details tomorrow.
By: Diane Benjamin Social Media is full of outrage because people recently got their property tax assessment. They see HUGE increases and think their property taxes are going up. They haven’t gone up YET, only you can stop it. The assessed value is used by all the government units on your tax bill to decide […]
By: Diane Benjamin In case you forgot, this development was opposed by area property owners because they feared it would devalue their property: https://blnnews.com/2022/07/31/north-normal-normal-and-barickman-want-to-devalue-your-property/ Normal resident Doug Fansler was concerned when the Town gave preferential treatment to a developer. See this WGLT story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-10-08/normal-council-amends-annexation-agreement-for-carden-springs-townhouse-project Carden Springs is being developed by Fairlawn Capital from Champaign. What […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal has three trustee seats up for election and only 3 filed. Three filed for president: The three that filed for Trustee don’t even have to campaign because they automatically win unless someone files for write-in. Know who Rory is? He’s on the McLean County Regional Planning Commission now. Since he represents […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal is has three Council seats up for election next year, so far only Kevin McCarthy has filed. The other two up for election are Scott Preston and Chemberly Harris. Harris claimed she’s running for mayor but hasn’t filed yet. Watch filings here: https://www.normalil.gov/114/Municipal-Elections The only new filing in Bloomington is Ward […]
By: Diane Benjamin According to this website: https://www.illinoisworknet.com/LayoffRecovery/Pages/IllinoisWARNData.aspx this plant is closing in Normal effecting 99 employees: Logan’s Roadhouse also closed as did Kentucky Fried Chicken. Others? Everything is fine though. 🤦♀️
By: Diane Benjamin Filing for local councils started yesterday. The election is April 1st and most voters won’t even know about it. Bloomington filings: https://bloomingtonelectionsil.gov/2025-consolidated-elections/ Dan Brady and Cody Hendricks filed for mayor. If Jenna Kearns decides to run again, she will have a challenger in Ward 1: Benjamin Zimmerman Sheila Montney is running for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal hasn’t submitted data to the Comptroller’s office from the year ended 3/31/24 yet, it’s only been 6 1/2 months since year end. Bloomington hasn’t submitted data from 4/30/24 yet, they are only 5 1/2 months after year end. The below lists local tax receipts for the last 3 years. A summary […]
I give up trying to figure out when candidates need to file. If you are running in Bloomington ask BEC, otherwise ask the County Clerk! Some filing dates seem to have been changed. It almost like outsiders need to stay off the ballot. By: Diane Benjamin If anyone wants to try to abolish the Bloomington […]
