By: Diane Benjamin Did you know 300,000 unaccompanied minors are still missing? The guy in charge of making sure they were safely placed was Xavier Becerra, Biden’s head of Health and Human Services and current finalist for California governor. He lost track of them. ICE has located about 145,000. Some of them were sex trafficked. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Now the far left wants everyone to celebrate what they do in theirs. Thank Normal Township Supervisor Krystle Able, this was on her Facebook page: . Where is Downtown Normal? Normal Township posted a different address than the above: . Maybe two 40-hour a week jobs isn’t working for Krystle. If you […]
By: Diane Benjamin When you have a loved one being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance minutes count. I was a passenger in an ambulance eight years when my husband shouldn’t have lived – but did. I was in Bloomington yesterday. I was at the stop light southbound on Hershey waiting for the light […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington’s latest budget is almost $318 million but the camera didn’t work last night. The meeting would have been 15 minutes but appointments and a proclamation used up time. 3 people spoke at public comment (see 17:55). Everything passed with no discussion. The only video is of slides presented. The first 10 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last Friday I attended this meeting. Lots of people attended. The meeting opened with a 14 year old singing our national anthem. Next an employee and veteran led the crowd in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Another employee led the group in prayer after that. Nobody protested, I didn’t see anyone not […]
By: Diane Benjamin Both Bloomington and Normal played granny state and opted people into their electric aggregation program. Now we know the rate this year is higher than Ameren, people can opt out by contacting Ameren. Citizens are forced to fix government blunders or pay more money. Most will never get that message. The below […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you haven’t figured out the McLean County League of Women Voters has no values, look at their Facebook page or the national organization website they mimic. This one is my favorite, they are upset the Department of Justice has proof the Southern Poverty Law Center funded organization like the KKK to […]
By: Diane Benjamin I get Google alerts on lots of things, one being Rivian This one came in this morning: . It’s hard not to burst out laughing at that headline. Investing.com must have received lots of negative comments, the link to the story now doesn’t work. Just to refresh your memory, this site shows […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Both Bloomington and Normal opted every household into electric aggregation. Now we know if everyone doesn’t opt out they will be paying more for electicity. The right thing to do is opt everyone out! Will government do it? Everyone affected will never hear they need to opt out. 2) Executive Session […]
Unit 5 is paying the 6% to encourage employees to retire. To qualify teacher’s have to be eligible under the Teacher’s Retirement System rules and have 10 years working for Unit 5. Remember when there was a teacher’s shortage? It’s brilliant to encourage experienced teachers to retire. I still have no explanation for all the […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) For the first time I can remember, the Ecology Action Center has recommended opting out of electric aggregation because you will be paying more if you don’t. This applies to Bloomington and Normal. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-05-27/ecology-action-center-recommends-opting-out-of-electricity-aggregation-this-year I don’t know if it is too late to opt out, see this Bloomington link: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/community/municipal-electric-aggregation Normal: […]
By: Diane Benjamin In the land of Progressia, the ruling faction had a problem. Their grand policies kept producing the opposite of what they promised: taxes that crushed working families, cities where shoplifting became a protected lifestyle, borders that functioned more like welcome mats, and schools more focused on gender ideology than reading. Energy prices […]
By: Diane Benjamin Maybe 6 are available because ISU people moved on. Uptown needs more non-student housing? Keep in mind this building would not have been built without taxpayer subsidies. https://www.liveonthecircle.com/vacancies
By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County Regional Planning Commission is planning for 2045. This is the same group that wanted an eastside bypass a few years ago. If you don’t know who is runs these “planners”, see the Board members here: https://mcplan.org/about-us/about-mcrpc/the-commission What this unelected Commission reports is considered gold to Bloomington, Normal, and all […]
By: Diane Benjamin Progressives believe government creates prosperity. In Normal, that meant Uptown would magically fill with developers eager to do their bidding. Years after taxpayers were forced to fund the project, the first-floor restaurant space at 1 Uptown Circle sat empty. Two other large buildings meant to complete the circle still don’t exist after […]
By: Diane Benjamin In Illinois you can’t have a nice home without being taxed into selling and leaving the state. This house in NOT in Hawthorne Hills, homes there are even worse: This is an increase of 42% in 10 years. The people most responsible are elected in local elections few bother to vote in. […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader This message was sent to soccer families: Hello FCCI Families, We wanted to share an exciting opportunity for our soccer community and ask for your support. The Town of Normal is currently gathering community feedback regarding the possibility of developing a large sports complex facility similar to the Rantoul […]
By: Diane Benjamin According to the Pantagraph, the underpass will be back before the Normal Town Council with an even higher bill. Monday’s agenda hasn’t been posted yet. Chris Koos and (mayor in waiting) Kevin McCarthy will never say the cost is too high. I doubt Rory Roberge or Karyn Smith will either. Saving 50 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois has WAY to many units of government with no one watching what they are doing. Just look at your property tax bill, it shows all the taxing bodies where no one from the public attends meetings. Nothing happens at these meetings by chance. Projects often take years. Thanks to a local […]
By: Diane Benjamin The League of Women Voters is conducting a survey aimed at creating a Commission like the Bloomington Election Commission is handle all elections in McLean County. They want to take the responsibility away from the elected County Clerk and hand it to unelected bureaucrats that CAN NOT be held accountable by voters. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I attended enough of the first discussion yesterday at the BCPA on data centers to know that those present want nothing to do with building one in Bloomington. I heard from an attendee that lots of different people showed up for the evening event with the same views. The biggest reasons why […]
By: Diane Benjamin For awhile yesterday this video was not in the story: https://blnnews.com/2026/05/05/nchs-violence-reason-for-evacuation/ Evidently some people don’t understand that students acting like animals at school wouldn’t hesitate to call in a fake bomb threat to get out of going to school. . Today is Data Center Day: . Did you know the United States […]
By: Diane Benjamin The was sent to parents parents today – it’s also in Spanish: . There have been a number of fights in recent weeks. Did these have anything to do with the evacuation? If I had kids at NCHS they wouldn’t be there anymore. Your property taxes at work. YouTube thinks kids being […]
Update: It is legal for townships to pass budgets late. Evidently lawmakers in Illinois think township officials aren’t capable of better. by: Diane Benjamin Remember this one? . Doesn’t this sound like Krystle needs a lot of time off? Why until August 15th? Who gets paid for doing the Supervisor job if the elected Supervisor […]
MCLEAN COUNTY CLERK PRESS CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, May 1, 11:00 am, Lobby of Government Center 115 E. Washington Street, Bloomington, IL The Democrats on our McLean County Board have gone too far. I can handle bullies, but not when they unjustly try to scare and bully members of our staff by sending the IL State Police […]
By: Diane Benjamin In other words, the new property tax bills have been posted. You will never own your property, you are renting it from government. If you live in the County you will be charged for the airport without a vote by you. Springfield elected officials passed it because Dave Koehler presented it. Taxation […]
By: Diane Benjamin Wall Street 24/7 issued a report yesterday showing the top 43 cities losing the most population from 2017-2022. I don’t know why 2022 was used, it should have been a little more current. https://247wallst.com/population-and-social-characteristics/2026/04/27/the-u-s-cities-losing-residents-the-fastest/ The list includes Illinois cities: Champaign-Urbana, Kankakee, Danville, Decatur. All of them were behind this one: I’m sure […]
By: Diane Benjamin From Bills and Payroll: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/32515/639124583137330000 Another spiked pension taxpayers have to cover: Why did Bloomington buy a lot? Tonight’s Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4115/files/agenda/12646 The Welcoming America Committee is being discontinued and absorbed by Human Resources. Failures to consistently have a quorum at meetings is blamed. The Empire TIF Fund needs $500,000 to pay the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Facebook comments to this story are below, it has a slightly different name on Facebook: https://www.wglt.org/2026-04-26/politics-chat-trump-rushed-away-from-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner The left isn’t smart enough to realize if Trump was implicated in the Epstein files Democrats would have used it against him in the 2024 election. He wasn’t, in fact the released data clears him. Most […]
By: Diane Benjamin April 28th Meeting Packet: https://connect-transit.com/file/4167/2026%2004%2028_BoT%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf Imagine earning this much revenue in March 2026: . Now imagine how much that $100,000 cost you to earn: . $1,624,319 taxpayer dollars were spent to earn $100,211. When that number gets to $2 million tax dollars every month will people finally realize they are being robbed? […]
It’s will be 14 years on April 28th since I started writing. I’m taking today off, maybe longer. If anyone is wondering, I don’t get paid for “clicks”. That is a story for another day.
By: Diane Benjamin If you aren’t a subscriber to their emails, you should be: Subscribe here Last week the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its seminal, annual Rich States, Poor States report, which ranks all 50 states on their economic competitiveness using metrics like total tax burden, labor laws and the cost of debt service. Open […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is an email that was sent and answered in March by William Bessler to McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael on behalf of the Finance Committee. The chair of that committee, Val Laymon, at least one other committee member, and administration also received the response from Kathy Michael. Bessler’s questions are listed […]
By: Diane Benjamin It looks like the County Board Democrats were merely playing theatrics to promote their McLean County Clerk candidate. If you appreciate lies, then we all know who you are going to vote for. PDF page 238 https://mcleancountyil.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04162026-1174 This was passed last Thursday: This is what the Board actually approved – from Kathy […]
By: Diane Benjamin Awarding a new contract to build the underpass is NOT on Monday’s agenda: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5568 Did the Council finally come to their senses? Don’t count on it. Link to just one of numerous underpass stories: https://blnnews.com/2026/03/06/normal-doesnt-have-an-underpass-contractor/ That story says the grant deadline to finish the project is June 2027, but I also heard […]
By: Diane Benjamin The media can either perpetuate lies or report fairly. This will clearly show who is only interested in promoting the left and who actually cares about the truth. I have emails proving McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael responded to the Administration and Finance Committee when questions were raised about budget overages. I […]
By: Diane Benjamin One thing good about Krystle Able: She responds to FOIA requests on the same day I file them! It goes downhill for her from there. You wouldn’t know that if all you read was WGLT: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-04-15/normal-township-approves-ballot-question-on-pro-israel-state-law Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/15/what-really-happened-at-krystles-meeting/ Krystle claims putting the anti-Israel question on the Township Agenda was […]
The writer’s name is Jeff Lord, candidate for McLean County Board Distrist 5 By: Diane Benjamin Krystle Able’s version is in this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/15/some-things-you-need-to-know/ This was posted on Facebook by a guy who attended. I would use his name but I don’t have his permission to use it. If he contacts me or comments below, […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-04-15/isu-takes-part-in-campaign-to-recruit-teachers-from-other-career-fields . In other words, if you are WHITE – don’t apply. Teaching skills, including the ability to connect with students, won’t be considered. DEI discrimination is alive and well in Illinois. The lie that students can’t learn from someone with a different skin color is evil. https://www.wglt.org/illinois/2026-04-14/house-speaker-backs-millionaires-tax-but-democrats-split-over-how-much-to-devote-to-property-tax-relief . The ruling party […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when the local anti-semites’ tried to put this on the ballot using the Bloomington Township annual meeting? Shall the United States federal government and subordinate divisions stop giving military funding to Israel, which currently costs taxpayers 3.8 billion dollars a year, given Israel’s global recognition as an apartheid regime with a […]
