I listened LIVE to the hearing

By: Diane Benjamin Sharon Chung admitted the Town of Normal approached her to change Illinois law. She claims Normal went to great expense to defend themselves against citizens and doesn’t want to again. She was then asked if the Town Board approved this, of course the answer is no. A lobbyist for the Town of […]

The Terri Ryburn/Sprague fleece continues

By: Diane Benjamin If you are an insider with the Town of Normal you get deals like a place to live for $120 a year. Review this story on the “Historic” Sprague gas station: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/21/lets-revisit-the-route-66-gas-station-gift-shop/ Normal is going to spend more money on the building. They are requesting bids for asbestos removal: https://www.normalil.gov/bids.aspx?bidId=387 You can […]

File Witness Slips Now! Hearing is 11:00 tomorrow

By: Diane Benjamin You need to file 2. Then SHARE! This link is to file against Chung’s 2nd amendment to HB 3337: https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/148499?committeeHearingId=20041&LegislationId=148499&LegislationDocumentId=186620 This link is to file against Chung’s 3rd amendment to HB 3337: https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/148499?committeeHearingId=20041&LegislationId=148499&LegislationDocumentId=186917 Review this story if you need help: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/20/do-this-right-now-witness-slip/ Opponent – Record of Appearance Only .

What Happened with the Chung bill:

By: Diane Benjamin There wasn’t a hearing on HB 3337 yesterday because Sharon Chung filed an amendment to the bill. That means it has to go back to the Rules Committee before being heard at the Counties and Townships Committee. The amendment was a stall tactic, it didn’t change anything. Maybe she saw the Witness […]

Normal needs a PSCRB

By: Diane Benjamin Thankfully Bloomington’s Monday meeting was short. Most of it was the annual report of the Public Safety and Community Relations Board. The Board only had 3 cases to review for the entire year. In one case the Board made a policy recommendation the police did adopt but in all three cases the […]

Fire Works in Normal Part 2

By: Diane Benjamin 6 people spoke during Public Comment last night. Of course they had to wait until the end of the meeting because the Town of Normal wants to make sure the plebs don’t interfere at the beginning. Luckily the agenda was short so they weren’t sitting around for hours waiting to speak. The […]

Fire Works in Normal last night

By: Diane Benjamin This is going to take more than one story. I have to start with proof Chemberly Harris isn’t intelligent enough to be a Trustee. The Town did vote to end the Use tax when purchasing a vehicle. The tax is .0075 of the net selling price. Obviously this wasn’t about saving taxpayer […]

Do This Right Now: Witness Slip!

By: Diane Benjamin More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/11/sharon-chung-screws-normal-taxpayers/ The language of this bill was modified so it has to go back to the Counties and Townships Committee. That will at 4:30 tomorrow. If you see this bill for the sham it is, please file a Witness slip as an opponent: Use this link: https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/148499?committeeHearingId=20004&LegislationId=148499&LegislationDocumentId=186620 Fill […]

Normal Tonight

By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4597 PDF page 36: Normal is handing out your money to promote Uptown. More interesting is this paragraph claims Trail East and Trail West are still going to happen. Unless they aren’t telling citizens, nothing is happening with either. The latest developer backed out last November: https://blnnews.com/2023/02/22/proof-normals-staff-runs-the-town/ PDF page 66: The Council […]

Comment about Kingsley you need to see

By: Diane Benjamin This comment was made today to a story from November of 2019: Unit 5 indoctrinating kids with CNN. I am printing it because most people won’t see it. It breaks my heart that some Unit 5 teachers are doing this to kids. I know some schools have banned To Kill A Mockingbird. […]

Resign Kristen Weikle

By: Diane Benjamin Besides the fact that Weikle has known about the “structural deficit” for years and did nothing to fix it, she is either allowing illegal activity or promoting it. Anyone believe how she runs Unit 5 is perfectly legal? She is hiding what is really being taught to your kids. What did Dr. […]

Unit 5 Fails: Visual

The below is compiled from data on the Illinois Sate Board of Education. More in this story: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/policy-shop/the-policy-shop-how-to-fix-illinois-public-schools-falling-test-scores/ Quality of Education is going down. More money isn’t going to reverse this course. Electing the people who caused the problems won’t either. Don’t get excited about Unit 5 being above Statewide average. Illinois is BELOW the […]

Fly on the Wall: Pam Reece

Does the Normal Town Council know they are Reece’s boss? Does Reece know she works for them? Does Reece know she can’t dictate the speech of Trustees? Does Reece know she can’t bar your representatives from representing? Is Reece preventing NPD from investigating electioneering? Is she barring release of findings? Will the results be buried […]

Normal Funds Connect Transit with advertising

By: Diane Benjamin Your tax dollars in Normal are paying for advertising on Connect Transit buses. Connect shows advertising revenue when this is merely rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Maybe we can get to a point where government funds other government instead of fleecing citizens! Just keep passing around the same bucks. Connect […]

Sharon Chung SCREWS Normal taxpayers

By: Diane Benjamin Two types of people run for office. One runs for power and forcing other to submit to their vision, the other wants to serve and preserve freedom and liberty for future generations. Every Trustee in Normal does the bidding of staff and Koos except one. That one is despised for representing the […]

Normal’s flip-flop

By: Diane Benjamin Below is a screen shot from the Town of Normal website: It wasn’t that long ago Normal was against scooters. Times change, especially when Rivian is thinking of building E-scooters. Another WGLT story: https://www.wglt.org/show/wglts-sound-ideas/2019-01-31/e-scooter-pilot-project-under-review-in-normal Maybe Mayor Bike Shop will start selling them! Congrats Normal! You too can be Washington DC (excessive crime […]

Connect Transit – More riders, huge loss

By: Diane Benjamin Total Revenue: Bigger loss: Not included in this loss are new electric buses: Fixed route ridership is up: Mobility ridership is up: See PDF pages 17-24 for a list of all bills pending in Springfield as reported by Cornerstone Government Affairs who was hired by Connect Transit to track them. If you […]

More electioneering

By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County Museum of History is owned by McLean County. That makes this Facebook post electioneering. Candace Summers is also wrong. If the referendum passes there is no guarantee field trips will be in the budget. There is no guarantee any cuts will be restored. The only guarantee if the referendum […]

Normal still discussing eliminating the USE TAX + more

By: Diane Benjamin Two things in the budget you won’t know unless you watched last night. Chemberly Harris is getting $19,000 for her Youth On A Mission. Pam Reece has a $750,000 slush fund. Of course it’s for contingencies (wasn’t needed for the previous 2 years). https://www.normalil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21181/Town-of-Normal-2022-23-to-2027-28-Five-Year-Operating-and-Capital-Investment-Budget PDF page 121 Nothing aggravates citizens more than […]

Normal: Buy Local is immaterial

By: Diane Benjamin The entire meeting was a little over an hour. I suggest citizens who plan to vote watch a few meetings instead of believing campaign literature. Of course no one showed up to speak at the Public Hearing on the budget. Many of the Trustees congratulated themselves on its greatness however. Spending on […]

UPDATE: Ceremonial Public Hearing tonight: Kathleen Lorenz

By: Diane Benjamin The budget isn’t called Proposed Budget, but it is on line as a 5 years budget. Good luck reading it: https://www.normalil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21181/Town-of-Normal-2022-23-to-2027-28-Five-Year-Operating-and-Capital-Investment-Budget Tonight – a whole 5 minutes is devoted to a Public Hearing about the Proposed budget. Even though the announcement below claims the budget is on line it isn’t. Kathleen was […]

Number of students down, personnel cost ups: Unit 5

By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5’s own data shows controlling costs isn’t happening. They have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Start with this chart complied from OpenTheBooks: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/01/unit-5-did-esser-funds-inflate-salaries/ Compared that chart with the one below compiled by Unit 5 – PDF page 15 https://www.unit5.org/cms/lib/IL01905100/Centricity/Domain/51/CAC%20Financial%20Presentation%2002-02-2022.pdf Why did PERSONNEL costs (blue line) skyrocket since 2015? The […]

It wasn’t Corey Beirne:

A little birdie told me today the guy who removed and hid the literature at the union hall for the 4 conservative candidates was: Ben Matthews Who is Ben Matthews besides a typical leftists who doesn’t want union members to hear more than his side? (Free speech not allowed!) More Info from LinkedIn: He was […]

Media Literacy will be taught in Illinois schools

By: Diane Benjamin The FBI told Twitter what needed to be deleted – Twitter complied. The Russia hoax was perpetuated for years by “media”. The Covid vaccine has to be the worst example of media reporting what they are told and hiding actual facts. Wearing masks did nothing and multiple shots have produced adverse effects. […]

Unit 5 and Pronouns

By: Diane Benjamin Just two examples are below. I’m sure there are many more. Why would the the Superintendent and a teacher need to include their preferred pronouns on public documents unless Unit 5 students are allowed to “pick” theirs. Is this done behind the parents backs? Are students told they can pick their gender? […]

Unit 5 referendum

By: Diane Benjamin If Unit 5 has a deficit of $12 million in the Education Fund, why is the referendum going to give them $20 million? This is the wording on the ballot: The below is a screenshot of the now deleted Frequently Asked Questions on the Unit 5 website: There is no guarantee the […]

The pic you MUST see:

Vote Accordingly! More money for any government never works, they will always want more. #History The Unit 5 candidates are hand picked by the union. The Board needs to represent citizens, not the union. All the above expect you to vote YE$ on the referendum.

Obituary: Charles Sila

Charles Sila passed the afternoon of Friday February 24 at Carle Bromenn.  He was a loving father and husband, navy veteran, and long-time business owner and pubic servant. Charles is survived by his wife Nadine, children Monica (Brian) Irwin and Karl Sila, brother Lee (Heidi) Sila, a niece and 6 grandchildren.  He was preceded by […]

CIRA is back to wanting County money

By: Diane Benjamin The Peoria Journal Star reported on a study that claims Illinois is the WORST state for taxes: https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/state/2023/02/23/illinois-is-the-worst-for-taxes-study-says/69931709007/ The exodus from Illinois will continue when it is MUCH cheaper to move than stay in Illinois. Since every other level of government wants more money, CIRA is joining the party. See this story […]

3 things you need to know

By: Diane Benjamin 1) Biological males are using female restrooms at Normal Community. The rights of females are immaterial. Cancel culture cancelled the right to privacy for females. 2) Refer back to this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/02/22/proof-normals-staff-runs-the-town/ Remember all those “community” meetings Normal had to hear what people wanted to see in Uptown South? The email Mercy […]