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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this story: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/waste-watch-illinois-gives-500000-to-health-advocacy-non-profit/ Type Bloomington in the SEARCH to see what Illinois budgeted. Wesleyan isn’t the only non-government entity getting money. Is Wesleyan discounting tuition to local residents too much to fund their own projects or did the local reps decide to gift them your money? . Next type Normal in […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Code of Ethics Normal passed last night is really cute, but it has no enforcement mechanisms. Therefore it is meaningless. Four Council members will continue to ignore the citizens who don’t want money thrown away on a $40+ million underpass. Those four will continue to vote for spending whatever it takes […]
By: Diane Benjamin Subscribers: I don’t think the Weekend comics posts was sent on Saturday (WordPress problem!). See it here: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/04/weekend-comic-truth/ Illinois has the highest property tax rates in the country: https://smartasset.com/taxes/illinois-property-tax-calculator Those rates make homes and rental units unaffordable. This year they will be increasing again. The new assessed values for taxes this year […]
By: Diane Benjamin Are the electric buses alive now? Are these 12 buses really running? This page lists the bus fleet: https://connect-transit.com/about/our-fleet 6 hybrid. 32 other buses are listed as diesel. This was mentioned at the March 2026 Connect Transit meeting: The Gillig buses that Connect Transit already has are diesel. The documentation for this […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story was inspired by the following article: https://illinoisfamily.org/federal/the-hunger-industrial-complex-part-ii-the-six-figure-charity-racket/ You REALLY need to read that story before continuing. One excerpt: When you compare what food-bank executives earn to the work these organizations actually do, the picture that emerges isn’t one of modest, volunteer-driven charity. It’s a professional system of administration and logistics […]
By: Diane Benjamin Meeting is at 4:30 today. February statistics I care about, others are in the packet: See PDF page 11. New Fare Structure! And Evidently how it is collected: PDF page 4: PDF page 15: BUDGETED 2027 loss: Income: $1,752,000 Expenses: $27,632,170 27,632,170 – 1,752,000 = 25,880,170 25,880,170 / 12 = Connect Transit […]
By: Diane Benjamin PDF page 75: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5414 . The underpass is going to be even more expensive when a new contract is proposed for construction later in April. It’s possible the Town is stripping amenities to bring down the cost, all the fancy items will be added back in future years. Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy, […]
By: Diane Benjamin The story below is the most comprehensive one I’ve seen. Mayors from more than two Illinois cities are headed to Rome on diplomatic mission that includes meeting with the Pope. Maybe Koos and Brady can give everyone a report on what they accomplished – other than site-seeing. What happened to separation of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tomorrow Connect is holding 2 meetings. The first one is the annual meeting where officers are elected: https://connect-transit.com/file/4099/Agenda_Annual%20Meeting_03%2031%202026.pdf The second meeting is the usual monthly meeting, but this time they didn’t include any documentation: https://connect-transit.com/file/4100/Agenda_Regular%20Session_03%2031%202026.pdf . Was ridership and the monthly loss for February too ridiculous to provide? Are the Audit Results […]
By: Diane Benjamin The recycle bins behind Walmart In Normal are clearly marked. It’s even marked in 2 languages: . This is what was in this bin today: . It must be too hard to walk 7-8 feet to the east and put cardboard in the bin marked CARDBOARD! There was also cardboard in the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Quote from the story below: While Bloomington saw more births than deaths, domestic outmigration of more than 1,000 residents led to overall population decline. Why are people leaving? Duh, taxes. We can quit worrying about a housing shortage. People will continue leaving since there is no reason to stay good enough to […]
New Illinois’ Ninth Constitutional Convention will be held on April 10 & 11 at the Chateau Hotel and Conference Center, 1621 Jumer Drive in Bloomington. The event will be open to the public. If you are a member of a New Illinois County committee, or if you are interested in helping to start one in […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you haven’t, you probably don’t know you are funding it. This tip came from a reader. Their website: https://illinoismigrant.org/history Even though they claim to have been around since 1966, Propublica states they became a non-profit in 2024: You can see numerous tax returns at this link: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/362597070 One thing to note: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Krystle Able is requiring people attending her April Normal Township meeting to “verify their eligibility to participate”. https://blnnews.com/2026/03/21/krystle-able-uses-township-for-her-agenda/ Meanwhile, the Democrat Party doesn’t want to pass the Save America Act—or just Voter ID—to ensure election integrity. The comment left overnight: Do you have to present ID to prove you are a voter […]
By: Diane Benjamin Everyone know diplomatic relations is a federal issue because they have access to a lot more information – it’s their job. Krystle Able thinks it’s her job. She also doesn’t understand to participate in any public meeting does not require being eligible to participate. Is she going to ban the press if […]
Illini Central High School is a public school located in MASON CITY, IL. It has 190 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1. According to state test scores, 10% of students are at least proficient in math and 25% in reading. Each teacher has 10 kids and that’s called education? […]
By: Diane Benjamin 40 days of early voting is ridiculous unless you understand why this waste of time and resources exists. It isn’t to allow more people to vote. One party wants to bank as many early votes as possible so they know how many more votes they need by election day. It’s going to […]
