By: Diane Benjamin The last hearing on the bill to turn Illinois into a Mail-In Ballot state was canceled because of overwhelming opposition: https://blnnews.com/2026/02/17/update-to-hb-3355/ Since State rep Carol Ammons didn’t get the message, another hearing is scheduled for today. All of the previous witness slips filed were deleted. Opposition is overwhelming again, think she will […]
This one is from New Illinois. It is a narrative covering many topics Illinois residents care about. Worth reading!
By: Diane Benjamin I don’t know the guy who wrote this, but I do know Jeanne Ives – former State representative: . Bloomington staff has complained about this one forever. The Illinois Municipal League has a good explanation of FGDF on their website: https://www.iml.org/file.cfm?key=15419 Bloomington used to receive 10% of all income taxes the State […]
By: Diane Benjamin If your media didn’t report this, get better media. I’m sure you’ve heard about accidents and deaths caused by illegals with licenses to drive semis. Illinois has now been listed as one of the states handing out CDLs to unqualified drivers. https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffys-audit-illinois-non-domiciled-cdls-finds WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today exposed […]
By: Diane Benjamin The EIN number for The Immigration Project is 43-1700482 With that number you can look up how much the State of Illinois has paid them: https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/vendor-services/vendor-payments-new This organization not only provides provides legal services to “immigrants”, they send out ICE warnings to their rapid response people. Taxpayers are funding the obstruction of […]
By: Diane Benjamin WGLT is not allowed to sell advertising. What did The Town of Normal pay WGLT to do? (2025 data isn’t available yet) https://www.openthebooks.com/search-results/details/?n=Wglt-Normal&e=73583&t=c&burl=%2Fsearch-results%2F%3Ft%3Dc%26F_Name_S%3DWGLT%26F_State%3DIllinois%26F_Year%3D0 . Has WGLT applied for State of Illinois money? If you don’t know about the plan Springfield passed to subsidize media, read up on it: https://dceo.illinois.gov/expandrelocate/incentives/taxassistance/new-journalism-tax-incentive-program.html Yes, non-profit media […]
With overwhelming opposition, Carol Ammons cancelled the hearing today. Meanwhile, he husband refuses to reprint the Republican ballot to fix his error. By: Diane Benjamin See this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/02/14/danger-whenever-springfield-is-in-session/ HB3355 is a bill in Springfield that can easily lead to mail-in ballots being sent to every voter without them requesting it. Below are the Witness […]
By: Diane Benjamin Not really. Smart people know facts about candidates never come out until a lot closer to election to day – March 17th. People who don’t vote in primaries will complain about their choices in November while forfeiting their right to decide who appears on the ballot. Early voting started February 5th. This […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you believe mail-in voting is the least secure way to vote (like Jimmy Carter did), file a witness slip opposing this bill: https://www.ilga.gov/house/hearings/details/3110/22403/CreateWitnessSlip/?legislationId=161868&GaId=18&View=Create&fbclid=IwZnRzaAP9uYtjbGNrA_2r12V4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMmJ1TEZ0cUdCcnI0UXROMExzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeHvldQnGykVQ9QF2QhUtasHWRqVU-lW50PiWlTTicr5tNT5RC2mFh4NcFLnQ_aem_A-yI2QCswrei74xph3gobw HB 3355: Amends the Election Code. Provides that an election authority may elect to mail a vote by mail ballot to all qualified voters instead of sending notices […]
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/three-peat-illinois-pension-system-last-place-for-3rd-year-in-a-row/ Excerpts: Low funding ratios mean less certainty because it means the state does not have the money to pay out what it promised. If liabilities continue to grow faster than assets, this funding ratio shrinks. But even before insolvency hits, low funding ratios still hurt the state. Just like failing to pay off credit […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story shows the HUGE increase in funding as shown on the nonprofit tax returns of INCCRRA: https://blnnews.com/2026/01/16/the-local-ngos-tax-return-inccrra/ . Those numbers are MILLIONS – a huge increase from 2019 to 2020. What did they do with that money? At least part was the establishment of Birth To Five. Illinois was divided into […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mike Matejka posted this on his Not In Our Town Facebook page: . Of course Mike is implying there is no difference between the KKK and ICE. Since Wikipedia has a fake history of the KKK, see History.com instead: https://www.history.com/articles/ku-klux-klan Quote: Founded in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) extended into almost […]
By: Diane Benjamin Read the McLean County GOP press release below. To summarize: Colleges across the country send personal student data to the National Student Clearinghouse. That organization then hands the data to Democrat-aligned NGOs in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Those NGOs distribute students’ personal data to Democrat activists, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Victims-mom-slams-grammy-speeches-after-daughter-boyfriend-killed-alleged-dui-crash-illegal-immigrant One Bloomington victim, Corey Cottrell, made the list below of Americans killed by illegal immigrants: https://blnnews.com/2019/07/10/bikers-ride-for-corey-cottrell/ Since Illinois doesn’t allow asking immigration status, the list below may not include some victims here. If you don’t have a problem with this extensive list, you are probably out protesting ICE. Normal people want […]
By: Diane Benjamin I downloaded the McLean County Sheriff’s Office app awhile back. Just watching the jail population change is interesting. This morning inmates totaled 232, yesterday showed 228. I’ve seen it higher and it was around 20 less before Christmas. I have no idea why except I was interested, but I attempted to track […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two of the previous stories in case you forgot: Is There Fraud In Illinois Child Care Spending? You Are Paying Child Care Costs For Illegal Aliens The INCCRRA website has a data request form and a list of what information can be requested. See this link: https://www.inccrra.org/images/datareports/04-07-16_Data_Request_Form.pdf I requested data for McLean […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is National School Choice Week – Illinois isn’t participating because teacher unions want students locked into failing schools based on their zip code. Statement from Tommy Schultz, CEO, American Federation for Children: https://www.federationforchildren.org/afc-celebrates-national-school-choice-week-2026/ “As we celebrate National School Choice Week, we embark on what will be a golden age in American […]
By: Diane Benjamin Have you noticed the media never reports on how much Connect Transit is costing taxpayers? Have you noticed you haven’t been told these bus subsidies exist across the country? The Champaign-Urbana bus system loses far more than Connect Transit. Did you know the Danville Mass Transit District attempted to dissolve itself: https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2026/01/cris-mass-transit-violated-law-on-vote-to-dissolve/ […]
By: Diane Benjamin Today’s agenda: https://connect-transit.com/file/4024/2026%2001%2027_BoT%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf The packet is for November and December. There isn’t near as much information in the packet as usual. Missing are reports from their consultants in Springfield and DC. $42,059 for what? . Ridership is up, so are the losses: . Flex is still up almost 9% fiscal year to […]
By: Diane Benjamin This won’t be the last story. I can prove illegal aliens get Illinois child care subsidies, maybe even more than citizens get. Keep reading. Illinois’ ruling class hides information by letting non-governmental organizations (NGOs) administer the programs they create. The state shovels your money to them—and the trail ends there. Connecting the […]
Of course the ultra-wealthy flee states like California thanks to groups like the CTU, who can’t define “fair share.” Many have already left Illinois—and more will head to lower-tax states as long as the ruling party believes they can keep taxing everything with higher rates. When activist teachers launch a campaign to increase taxes with […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you reviewed this list of Illinois Auditor General reports, you haven’t seen the worst yet: https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/ABC-List.asp See this link for reports of State employees investigated by the Office of Inspector General: https://oeig.illinois.gov/investigations/published-oeig-cases.html Have you heard about all the State employees investigated for Paycheck Protection Fraud? That link has them. Already in […]
By: Diane Benjamin This office is run by Pritzker 2023 appointee Major General Rodney Boyd. Office of the Auditor General: https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Compliance-Agency-List/Military-Affairs/FY24-Military-Affairs-Comp-Digest.pdf Let me interpret: This department buys things with your tax dollars and loses them. The same problem has been reported since 2012. Let me interpret again: Nobody in this department cares about taxes you […]
By: Diane Benjamin More to this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/01/15/is-there-fraud-in-illinois-child-care-spending/ INCCRRA stands for Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. INCCRRA tax return for the year ending 6/30/2024: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/364096312/202530429349300303/full The revenue on this tax return isn’t close to what OpenTheBooks shows they received in calendar year 2024. A tax return for the other NGO, Excelerate Illinois, […]
By: Diane Benjamin This link has a list of all companies in Illinois with H1B Visas: https://h1bgrader.com/states/illinois-il Click on any name. Page down until you see a RED box that says “View latest H1B Visas . . “. This is part of what you will see for Rivian. Note the dates, many are already in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Open The Books created a database of “child care” spending by State after the Minnesota fraud came to light: https://open.substack.com/pub/openthebooks/p/minnesota-daycare-scandal-the-power?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email Quote from that story: We’ve created the most comprehensive database of government spending in history, from federal to state and local governments, so that every taxpayer can become a citizen journalist and […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Illinois lawmakers who propose unConstitutional laws should be kicked out of office: https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?GAID=18&DocNum=2820&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=164963&SessionID=114 Senator Laura Fine proposed SB2820 Creates the Prohibited Hiring of Federal Immigration Officers Act. Provides that a law enforcement agency may not hire as a law enforcement officer any person who was hired as a federal immigration officer […]
https://www.25newsnow.com/2026/01/06/illinois-department-human-services-reports-years-long-data-breach Excerpts: However, according to the news release, due to “incorrect privacy settings,” the maps and the information contained within them were publicly viewable. The maps containing information about Rehabilitation Services customers were publicly accessible from April 2021 through September 2025 when the flaw was discovered, the agency said. That included customers’ names, addresses, case […]
By: Diane Benjamin “Cruel” is the new leftist buzzword. “Fraud” is a word they avoid. Billions of dollars appear to have been stolen in Minnesota through child care fraud schemes. We aren’t supposed to notice, right, Krystle? According to Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski, the amount of child care costs that Illinois bills the feds […]
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/waste-watch-illinois-gives-12m-to-nascar/ Excerpts: Lawmakers claimed the 2026 budget contained no pork, but a closer look shows 2,815 items over $200,000 lawmakers decided to fund in the final hours of the legislative session – rushed, harmful to taxpayers and with no time for public scrutiny. They included $40 million for a high school sports complex at the alma mater of Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Understand the title? It is an abbreviation for Southeast McLean County Water Authority. I wrote about them last year when a new line appeared on my property tax bill: https://blnnews.com/2025/05/16/new-line-on-my-property-tax-bill/ I found no trace of this organization on the County website. They claim to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act […]
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_9f59f645-6340-4756-8110-655dd4f6eeeb.html?utm_source=illinois.thecentersquare.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=rss_first_item_title Can anyone say after 17 years this isn’t on purpose? Excerpts: U.S. Census Bureau data showing Illinois has lost around 420,000 residents since 2020. Recent polling found almost half of all voters insist they would leave the state if they had the chance. Updated annual Census estimates for Illinois and other states are expected […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Council voted 7-2 to increase property taxes 13.4% last night. The library increased taxes by almost 2%. After a Who’s on First like re-enactment, discussions took place by the Council both during the Public Hearing and before the vote. 7 members swallowed whatever staff fed them, only Alderman Sheila Montney […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington voted in July to suspend payments to the County for the Behavioral Health Action Plan starting July 1, 2025: Shared Sales Tax suspended Why is this payment listed on Bills and Payroll if payments are suspended? Bills and Payroll 12-15-2025 I’d ask but getting an answer is evidently […]
By: Diane Benjamin More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/04/can-your-3rd-grader-read-likely-no-in-public-school/ The 3rd graders tested last spring weren’t affected by school closings during COVID. They weren’t old enough to be in school. They were in: 3rd grade – 2024/2025 2nd grade – 2023/2024 1st grade – 2022/2023 Kindergarten – 2021/2022 Illinois schools were closed for COVID in March […]
By: Diane Benjamin Why are tax dollars going to private institutions? Why did Unit 5 and District 87 get money for facilities when they conned people into voting for a 1% Sales Tax? Evidently no one on this list is capable of living within budgets based on the needs and ability of the people they […]
Follow-up story: https://blnnews.com/2025/12/05/why-cant-3rd-graders-read-dont-blame-covid/ By: Diane Benjamin https://www.illinoispolicy.org/how-well-are-your-local-third-graders-reading/ Even under loosened proficiency standards, over half of Illinois third graders couldn’t read at grade level in 2025. District 87 has no schools where over 50% of 3rd graders were proficient. Unit 5 has ONE. Obviously education isn’t the goal. Page down to the bottom – Tri-Valley’s one elementary school is […]
https://www.illinoisworknet.com/LayoffRecovery/Pages/IllinoisWARNData.aspx Happy Holidays won’t be had be these folks.
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 […]
