h/t a reader See previous story: https://blnnews.com/2026/06/23/20-minute-bloomington-meeting-without-abby-scott/ Obviously the facts presented at the meeting and in the above story are immaterial if you govern as child. McLean County voters in District 10 can rid themselves of this menace in November. Break up the “power couple” gang. See below. Both Beirne and Scott raised your property […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder if Abby Scott uses the same tone at home with her husband Corey Beirne? Ward 9 needs to see who those who bothered to vote chose. Some members of the Council are still hurting over Sheila Montney being appointed to Behavioral Health Coordinating Council to represent the City of Bloomington […]
By: Diane Benjamin Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4117/files/agenda/12843 What bills are getting approved are more interesting than the Agenda: Sister Cities spent $3000 at Biaggis: Administration spent $2,033 at Avantis: Is this what the Front and Center land cost? Or is this the cost to turn it into a parking lot? Only a FOIA would tell. Three police […]
By: Diane Benjamin After yesterday’s story, Dale Nelson spent from 12:59 to 3:33 on Facebook Messenger trying to convince me it was perfectly legal to give a $1000 bonus to an employee: https://blnnews.com/2026/06/18/do-laws-matter-in-logan-county/ He wanted to talk by phone. Many years ago I learned that is how public officials make sure there is no trace […]
By: Diane Benjamin The first story was published by WGLT on May 15, 2026. Quote: ISU student deposits are down 8% compared to last year. Of course they are jumping throw a lot of hoops, including paying students to attend (scholarships) to entice students. https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-05-15/isu-student-deposits-drop-as-enrollment-cliff-arrives Obviously the birth rate is down which means fewer high […]
By: Diane Benjamin Electing progressives for decades in Normal means spending is thrown at wants, like the vanity underpass, while spending on essential services isn’t sufficient. How many EMS calls does Bloomington have to cover because Normal expanded service without adding personnel? https://blnnews.com/2025/12/11/where-does-normals-ems-revenue-go/ Does someone in Normal have to die because the facts as laid […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve been talking to concerned citizens for months about shenanigans with the Logan County Board. Evidently people who can prosecute are refusing, so it’s time to go public. Below is what I’ve been told, Chair Dale Nelson or any other board member is free to dispute this charge. From a citizen: I […]
By: Diane Benjamin Notable items from last night’s Bloomington Committee of the Whole meeting: City Manager Jeff Jurgens stated Bloomington is a growing city. From US Census website: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bloomingtoncityillinois/PST045224 . Jurgens also stated the City has 100 year old water mains and they leak. He knows they are behind replacing them. Lesson for voters (those […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington Committee of the Whole agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4130/files/agenda/12818 The only Regular Agenda item is WATER. Making sure residents have water in the future is going to be expensive. See the Technical Summary: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4130/files/attachment/9574 I suggest jumping to PDF page 15 so your eyes don’t glaze over before getting there. The really expensive fixes […]
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 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 […]
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 A few weeks ago this post appeared on NextDoor: . This was one of the responses, obviously by a person who follows local politics: , Evidently some people are allowed to not follow rules: . A complaint was sent to the City back in March. Nothing has changed, the sidewalk is impassable. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sick of high property taxes? The City Council raised your taxes last year after being told they had no choice. The 1% grocery tax was added for the same reason. It’s dire. In the video below, go to 1:37:48 and listen to Sheila Montney. The Finance Director had just finished his report. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4116/files/agenda/12728 This easily puts Jurgens in the top 5% of all wage earners in the country: The meaningless ethics ordinance is on the Consent agenda, self regulating means no consequences: In case someone claims Bloomington isn’t paying for the improvements to Sunnyside park, it’s still tax dollars paying for it. It […]
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 H/T a reader West Washington, across from the Government Center in downtown Bloomington: Does this sign apply? Or this sign? Can you park for 2 hours or not? The signs are within feet of each other: . I suggest parking by the green sign, taking a picture of your vehicle and sign, […]
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 Remember when Sonny Garcia called for a special meeting of the Bloomington Township to get this on the ballot: https://blnnews.com/2024/05/15/want-to-see-the-petition-signers/ That effort failed because citizens of Bloomington Township outnumbered his ilk. Time for Bloomington Township voters to do it again! This time the organizer is Zach Gittrich who appears frequently around town. […]
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 On the Agenda tonight: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4129/files/agenda/12698 The same woman who got Normal to pass a meaningless ethics ordinance is getting Bloomington to do the same: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/07/normal-now-has-a-meaningless-code-of-ethics/ City code is is ignored by elected officials, an ethics ordinance won’t change that. No penalties exist for being unethical. It will pass easily anyway with some […]
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 Remember the church at 411 E Mulberry that caved in? The City of Bloomington tore it down because it was an extreme hazard. Previous story: https://blnnews.com/2025/07/15/last-night-bloomington-council-2/ How much did that cost? (Invoices below) $300,606.18 + $10,794.77 + $59,727.80 + $11,546.11 + $12,217.00 = $394,891.86. How much has the City been reimbursed by […]
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 Agenda: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/4103/files/agenda/12675 I don’t have time today to analyze, read it yourself. The only regular agenda item is exchanging some property with IWU: . Just so you don’t forget, the City has $1,400,000 in that part marked 807. https://blnnews.com/2025/07/16/flashback-to-2016/ The City bought it in 2016 to control development. So far no one […]
By: Diane Benjamin Filing a Statement of Economic Interest is required by law to reveal conflicts of interest. Evidently the fines of $100 a day don’t start the day filing is past due. Fines should start immediately to cover the cost of Certified Mail and the staff time it takes to process mailings. Filing was […]
By: Diane Benjamin On December 8, 2025 the Bloomington City Council heard a presentation on Proactive Property Maintenance Enforcement Update: . Since I didn’t write much about this, I asked GROK AI when it happened. I remembered it, just not when. Grok gave me the answer in 10 seconds. PDF page 5: https://bloomingtonil.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1012/files/agenda/9377 As long […]
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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County League of Women Voters claim they are nonpartisan. https://www.lwvmclean.org/ It’s easy to tell they aren’t. Using the terminology: Defending Democracy is a giveaway they aren’t. Democracy is mob rule, we are a Republic. It’s the same terminology Democrats have used in the last few elections to con voters while […]
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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin This property was randomly picked and is the same one from previous stories: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/30/congrats-how-much-is-stolen-from-you-is-posted/ The Bloomington house increases are in this story: https://blnnews.com/2026/05/01/taxing-bodies-in-bloomington-increases/ Total taxes paid in 2025 vrs 2026: . Congrats go to the Normal voters who fell for the “property taxes will go down” if you vote for a 1% […]
By: Diane Benjamin Same property as previous stories – picked at random. https://blnnews.com/2026/04/30/congrats-how-much-is-stolen-from-you-is-posted/ For context on the airport tax: Bloomington and Normal properties are still being taxed by the airport — see Central Il Reg Airport Auth. In 2025, it appeared on bills as “BLM-Nrm Airport Auth.” This year’s 2026 in-town bills now show $0.00 […]
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 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.
