By: Diane Benjamin Last night I had a comment from a person I didn’t post. The writer claimed Matt Chapman was a great teacher who helped a son a lot. This person also stated Chapman wears shirts with political messages to spur classroom discussions. That person failed to notice not every student at NCHS is […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you don’t understand that concept you didn’t read yesterday’s story word-for-word: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/proof-political-propaganda-is-allowed-at-unit-5/ This isn’t a tough thing to understand if you start with the fact kids are classroom captives. They can’t get up and walk out. They are forced to endure whatever propaganda a teacher wants them exposed to. If communication […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader More to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/proof-political-propaganda-is-allowed-at-unit-5/ If you have any doubt Matt Chapman is teaching propaganda instead of US History and Civics, see this Twitter/X post: . Chapman is teaching kids to HATE their country. He sees no intrinsic value in teaching real history. This is insurrection and your kids […]
See more to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/07/see-what-matt-chapman-is-teaching/ By: Diane Benjamin Ever heard of a Learning Resources Department? Normal Community High School has one: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfzNT6fVHQoWP_qpPrqoXpTzqEAlWzMvOonbdQfn8Kw/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.6q39cva8yy6e 28 teachers are listed with an additional 6 support staff. This guy is one of the listed teachers: . Note Chapman teaches Civics and US History. This is also Matt Chapman: . […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois government not only collects a Gas Tax per gallon, they also get Sales Tax. They really hate when the price of gas drops because their revenue drops too. Gas tax: $0.483 per gallon https://tax.illinois.gov/research/taxrates/motorfuel.html In case you forgot what this tax used to be: . That is an 87% in 6 years. […]
By: Diane Benjain Abby fails to state her husband, Corey Beirne, is employed by Unit 5. Beirne can’t say this himself since he is likely running for re-election: . Let me remind you what Alex Williams stated on social media: . Abby thinks his comments are positive? According to Abby Scott, Bloomington Ward 9 alderman, […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Illinois Policy Institute recently posted a story that contains a link to easily look up school superintent’s salaries: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-superintendent-pay-doesnt-match-performance-district-consolidation-could-help/ I don’t necessarily agree with consolidation because larger organizations usually become less efficient. When they aren’t spending their own money there is no incentive to be fiscally responsible. Anyway: These salaries mostly […]
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois passed a bill in 2015 to reform education. In 2014 the US Department of Education determined racist policies (civil rights violations) existed in Illinois schools. Who was president in 2014? See the report from the Illinois Education Association dated January 2024 below. I wonder if Unit 5 Board chair Alex Williams […]
By: Diane Benjamin More information on this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/10/01/bloomington-foia-fail-planning-commission/ Just so everyone is clear on what happened with my FOIA request, I’m printing these screenshots from the emails I sent to Corporate lawyer Chris Spanos. I consider Chris one of the good guys, but even he has limits in what he can admit. I’m surprised […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader The State of Illinois doesn’t believe in judging students based on their character/behavior. The Illinois State Board of Education looks only at the proportional discipline based on skin color. Unit 5 was put on notice that too many people of color have been suspended or expelled. They were forced […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Illinois layoff list is back to updating daily: https://www.illinoisworknet.com/LayoffRecovery/Pages/IllinoisWARNData.aspx In September another 2,069 people in Illinois have been notified they will be laid off. The August layoffs were 1,065. In the last 12 months the total is 16,112.
See this 2022 story about the same school: https://blnnews.com/2022/11/23/evans-junior-high-6th-graders-indoctrination/ By: Diane Benjamin The below was sent to me by a parent who received it. It came from Evan Junior High and not signed by the sender. The return email address is generic. The bottom line is: 6th grade students are being punished because of the […]
Space is limited, so sign up in advance to attend. On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the College Republicans at Illinois State University will welcome American activist and detransitioner Chloe Cole. Known for her remarkable story of transitioning at the age of 12 and detransitioning at age 16, Cole speaks with firsthand authority on the deeply […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you still don’t understand laws in Bloomington only apply to citizen peons, this story should convince you. Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/09/13/strike-3-bloomington/ After the Planning Commission postponed hearing the case for allowing a homeless shelter in a single family neighborhood, staff hung around to answer questions and hear comments from the […]
It appears McLean County is doing a study and the McLean County Regional Planning Commission is doing another. This story mixes the two and will take more work. By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County Regional Planning Commission website shows 7 employees and 2 interns: https://mcplan.org/about-us/about-mcrpc/staff Those employees didn’t want to create or aren’t capable of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night a Peoria TV station’s lead story at 6:00 pm was the petition asking for the resignation of Alex Williams from the Unit 5 School Board. See the video and story here: https://www.25newsnow.com/2025/09/30/petition-circulates-calling-unit-5-school-board-presidents-resignation-after-controversial-social-media-posts/ If course Unit 5 had no comment. Alex Williams promised WEEK a comment and never provided one. You […]
By: Diane Benjamin A non-profit called Truth In Accounting rated every state in a report called Financial State of the States: Top and bottom states: . Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri all received a “B” rating. Illinois got an “F”. A “B” rating means those states have a budget surplus. An “F” means an unbalanced […]
By: Diane Benjamin A Bloomington Board we know little about: BOARD OF FIRE AND POLICE COMMISSIONERS I believe this is the same Board that recently ruled against Ty Carlton: https://blnnews.com/2025/09/01/two-things-you-need-to-know-7/ This link has the rules and regulations governing this Board: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/29826/638355568072014235 Two excerpts from that link: . . Why does the underlined matter? Because changes […]
https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-09-25/visionary-leader-ryan-whitehouse-remembered-for-his-advocacy-and-service This is a tragedy for his family, the Illinois Farm Bureau, and Connect Transit. Condolences to all.
By: Diane Benjamin The agenda was not posted on line for the meeting held September 18th. https://normaltownship.org/index.php/clerks-office/board-agenda/ By September 22nd the agenda was still not posted. The agenda contains a zoom address that was NOT available to anyone in the public who wanted to watch that meeting. I filed a Request for Review with the […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.tri-valley3.org/o/district/article/2444046 .\ Know who else offers free dental exams for students? Chicago Public Schools, not a model anyone should emulate. Orland Park Dental Services created jobs for themselves by providing this mobile service. How much are Tri-Valley district taxpayers getting billed for this? We won’t know until after 11/10/25. How much other […]
By: Diane Benjamin . Even though the meeting was cancelled, the packet is available they would have used: https://connect-transit.com/file/3833/2025%2009%2023_Board%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf Financial information is finally available for the year that ended on June 30th. I think they expect celebrations because they lost less than what was budgeted: Budget: <$20,054,326> Actual: <$19,357,702> How many taxis or Ubers would […]
By: Diane Benjamin The posted plan is a Google doc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16zzKHLTUw6LhtiEwbCtnyqkehUx2kXin/view I converted their doc to a PDF so AI could read it: I had both Chat GPT5 and Grok analyze the effect it has on rural land. I only looked at rural because that is where I live and a person who is looking […]
By: Diane Benjamin Parents of students in Unit 5 consider this comment by Board Chair Alex Williams hate speech: . Alex Williams thinks Trump voters and Fox News viewers are the dregs of society. He thinks Christians are hypocrites. He thinks all white people are racist. A person willing to post this comment publicly is […]
By: Diane Benjamin What causes deficits? What causes “structural deficits”? Duh! Spending more money than you take in. Bloomington has a spending problem! Every budget includes spending every penny they expect to receive in taxes. That allows them to “cry” when they don’t receive what they feel entitled to. (Just like you right?) Every budget […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/09/20/controversy-surrounds-unit-5-board-chair-alex-williams/ A taxpayer sent an email to the Unit 5 School Board concerning the comments made by the Board Chair Alex Williams. She received a response. Below is a copied response since a picture of the email would be hard to read, I did include a picture at […]
The McLean County yearly audit is 3 months late. There is a way to recoup whatever money the County is being forced to pay an accounting firm because 1 employee didn’t do her job. This way will also remove the responsible person forever. The only question is: Will they do it?
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when the Bloomington elites claimed they weren’t going to pass their own 1% Grocery tax? Joke is on you. They tripled your water rates (by next May 1st), raised every fee 3% without ever voting since those are automatic, and negotiated unaffordable electricity rates on your behalf. Bloomington has the chance […]
By: Diane Benjamin MANY people have sent this to me. I feel there is more to add to this conversation, hence this story. This I believe was originally posted by the McLean County Republicans, I edited the photo to only show the comments made by Unit 5 Board Chair Alex Williams: . I will address […]
By: Diane Benjamin Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/06/10/if-bloomington-needs-money-why-is-this-guy-on-a-paid-vacation/ A source told me James Buenrostro has resigned. It appears he might have to answer questions he didn’t want to answer. The source also responded to this story about 3 Champaign fire employees being stabbed responding to a mental health crisis call: https://blnnews.com/2025/09/18/illinois-law-police-cant-respond-to-a-mental-health-crisis/ The source to me […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last night’s agenda is here: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1482 I can’t wait for property bills next year. I can’t wait to hear how much property taxes increase because those who bothered to vote were conned into believing their property taxes would decrease if the 1% Sales Tax increase passed. Still no word from the State’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin The left thinks “social workers” should respond to mental health crisis calls. This proves they are wrong yet again: https://champaignil.gov/2025/09/05/champaign-police-arrest-man-after-knife-attack-injures-three-medical-personnel/ That government issued release of course leaves out some details. The story does say Fire and EMT personnel were dispatched to a call for a 23 year old experiencing a mental health […]
By: Diane Benjamin Why I burned my diploma. Pension from openthebooks.com
By: Diane Benjamin https://blnnews.com/2025/09/16/why-be-divisive/ The Administrator of this site couldn’t help responding. Not once – 3 times: . Since the word “racists” was worn out years ago, fascists is the new term for promoting violence. Everyone who used to be called racist is now called fascist. The writer missed this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/09/16/is-trump-a-fascist/ Matthew 5:11 Blessed […]
By: Diane Benjamin . Relatively new Facebook page that evidently has something to do with me: Biane Denjamine https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577196614971 This isn’t the first page like this, I’m honored to evidently be over the target. By the way, Benjamin doesn’t have an “e” at the end. I don’t know what the purpose of this page is […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hope this story encourages thinking for yourself instead of believing what some commentator tells you to believe. We can’t bridge the political divide without conversations. Political violence is encouraged by dehumanizing rhetoric. People can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. I don’t expect readers to agree […]
By: Diane Benjamin . No discussions tonight on setting up more BIG PLANS for a future vote. Good.
