By: Diane Benjamin I was planning on posting this yesterday, it fit in well with Bill of Rights Day! I wasn’t able to when the Internet went out. This story started out really long! Instead of one long story it will be in 2 parts. The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution were ratified on […]
My Internet was down until 10:00 last night. It was down because of farmers laying tile without calling Julie to get utilities marked. Chewed up fiber happened twice to Frontier yesterday. The first one was by Fairbury, the second was between Arrowsmith and Downs. That is the one took out my internet. Thanks go to […]
It’s been down since 10:00 am Hope it’s back by tomorrow.
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal is well known for making their own rules. Some developers are charged sewer tap-on fees, some aren’t. If you are Stan Nord and they “forgot” to charge the owner at the time the sewer connection was made, you get charged. Being 4 owners ago when they “forgot” is […]
By: Diane Benjamin I get alerts by email on local deaths. One of the recent ones was a supporter of mine, so I clicked on the link. I’m not going to say the name since I don’t know if making it public would be okay. The alert took me to the Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home website […]
The below was sent by the local GOP, Democrats likely sent it out too. People who demand the law be followed are needed, BEC needs a watchdog. Here is the news release from the BEC. DATE: November 24, 2021SUBJECT: Announcing commissioner position vacancy on the City of Bloomington Board of Election Commission The Bloomington Board […]
By: Diane Benjamin One of the policies instituted by Tari Renner was limiting discussion at Council meetings. Pre-Tari there were no limits, Agendas are now issued with the amount of time the Council will spend on each item. Why are your elected representatives not allowed to talk as long as they want? The Council represents […]
By: Diane Benjamin John Butler is still going to court to get his records sealed on Friday: He hasn’t heard all the documents are already public? https://blnnews.com/2021/11/12/the-coliseum-case-documents/ Maybe I should post them on their own JohnYaleButler.com website! I’ve had a FOIA pending with County since October 29. They extended it until December 8th and still […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal is getting almost $11 million in American Rescue Funds over 2 years. Remember this slide from the Town of Normal Work Session on spending the windfall? https://blnnews.com/2021/12/07/normals-work-session-lack-of-transparency/ See the $3.5 million for the Savannah Green neighborhood. I have a map of that area below, but first you need […]
By: Diane Benjamin Council is meeting tonight at 6:00 to clear the rest of December for Christmas. None of the event reports at the BCPA have been posted on line: https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-114 Evidently I have to FOIA all shows. Is the City afraid to tell citizens how much is lost to subsidized entertainment for the well […]
By: Diane Benjamin I posted a video of Dusty Joe speaking at District 87 Public Comment last October. She was an employee at this time. The video proves Dusty cares about her kids, if you missed it watch it now: Dusty spoke again at last weeks District 87 Board meeting. The video below is from […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal attorney made a lot of money last year: Yep, $195,105 because he’s a LAWYER. I’ve written before about things he gets wrong, last Monday night he did it again. He is supposedly the resident expert on Roberts Rules of Order, Koos frequently asks him procedural questions. Monday night […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve been updating and posting the chart below for months. One reader told me he doesn’t understand it, so I will explain it again. The Illinois Department of Public Health used to claim they don’t track hospitalizations and deaths in fully vaccinated people, but then they started posting it. The problem is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Posted yesterday by WGLT reporter Ryan Denham: During-a-Fraught-Time-for-Local-Media-Conservative-Radio-Station-Sees-an-Opening File this one under local comedy. The reporter is upset that Cities 92.9 veers into opinion reporting rather than straight news. Keep in mind the WGLT General Manager RC McBride used to have a seat on the Normal Town Council until he was defeated […]
Note: If you want to send pics, make sure they are .jpeg. WordPress doesn’t like other types.
By: Diane Benjamin Stan Nord quit attending 2 on 1 meetings with Pam Reece and staff because they aren’t held to get his opinion. They are held to tell the Council what the plans are and get their official head nods. Funny how CITIZENS paying the bills aren’t privy to the same information. The 2 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Connect Transit is holding a retreat Friday night and Saturday. They are required to have open meetings, the retreat is being held at the McLean County History Museum. Maybe they will be using the old courtroom so lots of people from the public can attend. The History Museum can not require an […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Democrat Party of Illinois isn’t going to reform pensions with a Constitutional Amendment. Next year they do have a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot to hand unions even more power. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/press-releases/what-is-amendment-1-an-illinois-constitutional-amendment-on-the-ballot-next-november/ If local elected officials across the State demanded a Constitutional Amendment to reform pensions, they would prove they care about […]
By: Diane Benjamin Local property values are rising which means your property taxes will be going up based on the new value of your home. Units of government claiming they are keeping the rate the same as last year want you to believe they aren’t raising your taxes. When you bill comes in the mail […]
By: Diane Benjamin You need to see this data for the story I am going to do next. We know property taxes are going up again, but property values are also going up. This will be a double whammy to your bill next year. I picked a random house on Towanda Avenue in Normal: Tax […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal wants you to believe leasing vehicles for 6-12 months saves them money. What they really get is a constant supply of new vehicles, something the taxpayers never get. Use logic folks, how can 6-12 month leases actually cost less than buying? Because depreciation doesn’t have to be listed […]
By: Diane Benjamin At the Bloomington City Council meeting last night Jeanne Hamilton announced the State had given them a grant of over $5.6 million for the expansion. Of course, they won’t be using all of it to decrease the property tax increase. See 4:15. I might have lost track, but I counted 13 comments […]
I have two Council meetings to report on plus Normal’s Work Session, but I have to take a detour for what I received from WordPress this morning. The meetings will be spread out over several days, there is a lot to cover. If I had been able to post on Saturday, the “days in a […]
By: Diane Benjamin At 5:30 last night Normal held a Work Session so the “professionals staff” could tell the Council how the American Rescue Funds should/could be spent – $10,879,113 over 2 years. Half has already been received. None of that money is in the current budget, at least some will be in next year’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin Original story about Department of Corrections employees brawling in Lexington: https://blnnews.com/2021/03/01/thugs-on-the-other-side-of-the-bars/ Below is what happened to those who were arrested: Adam Deal got 24 months probation and credit for 2 days served. He has until next October to pay $1314 in fees. Nicholas Page got 60 days in jail, 24 months probation, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Agenda for tonight: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4163 From the current Budget: https://normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/18611/Town-of-Normal-Budget-2021-26 The Town of Normal collects taxes from you supposedly to amass money that allows them replace vehicles with cash. They are sitting on more than $12 million dollars. Remember the fire truck they took out a loan to buy instead of paying cash? […]
I’ve been with WordPress since 2012. WordPress prides itself on customer service and has always responded quickly every time I contacted them. They call their support staff Happiness Engineers. They have ALWAYS sent a 1 click survey to see if their customers were happy with the Happiness Engineers assistance. Note: When this site was restored […]
WordPress canceled this site’s suspension after I sent a 4th note. The suspension was lifted in response to the first note I sent Friday. The 4th note didn’t ask for an explanation, details tomorrow. I will be on Cities 92.9 after the 7:00 am news. This isn’t over! ( Sorry to all the haters out […]
By: Diane Benjamin District 87 doesn’t live stream school board meetings. They don’t post video on their website either. They should do both is they care about transparency. Barry Reilly already resigned (retiring), Board Members should follow if they are intimated by Shane McCurdy. Reilly has no grounds to ban McCurdy from school board meetings […]
By: Diane Benjamin This will be your last chance:
By: Diane Benjamin Follow the money. The link to the information below is available from the McLean County Health Department website. Clicking on the COVID-19 Vaccine tab takes you to the IDPH website – Illinois Department of Public Health. I have been tracking breakthrough hospitalizations and deaths in Illinois which proves the vaccinated can still […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve written before about a dangerous crosswalk on Raab Road: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/14/raab-road-is-a-death-waiting-to-happen/ The Town of Normal trains people on Constitution Trail to think vehicles will stop for them just because lines are painted on the road and there is a pole in the middle of the street. The Normal police had to do […]
By: Diane Benjamin This morning I attended a breakfast just to meet the GOP candidate for the new 17th Congressional District: Democrat pawn Sherri Bustos isn’t running again, so this is an open seat. If you want the border protected and sanity restored to Washington DC, I suggest you look at this candidate. She will […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is the updated chart based on the Illinois Department of Public Health numbers: https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccine/vaccine-breakthrough.html The last time I updated the chart was November 15th. Click the link – the breakthrough cases are largely in people 65 and over. 27% of hospitalizations and 13% of deaths are in the 18-64 age group. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Government is not capable of Master Planning because they are spending YOUR money not theirs. They use your taxes as a piggy bank to fulfill their wishes. Voters keep electing progressives who promise to make their lives better and of course not raise taxes to do it. Insert your own joke__________________. Proof […]
By: Diane Benjamin There is a Facebook Group called: Save the Uptown Mural and Historic Buildings On November 29th this story was posted to the group: Against Master Developers The best lines in the story are at the end: Master planner-based developments, with their large, centralized buildings, inhibit the growth of local businesses and reduce […]
By: Diane Benjamin Good News for most residents of Arrowsmith, Bloomington, Dale, Dawson, and Old Town Townships who are served by Golden Prairie Public Library District: Your property taxes will not be going up if the Bloomington Library property tax increase is approved! These township residents have full access to the Bloomington Public Library without paying […]
By: Diane Benjamin I found two articles yesterday on kids wearing masks. There are no studies that prove wearing a mask reduces COVID transmission. That is ZERO studies! There are studies that show kids wearing masks hurt their development. This is one: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10247315/Face-masks-harm-childrens-development-Study-blames-significantly-reduced-development.html?ito=native_share_article-top Exceprt: One more quote from the story proves “Equity” is just a […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington and a lot of Normal got removed from McLean County in the congressional map Pritzker signed: The green is the new 16th district – it goes all the way to Wisconsin. The grey is the new 17th. See where it goes by clicking here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1qfnRiuOZ3yok6WGvBHZ9P6u3EMy_LwRv&ll=41.54370261051701%2C-89.3487176103724&z=8 See the Legislative map passed: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/viewer?mid=1L7I2r4gat9nRWx9wfaizpn7XkA7i1qL4&ll=39.20533781461243%2C-90.51902473426051&z=6 […]
