By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington reports monthly to the Council and citizens on financial trends. We all can see exactly how much money has been collected for various taxes. Normal doesn’t! Normal dumps all tax revenue in the General Fund, including Local Motor Fuel Tax. Pay attention Kevin McCarthy, you obviously missed City Manager Pam Reece […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal held another meeting that lasted close to 2.75 hours. It will obviously take more than one story to cover it. I’m starting at the end. For the second time recently a citizen had to wait until the end of the meeting to offer Public Comment. This is because of Normal’s ridiculous […]
By: Diane Benjamin This meeting will take more than one story, it was another 2 hour assemblage. The expansion to the library has been taking shape for years, it will not be stopped by this Council. Tari Renner made sure the library stayed downtown, he appointed people to the Library Board who believed it should […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the Financial Trends and Conditions Report? Chris Koos stated he always has it handy. Kathleen Lorenz has stated she can’t wait until it gets published every September. Want to know why the roads never get fixed? https://www.normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/19250/2021-Financial-Trend See PDF paged 30. Last Fiscal Year Normal spent the same percent of the […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4080 Hey Normal: Do you allow the Town of Normal to pick out your clothes? Pick your food? Pick your friends? You are letting them decide your entertainment, these are all people they picked: Normal does this to get people in Uptown. How many taxpayers never participate? They are forced to pay […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1133&Inline=True Committee of the Whole is meeting tonight. Expanding the Library is the main focus. Like true Progressives, all facts don’t matter. The population is immaterial because the Internet didn’t exist in 1976. People do not need to go a library to do research anymore. People don’t need to go a library […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t readers! The Town of Normal thinks it can silence free speech. Of course we knew that, they certainly don’t want to hear from citizens at Council meetings – unless you are going to take their side. Even if you take their side they might make you sit through hours of jibber […]
By: Diane Benjamin I never got around to reporting Connect Transit had a great year! Instead of losing the budgeted $12,825,000, they only lost $11,939,195. They saved taxpayers almost $886,000! Between regular buses and Connect Mobility ridership was down 12.4% from the previous fiscal year. Connect reports Congress is going to throw them more money […]
By: Diane Benjamin Happy Constitution Day. Find a copy and read it before all copies are required to be burned! Thanks to you readers I crossed 8,000,000 page views today. It was less than 2 years ago when I got to 5,000,000. That 89,811 views is for one day. It was a story that went […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s really sad when government thinks they have the right to force people to comply based on a façade of fear. Is Reece just trying to get more Pritzker money? Want to know why Pritzker hasn’t allowed the legislature to make laws concerning COVID? He doesn’t want Illinois to find out the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when the Normal Town Council told Pam Reece to make getting the Town out of the $36,000 a month lease for the 2nd story of 1 Uptown Circle a priority? Remember, that building would have never been built if the Town hadn’t agreed to rent an entire floor. Remember too the […]
McLean County property taxes – 2nd installment is due today. Not everyone who read The Chemberly Chronicles story watched her speech. It is vital that you do. It proves what she will be saying to the kids who sign up for her “government class”. Your tax dollars should not be used for her propaganda. Remember […]
By: Diane Benjamin I actually heard this story from two readers. Chris Koos had a small hole in the street right in front of his driveway. He not only got the hole fixed, but the entire approach to his driveway was torn out. One reader told me the sidewalk in front of his house was […]
By: Diane Benjamin I filed a FOIA request before this story came out, but it proves why the data is important: https://www.sj-r.com/obituaries/i0039023 A lady from Springfield died, this statement was in her obituary: I didn’t redact her name because the story is all over Facebook. I’m sure her family is devastated, but how can they […]
By: Diane Benjamin The three second clip I posted earlier this week of Chemberly Cummings throwing Martin Luther King under the bus is from the June 1, 2020 Council meeting. Her entire speech is below as well as Karyn Smith’s tearful response and Chris Koos stating we have to agree with Chemberly’s lived experience. No […]
By: Diane Benjamin A reader FOIA’d the Town of Normal over their “sympathy flowers” policy. The Normal taxpayers are paying for arrangements to be sent in sympathy to people Normal chooses to send them to. Picking Winners and Losers Normal? Are the people paying the bills ever told who flowers or plants are sent to? […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is an email I received from a taxpayer in Normal. The name is redacted but this person is pretty sure Normal will know who sent it. This confirms what Stan Nord has said over and over, Normal doesn’t care what citizens think. Add this to the list of homes with dirty […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder how many of the people with sewage in their basements bothered to vote in past local elections. I’m betting many didn’t because turnout is despicable. City Councils are the ones who destroy you the fastest, think Coliseum, BCPA, a never used fire station, and a water tower built to short […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder if all those forced to wear masks want some facts? https://www.justfacts.com/news_face_masks_deadly_falsehoods?fbclid=IwAR3w0hYCTSU4_Dpkpdxg4O08gaAjTZLtpDnTro5Q1HuuWrcKoHPmdgO6meY Where do local communists come from? Public Schools? College? The history of how many people died and continue to die under communism must not be taught. Maybe this guy just wants everything handed to him instead of being self […]
By: Diane Benjamin How about a fun story! I thought about naming it “De Plane De Plane”, but I refrained. Bloomington has some airport/flight enthusiasts, apps are available that show information on flights out of CIRA. One plane that makes frequent flights from CIRA didn’t show any information on the apps. Of course that made […]
By: Diane Benjamin 3 seconds that will be a story later this week. Keep in mind the Town of Normal is sponsoring the Chemberly Cummings indoctrination of your kids: https://blnnews.com/2021/09/10/chemberlys-activist-training/
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/26917/637667133834300000 Payroll shows 887 employees. Remember when Renner constantly reminded us the City only had 650 employees? Some of those 887 are seasonal and maybe part time employees. Below is what the City of Bloomington reported to the Illinois Comptroller as of 4/30/2020. Updated information as of 4/30/2021 should be available in […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1131&Inline=True Items on the Consent Agenda taxpayers need to know about: 1) The process to replace the Market Street parking garage has started. The existing/new location will also be studied. 2) Replacing O’Neil pool is getting more expensive: 3) If you want Federal Money the feds own you. If you want fewer […]
This version of the article does not require a subscription: https://bdnews24.com/economy/2021/09/13/can-a-green-economy-boom-town-be-built-to-last Title of the story: Can a green-economy boom town be built to last? Many local people are mentioned in the article, click the link to read it yourself! I don’t think the question in the title was answered, it mostly reviews history. It doesn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember when Target was looted back in June of 2020? We’ve never heard a reasonable explanation of why the police didn’t use any force to stop it. Many people have wondered why something as easy as tear gas wasn’t used. We don’t know, Mayor Chris Koos (who was there watching) has only […]
I can’t write about how I felt on 9/11/2001. Memories are still too fresh 20 years later. Terrorists around the world are now stronger than they were before the War on Terror started. Americans have less freedom. We are better than this.
The video is 41 minutes long. Several 911 calls are included and then bodycam from the officers that responded. It is riveting, but it may not be suitable for everyone. I think you have to log into a YouTube account to view it. Create one if you don’t have one, it is worth watching if […]
Leah gave me permission to print the below. We agree completely on how social media and the media are hiding information.
By: Diane Benjamin The answer to that question might lie in the Financial Trends and Conditions Reported presented at Tuesday’s Normal Town Council meeting: https://www.normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/19250/2021-Financial-Trend Pensions costs continue to increase and police and fire pension funding level decreased. IMRF is only well funded because they don’t put up with underfunding. (It also covers everybody else […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normal.org/civicalerts.aspx?AID=2350 Training future progressive democrats with your tax dollars:
Flying around I just heard Unit 5 (North West) is COVID testing kids and doing vaccinations. Did the parents consent? Nobody under 30 in McLean County has died of COVID: https://health.mcleancountyil.gov/708/CORONAVIRUS-COVID-19 I wonder if taxpayers will be forced to pay for any damages:
By: Diane Benjamin This morning Glenn Beck stated on his radio show the National Archives now has a warning label on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Not being one to believe everything I hear, I checked it out. Both documents have warning labels! You can send these American Marxists a comment here: https://www.archives.gov/contact […]
A person close to me drove by this yesterday and told me how incredible it is. That person didn’t know any details so I searched and found this on Facebook. This is the link referenced in the picture, it’s worth your time: http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Sep/08/NEWS/091321FLAGS/index.html
By: Diane Benjamin How to tell when a Normal Town Council meeting will go bad: Stan Nord is attacked in the first 14 minutes. Of course Nord has a problem with sewer tap on fees, some developers get charged the big bucks and some get by with paying nothing. He didn’t say it, but he […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a citizen of Normal The video below starts where Chris Koos is introducing Julie Hile at 2:20:30. He instructs her that she has 3 minutes to speak. Hile starts talking at 2:20:48, she finishes at 2:25:30. Chris Koos: That’s way over 3 minutes. You didn’t stop her, therefore YOU have changed […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the sewer receipts fiasco between Normal and Bloomington? Normal finally figured out Bloomington had been collecting money from Bloomington water customers on sewers owned by Normal. It only took Normal 9 years to notice, even though Bloomington had attempted to resolve the issue previously. Stan Nord wondered why the 3/31/21 financial […]
By: Diane Benjamin Why did Chemberly Cummings, Julie Hile, and Bob Broad stand for last night’s Pledge of Alliance and not participate? Either they are all members of the Jehovah Witness church who refuse to say the pledge because they consider it idolatry, or they have some other reason. Chemberly Cummings has never said the […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4067 On bills paid tonight that no one is allowed to question, PDF page 13: FYI: Real sympathy is using your money not taxpayer dollars they worked hard to earn. I hope an office collection was taken to reimburse the people who really paid, or the card sent said from: Citizens of […]
