By: Diane Benjamin Remember back to last year. Usually when a zoning change is requested it is because some entrepreneur wants to develop a property in a way it isn’t zoned for. That isn’t the case with One Normal Plaza. The Town is pushing allowing alcohol in the park. Yes, it is a park setting […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this link: https://normal.org/bids.aspx?bidID=310 That link is the Town requesting bids. Remember when the “professional staff” picked an insurer because they liked the people – even though they were more expensive? https://blnnews.com/2021/05/12/normals-deception/ The “professional staff” threw that ol’ Buy Local philosophy out the window because they wanted to. Obviously that only applies […]
By: Diane Benjamin I asked Public Works Director Kevin Kothe if the work currently being done on East Washington would alleviate the sewer flooding in Eastgate. I’m not sure I got an answer to that question. Below is his response. Moving up the completion date from 2030 has numerous problems, the first being funding. Another […]
I’ve been saving this story since March. It clearly explains where we are and why. Excerpts: Benjamin Franklin explained it best when he said “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself”. That is equality! I just saw another simple explanation of the difference between equality and […]
It is obvious what is happening in the local schools. Future teachers will be required to be trained in Culturally Responsive Teaching. This is a teacher’s account of what is happening in her school. We need more brave teachers willing to speak up for the kids. Remember when I reported the kids at the Unit […]
By: Diane Benjamin The people claiming CRT is only in law school will get their comments deleted. I know where your indoctrination took place, it wasn’t in law school. This comment was made at a Naperville School Board meeting. This lady covers CRT really well! Now jump to the Unit 5 website: https://www.unit5.org/domain/3645 Unit 5 […]
By: Diane Benjamin The event calendar for the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts is mostly blank. They do have one event scheduled for October. Unfortunately it is a fund raiser for themselves: https://www.artsblooming.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/13308/762 Remember the grand plans for the Creativity Center? Details here: https://blnnews.com/2019/01/26/what-no-one-in-bloomington-talks-about/ The City even hired a fundraiser for the Friends of […]
By: Diane Benjamin The start time of the meeting was changed to 6:30 because of scheduling problems now that the room is shared with the County. I hear it’s temporary. The video was not fun, the group wasn’t socially distanced but not together either. Toward the end of the meeting the audio was fine but […]
By: Diane Benjamin Some locals aren’t happy paying rent. Having a place to live isn’t something you work for, according to them it’s a RIGHT. How many haven’t paid rent in over a year? Why do they think a place to live is a RIGHT? It isn’t, just like food isn’t a RIGHT. If it […]
By: Diane Benjamin The below is from an email announcing Institute Day for Teachers. Look at who sent it and what the teachers are TRAINED to teach: When kids are divided by race you are teaching the teachers Critical Race Theory so they can use it in the classroom. Nikki Mauer thinks she has white […]
By: Diane Benjamin A week or so ago a reader made a comment about a bike vrs car accident somewhere near the library. I’m not a reader of local news, so if this was reported I didn’t hear it. I FOIA’d information, I had to pay $5 for the Illinois Traffic Crash Report. I’m the […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1120&Inline=True Proving yet again the citizens are not allowed in the closed Connect Transit cabal, Judy Buchanan is being reappointed to the Connect Transit Board. She has already served for 12 years. Didn’t she want to retire when Renner was mayor? New members aren’t allowed evidently, they might find out it only […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Normal Water Reclamation District has a Board meeting today. BNWRD sends me their Board packet every month. Citizens of Bloomington and Normal are billed with your water bill and as a line item on your property tax bill. The June 26th flooding did create a sewage overflow event that required […]
By: Diane Benjamin I am redacting the name of the school district, FOIA’s are not done being filed. I can tell you this isn’t a big district. You will find out what those “2700 emails” in 6 months say. Parents should FOIA their school district.
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Tom DeVore is the bravest attorney in Illinois. He is the one that filed lawsuits against Pritzker’s illegal executive orders and won. Pritzker appealed and, since this is Illinois, the Supreme Court will hold out as long as possible before ruling. School Districts who claim they will lose funding if they […]
These pics and video are from a reader – they are close to Colfax Il. Leaking oil must be the new green:
By: Diane Benjamin The local socialist are working hard to recruit new people. Voters rejected their candidates in the last local election, so now they are going after people of color. We have fought wars to free people from socialism which always leads to communism, so the question now is why would the Pantagraph do […]
By: Diane Benjamin The McLean County Board Health Committee met yesterday. One mother gave Public Comment. Julie Bakewell presented the Resolution below to Committee Chair Susan Schafer. The Resolution is a revised version of one another Illinois County has already passed. Julie spells out why Pritzker’s Executive Orders are meaningless and IDPH and ISBE have […]
By: Diane Benjamin This make TWO officers since May, the first one fired: https://blnnews.com/2021/07/07/remember-the-normal-officer-arrest-for-dui/ I received a tip from a reader about an officer being placed on administrative leave. The tipster thought the officer quit. It took two FOIA requests and a “look again” to find out he was fired. My first FOIA was filed […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Buying a Rivian? How are you going to charge it? According to this story Rivian will connect you with a company called Qmerit: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/qmerit-ev-charger-installations-homes-141700627.html You can sign up and pay seamlessly on line to get a charging system installed in your home! How much will it cost? https://www.qmeritcharging.com/owner-faqs Installation: $750 to […]
By: Diane Benjamin Keep in mind while reading: Illinois got an “F” in teaching history and civics: https://blnnews.com/2021/07/03/the-enemy-within-is-the-public-schools/ All of the information below was received months ago from Unit 5 by FOIA. What does this tell you? Are teachers “historians” or teachers of history? Should teachers be “activists” and teaching their students to mimic them? […]
By: Diane Benjamin Stan Nord was absent from the meeting last night so business only took about 15 minutes. One item that was passed with little discussion of actual facts was this: Staff has said they have no requests for extending the current sewer lines, so how does Crawford etc. know what to design? How […]
By: Diane Benjamin Previous story: https://blnnews.com/2021/04/06/normal-police-officer-arrested-for-dui/ Amanda Street wasn’t the only officer Normal recently lost. Normal so far hasn’t complied with my FOIA requests. They have one last chance. Excerpt from the investigation document below:
By: Diane Benjamin A friend was recently in the Quad Cities. The Iowa side had long lines at the pumps with Illinois plates. https://wirepoints.org/this-weekend-try-to-fill-your-gas-tank-anywhere-but-illinois-wirepoints/#respond Besides the State Sales Tax (6.25%) and State Motor Fuel Tax (.39) and Federal Gas Tax (.19), both Bloomington and Normal added .08 in local motor fuel taxes. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/75413201/ Any surprise […]
By: Diane Benjamin Meeting documentation: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4016 I hope the citizens who had sewage in their homes show up at public comment. I don’t see anything in the budget or community investment plan to keep it from happening again. Normal did nothing when it happened last year, it will happen again. Don’t be bullied into commenting […]
By: Diane Benjamin Downtown Champaign can’t get much cuter. It has lots of restaurants, bars, arts, and small businesses. It is also a dangerous place. Gangs are waging war against each other. Friday afternoon a 17 year old was killed and 4 wounded in a parking lot as mourners gathered after the funeral of another […]
“For with God nothing will be impossible”. Luke 1:37 This 4th of July pray for our country.
By: Diane Benjamin Remember this story? https://blnnews.com/2021/06/28/normal-underpass-over-sewers/ Instead of fixing problems – or even responding to citizens with problems – Normal plans to use storm water funds to build the underpass. Is every sewer separated from storm water in the Town of Normal? It is required to prevent backup sewage problems in heavy rains. If […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Fordham Institute examined education in all 50 states for content in Civics and History. Illinois was given an F, as in failing to education in both areas Illinois begins on PDF page 122: https://fordhaminstitute.org/sites/default/files/publication/pdfs/20210623-state-state-standards-civics-and-us-history-20210.pdf#new_tab Excerpts: Grand Finale: Tell me why the people running the Illinois State Board of Education and everyone […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you didn’t know, Dick Durbin is considered the biggest liar in the Senate. As proof, he posted this to Twitter today: Dickie left out a few facts. DEMOCRATS filibustered this Act for 74 days. When it was finally voted on in the Senate 46 Democrats voted for it, 21 voted against […]
By: Diane Benjamin As of 6/29/2021 no one was in the hospital for COVID. Deaths by age in McLean County show ZERO deaths for people under 30, why risk giving an experimental vaccine to children who aren’t in any danger of dying? Positivity rated is now .002. That means if 10,000 people get tested only […]
By: Diane Benjamin H/t a reader Does EQUITY apply to sports in District 87 and Unit 5? If: Every child who wants to play can’t, where’s the EQUITY? Every child doesn’t get equal playing time, where’s the EQUITY? Why is the score kept? Doesn’t that violate EQUITY? If EQUITY doesn’t apply to sports, why does […]
By: Diane Benjamin See previous story: https://blnnews.com/2021/06/30/what-did-the-sign-cost/ In that story is an email stating estimates, not including the sign, were $55,000. I think I have finally finished reading everything I received by FOIA, thankfully I didn’t ask for attachments to emails. I would have had many more thousands of pages to read! Start by reviewing […]
Source: https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/06/critical-race-theory-illinois-teacher-sues-district-over-equity-push/ Excerpts: Illinois drama teacher Stacy Deemer sued the Evanston-Skokie School District (District 65) over its critical race theory training classes with ‘highly racial content that stereotypes White people.” The teacher claims the school is violating the Constitution. The teacher brought the lawsuit under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Anybody think Normal’s underpass won’t flood? Will the structure be affected? Can trains safely be on top of it while standing water attacks the supports? Normal is going to build it anyway, they are way smarter than citizens. Ha, Ha, Ha. Koos and company want to make you pay for their vision. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember this story about ZERO deaths or serious injuries by 2030 from automobiles? https://blnnews.com/2021/06/22/bloomington-last-night-7/ Instead of calling the program Vision Zero, the McLean County Regional Planning Commission renamed it Go Safe. The purpose of this NATIONWIDE push is to make driving harder. You will be forced to drive at slower speeds instead […]
By: Diane Benjamin Continuing yesterday’s story: https://blnnews.com/2021/06/29/whats-so-secret-bloomington/ You might have forgotten the story I did last December when a cardboard version of the sign appeared: https://blnnews.com/2020/12/08/where-did-this-come-from/ I don’t know how much the sample cost to construct, but I do know: Staff decided it needed to be much bigger than the sample version Staff decided it […]
By: Diane Benjamin Have you seen this at the corner of Veterans and Route 9? I sent a FOIA to the City of Bloomington. I have lots of information, but start here with what I don’t have. Secrets, secrets. Note the dates – December of last year. Top secret! I have more completely redacted. So […]
