By: Diane Benjamin The entire Bloomington City Council meeting lasted only 56 minutes, almost half of it was public comment. There was a long line of people speaking against the license plate reading cameras that were on the Consent Agenda. That item was the only one pulled for further discussion. Mayor Mboka announced at the […]
By: Diane Benjamin A lady I went to high school with experienced losing her son almost a year and half ago. He was found dead in the Ohio River. She still has no idea what happened to him. The police have no idea what happened to him. She has lived in agony since his body […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader with a REALLY good dash cam Note the color of the stop light! This should be enough evidence for a ticket! Does this help:
By: Diane Benjamin Two guys are running for alderman in Ward 5: Patrick Lawler and Nick Becker. Lawler is running with the local socialists and sides with the two already on the Council: As all Progressives, do Lawler now wants to “move Bloomington forward”, in other words twist and bend existing norms to fit his […]
By: Diane Benjamin See both previous stories at this link: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/23/in-support-of-art-and-camille-taylor/ . Art Taylor, in his four-page screed complaining of his treatment during the incident closes with this: Not being accorded the respect of the “benefit of the doubt” is what hurts the most, and that is why citizens of color feel like there are […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington is going to hold community meetings concerning police reforms or as two Council members want – defunding the police. The video below was shot by a citizen who at times sounds reasonable. The crowd around her is vulgar and abusive to the officers. 30 second before the end a male voice […]
Ask Angela Fyans what she is hiding from her time with Sorling Northrop. She is now a City of Bloomington lawyer. The Bloomington police did an amazing job stopping your looters, unlike Normal. That doesn’t mean problems don’t exist in the department. You will find out soon, with or without what is still hidden. It […]
conservativereview.com/justice-george-floyd-7000-black-homicide-victims-every-year Systematic racism does not exist in America as proven above. There are individual incidents that require the law to hold all accountable. We are a nation of laws not knee- jerk reactions to move an agenda forward. This is the same guy wanting dangerous criminals released from the County jail so they don’t get […]
By: Diane Benjamin You can watch Public Comment on the City website, but I filmed Kirk’s comments from a different perspective. Kirk spoke to Council several years ago and his comments were mysteriously cut – just him – the video worked fine for all the other people. That was one reason I filmed him. Another […]
By: Diane Benjamin I drove by the Creativity Center on my way to the Bloomington Council meeting last night. The signs on the north side of the building are no longer there! City Manager Tim Gleason has not responded to my email. Evidently removing the signs is his response: https://blnnews.com/2019/09/19/remember-the-signs-at-the-creativity-center/ If you watch City […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington claims no calls exist! Evidently an officer took it upon himself to show up at the City Council retreat at The Den just for fun. The report I received showed he stayed for an hour. That’s an hour he wasn’t out patrolling or doing other work. Bloomington wants […]
The first Bloomington City Council meeting starts at 5:00 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14456 Public comment will start a little after 5:00. The Council is then holding a secret meeting (Executive Session), so come outside and show your support for the Bloomington police: Link to Facebook Event
By: Diane Benjamin Police: Police Officers have a LOT of discretion in who gets a ticket, who gets their car searched, and who gets hauled off to jail. You respect their authority under the law and they will respect you. You act like a jerk and you will be treated like a jerk if you […]
By: Diane Benjamin A long line of people participated in Public Comment last night for the Citizens Advisory Board. According to most, racism is rampant among Bloomington Police officers. Evidently the BLACK Police Chief is racist too since he refuses to control the people under him. Some told tragic stories – like the lady with the […]
Ask Tari to explain the contribution illegals make verses the cost: https://www.nationaleconomicseditorial.com/2017/07/04/illegal-immigration-cost-illinois/ _______________________________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin Mayor Tari Renner wanted to lump 3 controversial items together at Monday night’s Council, but one got derailed. The Council will consider: Bike Lanes on E. Washington to create congestion Welcoming ordinance for illegals The Citizens Advisory Board to […]
By: Diane Benjamin At last night’s Bloomington City Council meeting: 1) Local attorney Chris Gramm was fed up with Renner citing the reading of Green Eggs and Ham to the local media as a reason to change the Public Comment policy. Chris did read it years ago as a protest to Renner’s pending tax increases. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hope the Political Science Professor Mayor of Bloomington isn’t teaching the kids at IWU that we live in a democracy. He and others mentioned “democracy” numerous times at the City Council meeting last night. Democracy is mob rule, if we were a democracy the Council wouldn’t have voted to approve the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Citizens deserve to know what’s happening in their city. This post is meant to inform voters. Is BLM trying to run the Bloomington police force themselves? You decide. Why Bloomington and not Normal? The proposals below were created by the local Black Lives Matter movement. You can see the entire document that […]
By: Diane Benjamin Jamie Snow has been in prison 17 years for a Bloomignton murder he claims he didn’t commit. William Little was shot in 1991 during a robbery at a gas station where he worked. Snow wasn’t convicted until 2001. This week Snow made national news when the story aired on a show called […]
By: Diane Benjamin The main job of government is to protect the liberty of its citizens. We EXPECT spending for public safety like Police and Fire. Monday night the police finally get some help. The City of Bloomington found $55,100 to update the police training facility. This facility was allowed to become unusable because it […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last Thursday about 4:45 pm I was headed into Bloomington via East Oakland. The road was closed in both directions by A LOT of emergency vehicles, at least two big fire trucks and MANY police. There was so many emergency vehicles I thought for sure somebody had been seriously injured or maybe shot […]
By: Diane Benjamin Hire-Back is more correctly called overtime. Last night’s Bloomington City Council Work Session lamented the costs to the City – $130,000 per year. One thing ALWAYS left out is how much money the City of Bloomington makes from all those kids drinking every Thursday through Saturday! Through October, the City collected almost […]
Since bikes have the same rights to the roads as cars, it’s also illegal to ban them! Lawsuit anyone? By: Diane Benjamin New rules at Miller Park for July 4th: No bikes allowed. Celebrate the Land of the Free, just don’t ride there! Will the 100 Bike BloNo people show up to protest? Maybe the […]
By: Diane Benjamin There must be a good name for the Pantagraph reporting of last night’s event, but I will just call it ridiculous. “More than a hundred” people attended, yep, more than 100. If they had bothered to ask, the church’s main floor holds around 310. Chairs were set up behind the pews and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Sgt. Shumaker got punished with a piece of paper for making a racist remark. That severe penalty is probably still hurting. Sure. One media report says it can disappear if he stays clean for 5 years. Wow, so much for that permanent record stuff. He doesn’t lose anything of value except, now […]
Hello Mrs. Benjamin, Thank you for your email. More research is going to be done on the information you provided. The item has been moved off of the Council agenda tonight, until we have a chance to do the full research. Thank you again for the information. Officer Sara Mayer Public Affairs309-434-2355Bloomington Police Department ____________________________________________________________________________ By: Diane Benjamin I’m sure […]
by: Diane Benjamin Scott Oglesby: I hope you appeal Judge Foley’s ruling to overturn the arbitrator’s decision. Next time get a MALE judge. The female factor is the only explanation for her ruling. The relationship between the Bloomington Police and David Hales was already strained. The comments made by Hales, as reported in the Pantagraph […]
by: Diane Benjamin One you probably haven’t heard: A US Post Office employee was arrested for stealing gift cards! Merry Christmas. The Bloomington Police got him – I will try to get more information. Second – they made an arrest in the shooting on E. Jefferson a couple of days ago. Keep up the good […]
Bloomington Police are Investigating a Monday Night Shooting http://cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=194 Posted:1/14/2014 800 Block of E. Jefferson On Monday, 1/13/2014, at approximately 2205 hours, officers from the Bloomington Police Department responded to the 800 block of E. Jefferson for a report of shots fired.Officers arrived on scene and located a 39 year old female victim who had […]
by: Diane Benjamin Police Officer Scott Oglesby was fired was fired in 2011. An arbitrator ruled the firing was unjust, but the City via Todd Greenburg appealed. Meanwhile, Scott is still out of work unjustly. The City has no case, but Mayor Renner has told me he doesn’t have the votes on the City Council […]
The buzz is the Bloomington Police Union wanted anybody but the guy David Hales picked to be the new police chief. It’s not about the guy personally, it is about his experience. Why would David Hales hire the guy anyway? Evidently, the Mayor and the Council had no vote. Why do we have elections […]
by: Diane Benjamin In 2011 Scott Oglesby was fired from the Bloomington Police force. Last May I read the entire arbitration report and wrote about it here: https://blnnews.com/2013/05/06/the-real-story-of-scott-oglesbys-firing/ Scott Oglesby was mostly cleared through arbitration, but City Attorney Todd Greenburg and a majority of the City Council refuse to drop the case and are appealing. Mayor […]
Bloomington Taxpayers: You paid for this guy to come to Bloomington for the interviews. You paid for City staff to spend the day with all the candidates and you paid for lavish food for their public display. I hear that questions for the candidates were not spontaneous. The local police were handed questions they were […]
In the infinite wisdom of Bloomington government, 2 (TWO!) members of the Chicago Police are being considered for Bloomington Police Chief. Downstaters have long yearned to divide the state in 2 to rid Illinois of Chicago. Actually, they can even keep the name. But the local geniuses wants to import their corruption and progressive ways […]
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