By: Diane Benjamin A reader sent me this link to a book co-written by Sarah Bonner: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807767549?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_YPCEB6G2WCP116Q67G00 Much of the description sounds mundane until you get to this line: which ultimately positions young people to be change agents in their communities. Change agents for what Sarah? From the books and video links found in your […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember the roads report Normal has been working on for close to a year? https://blnnews.com/2022/03/18/denied-foia-normal/ At the next meeting Pam Reece claims that report will be presented. Last night the Town forced the Council to vote on the roads to be fixed before they see the report in 2 weeks. The Council […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) We now have proof Unit 5 teaches kids what to think, not how to think. Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/05/04/normal-your-taxes-funded-this/ Doug Fansler sent a video of a Ted Talk to Chemberly Cummings after her Youth on a Mission promoted EV’s without considering all sides. The students obviously didn’t look for facts […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Town of Normal and the Chemberly Cummings proved Fair and Balanced was never the goal of the Youth On A Mission project. The 3 presentations last Monday, that took close to 45 minutes, were nothing but democrat talking points. Tax dollars were used to lobby for one side while ignoring the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Besides handing a big raise to Pam Reece, below are a few items on the agenda. Will $8000 more cover inflation for her? https://blnnews.com/2022/04/29/bobbleheads-vote-to-raise-pam-reeces-salary/ At the April 4th Normal meeting the council approved sending $79,612.50 to Connect Transit: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4265 Tonight they will send this to the empty bus folks: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4283 Did Normal […]
By: Diane Benjamin At last night’s Council meeting Chemberly Cummings was wearing a mask because she was sick. She took it off to speak because Chris Koos couldn’t hear her. The plastic dividers were gone, COVID is officially over since 6 feet apart isn’t happening anymore at Normal Council meetings. Start with this short clip […]
By: Diane Benjamin The big controversy at last night’s Normal Council meeting was borrowing $2.5 million over 10 years from a local bank to build the East Side Fire Station. Facts: That $2.5 million becomes $2,703,939 which means Normal is redistributing $203,939 from your pocket to Busey Bank. Kathleen Lorenz claimed this is good for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Town of Normal doesn’t think they have to un-pass the resolution the council passed on 1/4/2022: Resolution Authorizing Participation with National Fitness Campaign for Installation of a Fitness Court Just because the “grant” was rescinded doesn’t mean NFC is dead. The resolution needs rescinded. If it isn’t rescinded the issue isn’t dead. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal is taking MLK Day off, the Council meeting is Tuesday night. https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4204 Were you invited? Get your gift card? Pam Reece keeps paying the ridiculous rent at 1 Uptown Circle 2 years after the council told her to fix it: Chemberly Cummings continues to feed kids at your expense: Think Normal […]
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting is not being held on Monday, no reason given. For years I’ve wanted a discussion on the role of government. Is it to run your life or protect your Freedom and Liberty? Monday night we will find out how the Normal Trustees view government. Every dollar government spends either provides […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos proved last night he doesn’t know what an Open Meetings Act Violation is. A violation occurs when a majority of a quorum discuss Town business in private. Koos accused Stan Nord of violating OMA by whispering to a fellow Council member. If TWO people is a violation Chris, the Town’s […]
I missed more Chemberly food spending: By: Diane Benjamin Chemberly’s participants in her “Youth on Mission”: She claimed earlier that she only had 8 kids, maybe some of the masked wonders are her paid assistants. What she is really doing is training activists. Chemberly doesn’t understand we are a Republic, not a Democracy. We elect […]
Flying around State Farm I saw a “podcast” featuring Chemberly. As an elected official, is it smart to admit you have suffered from anxiety, depression, mental health issues, and physical issues most of your life Chemberly? Going for a sympathy vote? I remember when Democrats proclaimed Trump mentally ill (he isn’t) and called him a […]
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 Since the agenda was very slim last night it gave the Council time to stray where they normally don’t. The entire meeting was still less than an hour. At the October 18th meeting Chemberly Cummings proved she is the last person who should be teaching kids about government. She claimed the Trustees […]
By: Diane Benjamin From this story about Chemberly Cummings campaigning with tax dollars: https://blnnews.com/2021/10/30/normals-monday-council-festivities/ One of the people getting paid with tax dollars is a former campaign intern for Chemberly. I wonder if that’s why Mallory’s $500 is called a “stipend” while the other person’s $500 is called “mentor”. Malloy didn’t get paid for being […]
By: Diane Benjamin Not much on Monday’s agenda: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4104 There will be an appointment to the Human Relations Commission, but it’s a secret. The people served by this appointee don’t get to know who it is until his Royal Highness Koos allows you to know. The expenses below are for Chemberly Cumming’s activist training camp. […]
By: Diane Benjamin One more story from last Monday’s Normal Town Council meeting: If you missed the video of Chemberly Cummings’ stating Chris Koos can’t be questioned over appointments, watch it now: https://blnnews.com/2021/10/19/quick-hits-from-normal-last-night/ Cummings claims to have 8 Unit 5 students signed up for her “local government” class. The taxpayers of Normal are funding her […]
By: Diane Benjamin We still know very little about this expense: What we do know is Pam Reece can spend up to $25,000 without getting Council approval. Koos said Pam made this decision. The remediation was to a private residence, we don’t know the address. It was supposedly paid to fix a “code violation”, nobody […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below are a few notes from the Normal Town Council meeting. The bigger points will be in the second story today. The minutes from the last meeting where the activists were allowed to speak at the beginning of the meeting do not reflect Stan Nord made a motion to waive the rules. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder if municipalities that hate the 1st Amendment right to address government will also call on the DOJ to declare citizens terrorists? Teacher unions and school boards have: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-addresses-violent-threats-against-school-officials-and-teachers It looks like Antifa doesn’t protest Marxists in government. For a meeting that only lasted slightly more than an hour, it was […]
By: Diane Benjamin More details in this story: https://blnnews.com/2021/09/10/chemberlys-activist-training/ Below is one more short video from the last Normal Town Council meeting. Chemberly Cummings is trying to find kids to turn into activists for the democrat party. Of course she is using tax dollars to do it. Once again, not all 9th-11th graders in Normal […]
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 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 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.normal.org/civicalerts.aspx?AID=2350 Training future progressive democrats with your tax dollars:
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 Thursday the Planning Commission will hear from citizens about One Normal Plaza. This Commission is made up of unelected citizens that are appointed by Chris Koos. See who is on the Board here: https://normal.org/401/Planning-Commission Also note: NO email addresses or phone numbers are on this site for citizens to contact them! They […]
By: Diane Benjamin Realtors got heavily involved in last April’s Election. You probably noticed lots of campaign mail had their name on it – from Springfield. In addition they gave Koos: McCarthy: Cummings: Preston: Look up all contributions here: https://illinoissunshine.org/ FYI: Bob Broad, Planning Commission head and Julie Hile partner plus advocate for zoning changes […]
By: Diane Benjamin It has been obvious for a long time the Town of Normal government exists for itself, not the citizens paying their bills. The last thing Koos and company want is pesky citizens messing up their plans. Chris Koos has stated Council meetings are “business meetings”, he leaves out the part about being […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t to a reader! February 19, 2018 This item was on the agenda: https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2890 The clip below shows Chemberly Cummings claiming: it isn’t an easy decision for her things like this keep me up at night too many unknows with this company everything seems so convoluted and secretive I want it known […]
By: Diane Benjamin First, you need to review what the Local Black Lives Matter group wants: Who are they endorsing, supposedly because a survey they filled out? I wonder if Chris Koos watching Target get looted had anything to do with their decision? Cities that have cut funding to their police departments have seen astronomical […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos and has band of merry fleecers will continue to increase funding to Connect Transit. They adore empty buses and the $1,000,000 a month the feds and state poor into McLean County to keep it running. They love electric buses and solar panels. They love transfer stations that give their union […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve written almost 7600 stories since 2012. Most I can not remember, luckily readers do remember. The story below is one readers remembered that I didn’t. Chris Koos is infamous for his insider deals that benefit friends and a compliant Council that allow the fleecing of taxpayers. I can’t possibly remember all […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos knows he has nothing to run on. Instead of discussing issues he clipped and chopped comments made by Marc Tiritilli before Rivian incentives were approved by the Normal Town Council. Koos wants you to believe Tiritilli was against Rivian buying the plant when Marc was actually against taking money from […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos had rulings against him before for violating the Open Meetings Act, but never 2 very close together. This was the first violation: https://wordpress.com/stats/post/90250/blnnews.com The Attorney General’s office finally found time to rule on a second (OBVIOUS) violation. This one was filed in 2019 by Karyn Smith. WEEK has the story: […]
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday’s story: https://blnnews.com/2021/03/11/campaign-signs/ Just to prove these signs are on Town of Normal owned land, below is the GIS showing the Town owns the land along Beech Street: Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy, and Chemberly Cummings must not care about the law. Of course those who have watched Council meetings . . . […]
Update: https://blnnews.com/2021/03/12/campaign-signs-still-there/ For those running for office: It is ILLEGAL to put campaign signs on government property. I will give Koos, McCarthy, and Cummings until the end of today to remove theirs before posting pics. Citizens can remove illegal signs. Take a picture first so you have proof they are illegal.
By: Diane Benjamin This map isn’t as crazy as it first appears: When the Town of Normal runs new sewer lines they assess fees to the new area to recover those costs. All those shaded areas have been mapped to recover those costs. The fee per acre is printed for each. This is the map […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal has two water problems: The first is spending over $5 million to run water lines on top of Bloomington’s out West College The second is brown water or worse at various locations around the Town. Chris Koos keeps trying to claim discolored water doesn’t exist. Just hit play to hear him […]
