By: Diane Benjamin Twelve days later (yesterday): Flash Back to 2017: https://blnnews.com/2023/02/10/koos-is-upset-trains-are-blocking-his-crossings/ Chris Koos told WGLT freight trains should be shorter so they don’t block the tracks for so long. Instead of building an underpass on Linden for pedestrians and vehicles, Normal still plans a vanity underpass. You should have this fact memorized by now: […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Since Chemberly Harris has little money for her mayoral campaign, I haven’t paid any attention to what she’s doing. https://www.illinoissunshine.org/committees/39918/ Then yesterday a reader told me I needed to see the video she posted to Facebook. I taped a little of it, see her whole video here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563272094358 Harris […]
By: Diane Benjamin The 2 videos below are from the GOP candidate forum held January 18th. These are the question and answer session for the Bloomington mayoral candidates. All of the videos can be found here: https://www.mcleancountyrepublicans.org/meet_the_mayoral_candidates Chemberly Harris and Kathleen Lorenz videos are also on that link. Chris Koos was out of town that […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal’s Community Investment Plan: https://tongis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/df07946434c947f7936743df5c4eb076 I have no plans to watch Normal’s meeting last night where the Community Investment Plan was passed. The underpass spending is much less than the bids received. Since Normal has no one with better ideology to vote for in the April 1st election, watching it to see […]
By: Diane Benjamin The only reason I went to the bid opening is because I’ve written many story about the underpass. Just SEARCH blnnews.com for even more. Don’t ever forget the underpass saves walking 50 feet: . Don’t ever forget Normal could of had a FREE overpass: See this link: https://blnnews.com/2019/12/05/normal-taxpayers-fleeced-again/ . Don’t ever forget […]
By: Diane Benjamin Chris Koos and Chemberly Harris are trying to defend passing a 1% grocery tax in the press. https://www.25newsnow.com/2024/09/04/normal-narrowly-approves-local-tax-groceries/ If you didn’t watch the meeting video you missed even some far left trustees hammering Pritzker for claiming he reduced taxes by eliminating the 1% tax. It was never State revenue, they just collected […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.25newsnow.com/2024/09/02/normal-decide-tuesday-1-local-grocery-tax-replace-state-tax Excepts: Maybe 4 member of the council will vote yes for a local grocery tax which allows the 3 running for mayor to vote no. Maybe a few will be “sick” and unable to attend. 😁 I don’t plan to watch, you need to. This is why EVERY tax increase should […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader This isn’t a “fleet vehicle”. Check the plates.
By: Diane Benjamin Doug Farr was paid $80,000 for the Uptown South MASTER PLAN that includes no natural gas: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/07/normal-buy-local-is-immaterial/ This story is to document what the 4-3 vote was proclaimed to mean. In a year or two when a subsidized developer is found I predict the same council will claim the document labeled MASTER […]
By: Diane Benjamin Taxpayers won’t, but I do. The video is 25:28 minutes long. Around 5 minutes is a Liquor Commission meeting before the Council meeting. Around another 5 minutes is Trustee comments, only Chemberly Harris mentioned Make Music Normal, it shows she doesn’t care what you think about a taxpayer funded drag show, just […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’m excited because I can now just write the same story after every meeting: Everything passed, nothing was questioned. Citizens of Normal should know they have no representation. Trustees are elected to represent you, the ones in office now represent the Town. Everything is great! Normal is a wonderful place to live! […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is going to take more than one story. I have to start with proof Chemberly Harris isn’t intelligent enough to be a Trustee. The Town did vote to end the Use tax when purchasing a vehicle. The tax is .0075 of the net selling price. Obviously this wasn’t about saving taxpayer […]
By: Diane Benjamin Two things in the budget you won’t know unless you watched last night. Chemberly Harris is getting $19,000 for her Youth On A Mission. Pam Reece has a $750,000 slush fund. Of course it’s for contingencies (wasn’t needed for the previous 2 years). https://www.normalil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21181/Town-of-Normal-2022-23-to-2027-28-Five-Year-Operating-and-Capital-Investment-Budget PDF page 121 Nothing aggravates citizens more than […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Normal Town Council lives in luxury, visit the Council chambers and observe the rest of Town Hall. They want to be a Smart City, they have software to spy on what people say on line about them, and they have license plate readers. If the Town loves high tech so much, […]
Left is Walmart price – $621 Right is Louis Vuitton store – $1070 Maybe it’s a cheap knockoff since Harris frequently mentions things she can’t afford. Or maybe this is why she had to mention things she can’t afford. . . . . .
By: Diane Benjamin This pic from the Illinois Municipal League says everything you need to know about them: https://www.iml.org/notices IML refuses to post required information on their website! Yes, they are hiding. They don’t file tax returns either even though their employees receive large pensions: https://blnnews.com/2016/03/29/the-iml-scam/ IML exists to represent government in Springfield, they don’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4474 Add the $1000 deposit: The IML Conference was in Chicago! – probably 3 nights lodging if they attended all 3 days. Over $5000: Agenda: https://conference.iml.org/ams/conf.cfm?job=program&key=193 Why did Normal hire this firm? Chemberly is back teaching kids to be democrats at your expense + Uptown Circle Rent: Public notices must be really […]
By: Diane Benjamin This agenda item made last night’s Normal Town Council meeting last almost 3 hours: Ordinance Rezoning Property in the Town of Normal (4.14 Acres in the Wintergreen Subdivision) This is Jason Barickman’s company (Fairlawn Capital) plan to build houses that will most likely be rentals. The more than 100 houses will be […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal ignores their taxpayers as evidenced by their ridiculous Public Comment policy meant to discourage citizens from speaking. It’s long past time for some non-violent civil disobedience. Sign up for Public Comment for an agenda item and then talk about Village abuse instead. Video of Koos cutting off citizens while speaking is […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal has money for everything except microphones that work. Kevin McCarthy had to hold his when he spoke, the sound still wasn’t clear. Brian Day had a large hand-held microphone because he is always hard to hear from his perch, his did work. Chemberly Cummings is now Chemberly Harris, no explanation. Scott […]
