By: Diane Benjamin The video below was played at Monday’s Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting. It shows what the priorities were in 2025: Downtown. That priority hasn’t changed in decades. The video is a little over 3 minutes long. Downtown got a about half of it. The slide at 3:00 say 28 lane miles […]
By: Diane Benjamin Decades of spending money downtown have failed to transform it from a place of lawyers by day and revelers by night. Bloomington’s new goal is to reposition downtown as the entertainment capital of Central Illinois (That was stated at a June meeting: https://blnnews.com/2025/06/17/committee-of-the-whole-recap/) The pattern of bidding projects “shooting for the stars” […]
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to this story: https://blnnews.com/2025/04/12/bloomington-normal-crime-map/ The SAFE-T Act went into effect on January 1, 2023. Below is a crime map of Bloomington during the same time period for 2022. Normal is not on this map, they evidently didn’t report crime statistics then the way they are now. https://communitycrimemap.com/map Purple is residential burglary, […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is a map of some local crimes. https://communitycrimemap.com/map If you go to that link you can customize what crimes appear. The crimes shown below are since January 1st, 2025. You can also zoom in to specific area. Purple is residential burglary. Brown is theft, doesn’t include shoplifting. Green is motor vehicle […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember 2012? Who was President in 2012? It wasn’t Donald Trump or even a Republican. That didn’t stop some clown(s) from sending letters recruiting for the Nazi Party. If you don’t remember, see this: https://blnnews.com/2012/05/23/nazi-party-is-recruiting/ Real evil does exist, call it what it is. The flyer below was taped to business doors […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Bloomington Council meeting was more about awards than City business: At least the Council Chambers were full of people temporarily. There was one Public Comment by Jill Whitacre worth seeing. Jill and her husband own Shake It Up cocktail lounge in downtown Bloomington. The City usurped capitalism by limiting the number […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Committee of the Whole meeting was short. If you want to know where your increased water rates are going, watch. After that short presentation various departments recapped their accomplishments. Each gave a quick summary. The most interesting part to me was when Alderman Jenna Kearns asked how Melissa Hon (Economic Development) […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington supposedly has a policy of not fixing roads if the water lines need replaced. It’s a great policy that eliminates having to resurface roads numerous times because of water main breaks. Evidently downtown roads don’t fall under that policy. Yesterday this was posted to the website: https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/Home/Components/News/News/10139/1394 Front […]
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By: Diane Benjamin Tent city isn’t only in the original location. I hear more tents are located under the bridge south of downtown, pics needed readers! I hear another tent city is in Normal along Division St. Send pics of that one too. Tents have also spread east behind Pipe Works. This pic doesn’t show […]
By: Diane Benjamin I get tips frequently, mostly people forget to take pictures or aren’t able because they are driving. If you can stop and get a picture, please do! Visual is always better. 1) With the severe winds over the weekend I hear the tent city in downtown Bloomington had garbage blowing everywhere. A […]
By: Diane Benjamin Just info: Tari Renner got the City to buy this property on North Main so the City could control what was built there. 3 Kirk Holdings was involuntarily dissolved in 2018 according to the Secretary of State website. Search corporations here: https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business_services/business_searches.html After years of realtors unsuccessful trying to unload it, the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Is the City this desperate to get people downtown? I bet the City won’t be advertising any religious Christian activities – even if they are downtown. On Facebook: . Per Google search – they did the highlighting: See the irony in Krampus originating in Germany?
By: Diane Benjamin More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/02/14/i-could-have-predicted-this-one/ Tim Gleason wasn’t at the meeting where hiring a federal lobbyist firm for $270,000 over 3 years was voted down. It wouldn’t have gone that direction if he had been there, he’s a master at changing the minds of council members. Tim Gleason is the employee of […]
By: Diane Benjamin Supposedly the 2013 Farr Associates (same guy who did Uptown) cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is a glossy 126 pages in an 18 x 11 inch spiral bound format. Some items from this plan were implemented like Way Finding Signs. Those signs cost taxpayers over $500,000. https://blnnews.com/2021/06/08/if-the-camera-cant-focus/ The plan […]
By: Diane Benjamin Julie Emig hasn’t showed up now for two meetings in a row. Ward 4 had no representation last night or on September 26. Maybe that’s why the minutes from 9/26/2022 were not on the agenda for approval. Yes, the meeting had to be a record for SHORT. The Clerk continued to not […]
By: Diane Benjamin The longer a City Manager hangs around their progressive ideology become more apparent. Tim Gleason was evidently hired from Decatur because he spearheaded redevelopment there. Decatur’s is busy during the day because people work downtown. It dies at night, they don’t have the bars Bloomington has. Progressives think government creates prosperity and […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) Remember the lady in Normal with YELLOW water? https://blnnews.com/2022/05/17/normals-yellow-water/ Yesterday it was a beautiful shade of green: 2) Now we know why Jamie Mathy stepped down from his Ward 1 seat, he wants tax breaks to redevelop a building downtown. The building has been empty for a long time, so as […]
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington has a calendar of events. Meetings are listed, but so are other events like Ice Cream at the Zoo and BCPA events. https://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/calendar Missing are the Farmers Markets which actually do get people downtown on Saturday mornings. Also missing are Saturdays on the Square. In case you missed the 2013 extensive […]
By: Diane Benjamin I couldn’t find what I was looking for on the Bloomington website, not surprising – it’s a BAD website. Instead, I found something I wasn’t looking for! https://www.cityblm.org/home/showpublisheddocument/26749/637628729553900000 The people who have believed for years that just millions more will get people downtown did a study. Keep in mind, the COVID shutdowns […]
By: Diane Benjamin Headline from the Pantagraph: h/t a reader So, a journalist from a country without any “freedom of the press” has partnered with the US government for almost 10 years to teach how to be a journalist and teach how to teach journalism I think we found the reason 95% of the media […]
By: Diane Benjamin Downtown Bloomington has it’s own website. The map below is actual size on that site, yes it’s hard to read. http://downtownbloomington.org/welcome-to-downtown-bloomington/business-parking-guide/ One glaring error – Grossinger Motors Arena should be 13, not 11. How many businesses survived COVID? Comment below if you have any information. Any flooding downtown? The website also has […]
By: Diane Benjamin I had a little time before going to the District 87 Board meeting, so I walked around downtown Bloomington. The pictures start on Center street, then Front Street to the a short walk past the CII East building, down East street to Washington, and back to Center. There is broken mirrored glass […]
By: Diane Benjamin If the weeds in the planter boxes of the CII East building aren’t bad enough: Just down the street is another weed fest: (h/t a reader) This is the corner of Washington and East Street – directly across from Bloomington’s new “Hub” in the Government Center. The CII East weeds are actually […]
By: Diane Benjamin Just design for new Way Finding Signs in downtown Bloomington cost $90,285. The cost to construct and install was somewhere around $447,000, total is over half a million. Details in this story: https://blnnews.com/2018/07/09/what-does-no-bids-tell-you-and-more-council-tonight/ 2 weeks ago I drove through downtown and noticed many of the signs are not readable because the print […]
POW/MIA Flag raising at the Mclean County Museum of History. New Normal Township Trustee Art Rodriguez led the event. Rep Dan Brady and County Board member Jim Soeldner attended. The bugler from Leroy Axillary Unit 79 was superb. Flags have been at half staff for quite awhile, nobody remembers why. It may have started under […]
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting lasted a little of an hour. Tari wasn’t there because the internet was out at his house. Mboka Mwilambwe acted as mayor. Tim Gleason was also absent, nobody said why. Maybe he didn’t want to be present when they voted on his contract extension and raise – without any discussion. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Part 1: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/14/bloomington-last-night-3/ Tari wanted the Council to reappoint Ryan Whitehouse to the Connect Transit Board. Jenn Carrillo and Jeff Crabill were opposed because that wanted someone more closely aligned with their ideology. They lost. Whitehouse has now replaced Mike McCurdy as chair. The budget process this year is going to be […]
By: Diane Benjamin 5:05 – Jon Reed was the only public comment. Others emailed the Council. I believe public comment isn’t for the Council – it is for the public. Citizens will never know what other citizens said by emailing. Get on the phone people! Jon did a great job taking down Jenn Carrillo (while […]
h/t a reader – taken today:
By: Diane Benjamin Committee of Whole meeting 5/18 http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1076&Inline=True Alderman Mathy doesn’t understand people don’t want to pay for parking. That is why strip malls and other shopping options are where people go – not downtown. Mathy has 3 Council initiatives for the Council. They will vote Yes they want to hear more or NO […]
By: Diane Benjamin On the front page of the City of Bloomington website is a link to the Downtown Bloomington website: cityblm.org The first time I clicked on it I got an error message, the second time the website came up: http://downtownbloomington.org/ Next I clicked on Explore Downtown – then Shop. The site has directory […]
Caption this: Downtown Bloomington yesterday in front of the vacant Commerce Bank.
Tale of two cities, of course you know which one is which. How much did each cost? I hope both know! . . . . . . .
The buzz is CVS in downtown Bloomington is closing. Millions later, new roads, and downtown Bloomington continues to decline. What exactly is this person paid to do?
A reader sent this link: https://hibid.com/catalog/182487/102-s-east-st–bloomington–il/ An auction is underway until 9/23. The listing claims it is gutting and cleaned inside. By: Diane Benjamin Lovely “Welcome to Downtown Bloomington”. 102 S East. I can’t find the listing, but the property taxes will be sold for the second year on November 1st. Last year the taxes […]
By: Diane Benjamin Had enough of “Right Fit” yet? I remember Tari telling the Council they HAD to buy the Sugar Creek Packing property to keep anybody else from buying it. (Like anybody else was interested) $245,000 subverting capitalism. Tari bought the old Mennonite Hospital property so he could control who built there. When the […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader I hear the owners of the new restaurant downtown have renamed it from The Gypsy Room to The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room. If you remember, Jenn Carrillo took to social media demanding a name change because Gypsy is a racial slur. Leftist are always changing the meaning of […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a Reader I’ve been trying not to respond to the NUMEROUS comments on line about Bloomington parks not being mowed. We’ve had a lot of rain, but evidently a couple blocks downtown takes priority. The City has been busy reclassifying employees, many will get raises. They should be hiring public works […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Remember the song by Cher: Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves? Remember the TLC show: My Big Fat American Gypsy wedding? Suddenly the far left has decided gypsy isn’t an acceptable word. It’s RACIST! This is on the Facebook page for Bloomington Normal Restaurant Scene announcing a new eatery downtown: It […]
