By: Diane Benjamin I just found a story proving people are tired of University tactics to silence free speech. A lawsuit was filed against the University of Michigan Tuesday: The lawsuit, filed by the nonprofit civil rights group Speech First, alleges that the university’s apparatus to investigate incidents reported as bias and enforce disciplinary measures creates […]
ISU: Teaching Tribalism
May 11, 2018 by 13 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Why is it impossible to talk to each other these days? Many times it’s because people retreat to their corner and refuse to listen to any points of view that conflict with what they were taught or what they think they believe. Common sense and rational thoughts must be attacked if doesn’t […]
Courtesy of the Progressives:
March 25, 2018 by 24 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday a lot people rallied in downtown Bloomington to force government to limit 2nd Amendment rights. Tonight the radicals are rallying to force a vote on protecting people living in Bloomington illegally. They will show up at Council tomorrow night. One of these radicals is raising money to move to a new […]
Government thinks you are REALLY stupid
January 28, 2018 by 8 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington and Normal are the only cities doing their own garbage pickup in the area. According to the Pantagraph, Normal did their own investigation of rates. They declared NO money could be saved by privatizing garbage pickup. See the chart here: http://www.pantagraph.com/graphic-waste-collection-fees-services/pdf_a5d93a81-e7db-537c-b830-c5fafd8a34bc.html The Pantagraph must not have noticed some of those other cities […]
Does a Unit 5 School Board member have a conflict?
December 27, 2017 by 9 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin A Statement of Economic Interest is required to be filed by EVERYONE who is elected and appointed to any unit of government. Other employees may also be required to file. It is the law that SEI must be filed. Everyone on the Unit 5 School Board did file, unlike some other units […]
Normal: Know about this survey?
December 12, 2017 by 7 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Do you want more services from the Town of Normal? I’ve seen far too many surveys that nobody knows about except the “chosen” who will answer it correctly. This one is from Parks and Rec. Take the survey here: https://illinoisstate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4O2h5LyxDmw06oZ Yes, it looks like Illinois State University is running the survey. This link […]
Here is just one reason Normal raises taxes:
November 7, 2017 by 5 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Here’s just a few of the Town’s recent follies: (there are more) Portillos give away – $1,825,000 plus interest: https://blnnews.com/2016/12/02/portillo-town-monday-night/ Greenbriar Shopping Center – $4.8 million https://blnnews.com/2017/10/16/normal-revised-schedule-spending/ $100,000 to the Mclean County History Museum + $700,000 that wasn’t budgeted: https://blnnews.com/2017/09/04/normals-funnybusiness-tuesday/ $420,853.49 for new furniture https://blnnews.com/2017/07/16/you-arent-supposed-to-notice/ Rivian! Here’s one you probably forgot or never knew: The […]
Normal: Revised Schedule + Spending
October 16, 2017 by 4 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Normal Town Council tonight: http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2745 More proof the Chamber of Commerce is working AGAINST citizens: This is the trip to explore building a sports complex here. Even if it brings tourism dollars to hotels, restaurants, and retail, these are LOW WAGE jobs. Guess who is going to pay for it! One person can’t […]
Bam! Higher Ed CLUELESS!
September 25, 2017 by 5 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin The Pantagraph Opinion Page continues to be an endless source of entertainment. Orchestrated Letters to the Editor are claiming voting rights locally have been violated. The election is more than a year away and normal everyday people are writing letters asking you to vote for their candidate? Keep in mind: Repeat a […]
Numbers Lie
September 7, 2017 by 18 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Media is reporting a slight drop in enrollment at ISU. Here’s the proof that numbers lie and liars use numbers. Incoming freshman – down 342 students (9.3%) Transfer students – down 239 students (11.7%) Those are huge percentage drops, the source is WGLT which happens to be part of ISU: http://wglt.org/post/freshman-enrollment-falls-illinois-state-university#stream/0 Incoming […]
More HATE on the ISU campus
September 1, 2017 by 6 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Last week the Nazi comments were directed toward the ISU Republicans and a guest speaker. This week it’s against a group called Turning Point USA. The President of the ISU chapter, Andy Byars, sent me pictures of the vandalism to chalked messages and posters they hung on campus. […]
Update #2: Update: Hate is very alive in Normal!
August 25, 2017 by 14 Comments
I attended this event – Nick Adams has an amazing love for America AND Americans. He has a non-profit call FLAG. From their website: http://www.flagusa.org/ Its principal purpose is to educationally proclaim the greatness of America, and ensure that the next generation of American leaders understands what it means to be an American. Several members […]
Fake News: WGLT
August 24, 2017 by 19 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin See WGLT’s latest on Sister Cities/Tari Renner: http://wglt.org/post/caught-middle-sister-cities-chair-defends-programs-work#stream/0 One would think as Public Radio and part of ISU, real journalists would be writing the stories. Evidently not. I hope future employers of journalism students take that into account if their degree is from ISU! The story has problems determining fact from fiction. […]
ISU: Allow HATE speech on campus?
August 24, 2017 by 27 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin A conservative speaker was invited to speak at Illinois State University by the College Republicans. Yesterday I heard EVERY flyer they posted around campus has been defaced, destroyed, or removed. President Dietz: Is ISU now Berkley Ca? Is Antifa going to protest American values? Are your campus snowflakes embarrassed by their country? […]
Inside ISU
July 17, 2017 by 9 Comments
The writer worked at ISU for 18 years – she walked away because she couldn’t take it anymore. No – Nobody from this meeting has contacted her. Source and other stories from the same person: https://justifygettinglost.wordpress.com/ I finally figured it out… This morning I showed up at the Board of Trustees meeting and made comments (in quotes […]
The Truth about Higher Ed
June 16, 2017 by 29 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin The President of Northern Illinois University is just the latest to step down amid allegations of scandal. The bigger scandal is what the Board is planning on paying him to leave! Details of that soon. Remember when ISU paid Tim Flanagan to leave – the day before he got arrested? The Illinois […]
Connect the Dots
May 25, 2017 by 13 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin You already know R.C McBride is the General Manager of WGLT radio and he is a Trustee on the Normal Town Council: http://wglt.org/people/category/6 http://www.normal.org/1135/Meet-the-Council , , , , , . If that isn’t enough to question the integrity of WGLT reporting, here’s more: http://www.mcleancountydemocrats.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_page.cfm&page=Other20counties McBride is also a precinct committeeman for the […]
Koos, Council: Shut up citizens!
March 21, 2017 by 11 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Last night the Normal Town Council defied the Attorney General’s letter and made only minor changes to their Public Comment Policy. They relied on the opinion of their City Attorney Brian Day who formerly worked for the Illinois Municipal League. First, you need to understand what the IML is. See this story: […]
WJBC: ISU/Central Catholic Facts matter
March 8, 2017 by 4 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Yesterday WJBC read the Melanie Spellmeyer-ISU-Central Catholic update story on my website. They read the original story too, but never reported on it. The story only became important to them when Dan Brady got involved. It probably helped that his funeral home advertises on WJBC. See their story here: HERE Totally lost […]
Remember Melanie Spellmeyer, ISU, and Central Catholic?
March 6, 2017 by 13 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin When the Central Catholic girls were playing basketball at Red Bird Arena for the State Championship, an ISU employee violated their fans free speech rights. She told them they were not allowed to wear anything related to the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. In case you missed the story, see it here: […]
UPDATE: What’s the penalty for HATE speech?
February 27, 2017 by 56 Comments
No one at ISU has responded to my requests for a comment. They are hoping this blows over if they pretend nothing happened. By: Diane Benjamin Saturday – Redbird Arena, Illinois State University – Central Catholic High School girls basketball team is playing for the State Championship. Many Central kids arrived at the game wearing […]
No Free Lunches except for . .
February 24, 2017 by 7 Comments
Diane Benjamin Bills and Payroll for Monday night: For almost 4 years Tari Renner spouts “There are no free lunches”. Unless your name is Tari Renner: Page 107 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=12212 I’m sure these were strictly business, especially the ones with nobody listed but Tari! Was the public invited and I missed it? My personal favorite: PCard […]
Victory! ISU’s Public Comment Policy
February 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment
By: Diane Benjamin Illinois State University’s Public Comment policy used to be even worse than the Town of Normal. Not any more! See the new policy here: http://illinoisstate.edu/trustees/comment.php The policy is: Sign up before the meeting Public Comment lasts up to 30 minutes Speakers get 5 minutes There is no 45 day rule before you […]
Bats and Wind Farms
February 13, 2017 by 8 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin I wonder how this article made it in the latest magazine printed by Illinois State University! ISU is a big pusher of wind energy, so this article is out-of-place. Somehow it didn’t make the on-line version of the magazine or I would have linked to it. If you are Facebook friends with […]
WGLT: Your local tax dollars
January 27, 2017 by 10 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin UPDATE to this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/01/23/redistributing-your-wealth/ Since WGLT is National Public Radio, your federal tax dollars already fund them. They aren’t allowed to sell advertising, all they can do is “underwritten by” non-specific ads. That doesn’t keep your local tax dollars from ending up in their pocket though. I received this information under […]
ISU’s Illegal Public Comment policy
January 26, 2017 by 9 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Complying with the law doesn’t matter when citizens “interfere” with government’s ability to do whatever they want! Normal is the perfect example. The entire Council, Mayor, and City Manager are pretending they asked the Attorney General to rule on their policy. They didn’t. TWO citizens want Lisa Madigan’s Public Access office to […]
ISU avoids a lawsuit
January 20, 2017 by 15 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin First ISU refused to give me a document I requested by FOIA claiming it was exempt. See this story Next they gave me the document but redacted the part I wanted: See THIS story Some light finally went on at ISU and they decided the document in the story above is NOT exempt […]
ISU is embarrassing . . NIOT?
January 18, 2017 by 15 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Martin Luther King Day was last Monday, but ISU won’t be holding their annual dinner until Friday. Maybe even ISU knows this event should not be held on MLK Day since King would never approve of the speakers they bring in. King was a minister. King was a Republican. King knew the […]
More on ISU and RC McBride
January 13, 2017 by 10 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/01/11/next-lawsuit-isu/ I received the email below concerning the ISU denial of the required waiver to hire RC McBride as the General Manager of WGLT: Attached to this email was: The previous story spelled out that waivers can only be issued in extraordinary circumstances – note ISU redacted those […]
Next Lawsuit: ISU
January 11, 2017 by 10 Comments
See update here: https://blnnews.com/2017/01/13/more-on-isu-and-rc-mcbride/ By: Diane Benjamin I filed the following Freedom of Information request with ISU – their answer is included. They included the obligatory you have to right to contact the Attorney General . . .: . Since we all know asking Lisa Madigan to do her job is a complete waste of […]
BEC-The Saga continues
December 6, 2016 by 24 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Below is the video shot by John Kraft of Edgar County Watchdogs at the meeting to hear the protest to Renner’s petitions. John kept the video running after the meeting was recessed. At 6:48 Jason Chambers, State’s Attorney, announced he was not going to intervene because his office would be responsible for […]
Normal: Somebody should have watched spending
November 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
By: Diane Benjamin From expenditures for approval Monday night: http://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2241 Economic development is subsided Buy Local is for us, not necessarily government (refer to link above) Free or cheap entertainment really isn’t . . .
Part 2: The End of Bloomington/Normal as We Know IT
October 10, 2016 by 9 Comments
See Part 1 here: https://blnnews.com/2016/10/09/the-end-of-bloomingtonnormal-as-we-know-it/ Part 2 by: Lawrence Butts Illinois State University . The bubble that higher education is currently riding high on is about to burst. The first question that will be asked is “ISU is doing great, they fill their enrollment every year – how are they in trouble?” Yes, for the […]
The End of Bloomington/Normal as We Know IT
October 9, 2016 by 6 Comments
Part 1 by Lawrence Butts Introduction . I came to this town in 1970. As you might imagine, there have been many changes since that time. Some of these changes have been for the better and some have been for the worse. This is a much larger community with more to do and with better […]
Erik Rankin: WE AGREE!
September 2, 2016 by 34 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin Scared? We can agree on some things! Erik wrote a response on the ISU website to this question: His answer is excellent. Read it for yourself here: https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2016/09/ask-a-redbird-scholar-how-did-we-end-up-with-2-unpopular-presidential-candidates/ Besides being assistant to the chair and undergraduate advisor, Department of Politics and Government, Erik is a member of the McLean County Board […]
The truth about 97% agree
July 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
By: Diane Benjamin Lisa Madigan signed up to start prosecuting corporations who deny climate change. That’s not surprising since she rarely prosecutes corrupt politicians and instead prosecutes businesses. She needs to see the video below, but most likely facts don’t matter. They don’t to some ISU professors! What exactly do 97% of climate change scientist […]
The Hoax takes a new low!
July 3, 2016 by 13 Comments
By: Diane Benjamin The climate change believers were unleashed to spew propaganda in the bird-cage liner today. An editorial by two ISU professors called people who haven’t swallowed the communist green kool-aid part of the “cult of ignorance”. These clowns admit to living in a bubble. I agree and it’s funded by taxpayers and […]
ISU: You taught this?
Note: A reader commented on the ISU student – Wes Ward (not Wood) By: Diane Benjamin I tried to watch the video of Monday’s Normal Town Council, but never made it past Public Comment. Marc Tiritilli is still the voice of reason and fiscal responsibility. I dare you to watch his comments without standing and […]