By: Diane Benjamin Another bike path was on the agenda. Refer back to the previous story, bike paths have a higher priority than roads. Mayor Bike Shop? The Town supposedly received 100% funding for the new path on the west side of Normal. Engineering is 8.5% higher than expected so the Town needed a budget […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tonight’s documentation: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4489 Normal will spend $107,244.79 without bidding: The policy should just be abolished since Pam Reece ignores it at almost every meeting. Time for a lesson on government: Fiscal responsibility doesn’t happen with government because they spend other people’s money (yours). ISU closed the approximately 23 acres on Shelbourne in […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Arena was renamed in 2017 when Grossinger Motors agreed to pay naming rights. See this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/06/23/arena-name-change/ The naming rights expired June 30, 2022. Grossinger Motors doesn’t even exist anymore so obviously they didn’t renew the naming rights. I would have to file a FOIA to see if they even paid […]
By: Diane Benjamin In case you forgot, the State of Illinois passed and Pritzker signed SB 818 last summer. This bill enshrines in law the sexualization of your children: https://blnnews.com/2021/06/15/sb-818-sexualizing-your-kids/ Schools are ordered to teach and groom your kids with information that should be between parents and their children. If your neighbors were caught with […]
By: Diane Benjamin Thanks again to Doug Fansler who started me off mapping crashes in the area from this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/05/isu-kids-show-up-for-public-comment/ All of the maps below are from Normal’s new Open Data Portal, access it at the bottom of the main screen: https://normal.org/ Page down to IDOT McLean County Traffic Crashes. Start with the number […]
Lots of students at ISU found this story last night and today and left comments. Please read the comments and respond if you choose. I responded to a few, I left the rest for you guys. Check back often, I expect more to be added.
By: Diane Benjamin Since the Normal Town Council meeting was shorter than usual, one ISU kid only had to wait about an hour to speak since he was off agenda. He brought 15-20 other kids with him that didn’t speak. This guy is a freshman Political Science major at ISU. He’s worried about crossing College […]
By: Diane Benjamin At tonight’s meeting a budget hearing is being held. Likely no one will show up to speak. Nice. Below are a couple things I found while not looking very hard. https://normal.org/DocumentCenter/View/19713/2022-23-Proposed-Budget PDF page 95: That 10.00 is the percentage increase from this year. What is the Town planning to spend $55,000 on? […]
By: Diane Benjamin The author of this email is with the College of Nursing at ISU. I don’t know if this course is required or optional. This is teaching Critical Race Theory: The instructor is also employed at ISU as a specialist in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The goal of the course is to teach […]
By: Diane Benjamin Did the local school district’s leadership even blink when Judge Grischow ruled masking kids EVIL? “Statutory rights have attempted to be bypassed through the issuance of Executive Orders and Emergency Rules … This type of evil is exactly what the law was intended to constrain.” Her statement called Pritzker EVIL! We are […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story was posted yesterday: https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2021/12/29/22856964/does-your-college-town-suck-illinois-state-university-redbirds-normal Yes, the title is: Does your college town suck? Illinois State University It might be a biased story because the writer appears to be comparing Illinois to Wisconsin. He must not know about Rivian, it isn’t mentioned in the story. It is an interesting read though. […]
By: Diane Benjamin I’ve written before about a dangerous crosswalk on Raab Road: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/14/raab-road-is-a-death-waiting-to-happen/ The Town of Normal trains people on Constitution Trail to think vehicles will stop for them just because lines are painted on the road and there is a pole in the middle of the street. The Normal police had to do […]
By: Diane Benjamin I can prove it! In God We Trust is still on our money, if progressives have their way it won’t be much longer. This is pretty much the last place God is allowed in today’s society, but that isn’t what you need to see. Read the bottom of the back side. I […]
By: Diane Benjamin The memorial tribute of Jelani Day was taken down because the Town of Normal is authoritarian. You can’t talk at a Council meeting until the end, whenever that happens to be, if what you want to say doesn’t pertain to the agenda. You could wait hours to get 3 minutes of their […]
By: Diane Benjamin Racism is so prevalent at ISU you are expected to forget this guy used to run the place: Yesterday the ISU Academic Senate passed a recommendation to require all students to take a course on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in U.S. Society in order to graduate. These courses are classic Karl […]
By: Diane Benjamin It’s really sad when government thinks they have the right to force people to comply based on a façade of fear. Is Reece just trying to get more Pritzker money? Want to know why Pritzker hasn’t allowed the legislature to make laws concerning COVID? He doesn’t want Illinois to find out the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Remember Doug Fansler? He’s the guy trying to get the Town of Normal to remove the stop signs in the middle of the roads in Normal: https://blnnews.com/2021/08/19/mia-common-sense-in-normal/ Yesterday we found out why the Town has no common sense: Chris Koos Doug was on Linden stopped at the train tracks by Uptown because […]
By: Diane Benjamin It wasn’t that long ago when the Town of Normal was punishing businesses with fines who were just trying to stay open. Hypocrisy now should encourage those businesses to file lawsuits against Chris Koos and Pam Reece because TWICE in the past few weeks they have proven that Executive Orders and internal […]
By: Diane Benjamin Keep in mind while reading: Illinois got an “F” in teaching history and civics: https://blnnews.com/2021/07/03/the-enemy-within-is-the-public-schools/ All of the information below was received months ago from Unit 5 by FOIA. What does this tell you? Are teachers “historians” or teachers of history? Should teachers be “activists” and teaching their students to mimic them? […]
By: Diane Benjamin See below: Apartheid isn’t accurate, The Israel Knesset has Arab members. Colonialism? Look at a map. Israel is the size of New Jersey surrounded by Arab countries. Military occupation? Israel’s military left Gaza years ago, the occupying force is funded by Iran. Equality? Do they prefer socialism or communism? Everybody will be equally […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://illinoisstate.edu/trustees/president-search-committee/ The search committee for the next President was composed of 32 members, click the link above to see the names. This statement is on that site: The search committee reported to the Board of Trustees who made the final determination. Did they tell the new President ISU’s credit rating is Baa2? […]
By: Diane Benjamin I stumbled onto this page weeks ago: https://keywiki.org/Democratic_Socialists_of_America_Bloomington-Normal It proves you should be worried about sending your kids to college at ISU or Heartland. One of the members of the local Democratic Socialists of America was just elected to the Heartland Board: https://www.heartland.edu/about/trustees.html Supporting Bernie Sanders is all you need to understand […]
By: Diane Benjamin As a graduate of ISU I am continually appalled by their lurch to the far left. Below are two examples. Both articles were in a newsletter meant to extol the great research done at ISU. Instead of common sense solutions to educating kids, both want to change how teachers teach. We know […]
Illinois State University promotes scholarship program for illegal immigrant students What about citizens who can’t afford ISU? Read the rest yourself.
By: Diane Benjamin Follow-up to the same information about Bloomington: https://blnnews.com/2020/10/28/shrinking-bloomington/ From information the Town of Normal submitted to the Illinois Comptroller’s office: 3/30/2020 3/30/2019 This data shows a decrease of 273 people in just one year. Keep in mind Bloomington’s population decrease was mostly in the last fiscal year too. The link for 2018 […]
Proving this software was a really bad idea, it was shut down because the parent company was got hacked. The hacker sent offensive emails to users, Illinois State University is mentioned in the story as using the software. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/online-proctor-service-proctortrack-disables-service-after-hack/?fbclid=IwAR2YgGX-lvEdkPSQe27J27J9xm85lI8AC5L0ncdABx-o5ASyj8G47-_a2dU The Proctortrack website has no information, it does guarantee privacy and security however. Evidently that isn’t […]
By: Diane Benjamin I hear some teachers aren’t teaching. 3 hours on Zoom as turned into one hour. Some teachers are expecting students to teach themselves. Students are still charged for all kinds of amenities and buildings they aren’t allowed to use. This story is worse. ISU is worried about kids cheating on tests. Instead […]
By: Diane Benjamin I really wanted to take the afternoon off, but then a reader sent me this: ISU must believe “people of color” all lean left. This virtual discussion is being conducted by one of the local leaders of Black Lives Matter: Olivia Butts. On the panel are 3 local women who range from […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://jobsearch.illinoisstate.edu/en-us/job/510294/associate-director-for-outreach-and-antiracism-education Have there been sightings of guys in white hoods on campus? Burning crosses? This is job opening #2 to convince students they are being discriminated against. #1: https://blnnews.com/2020/10/01/isu-is-hiring-head-divider/ Your dollars are being used to uncover racism where little to none exists. Americans are not racist! Democrats have to convince minorities it […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://jobsearch.illinoisstate.edu/en-us/job/510267/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-officer These “theoretical frameworks” teach: skin color morally taints you whites have sinned against all minorities history is racist the country’s founding was illegitimate punctuality is white culture established norms attack minorities the county is fundamentally racist This is toxic training against civil society and completely absurd on it’s face. It explains […]
By: Diane Benjamin See this article from The Blaze: https://www.theblaze.com/news/college-football-coach-blm-sign?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook Excerpts: Read the rest of the story for more sad details you probably don’t know. ISU now has national coverage from multiple news outlets. Every local news service reported he quit. He didn’t.
By: Diane Benjamin Susan Kalter: Hopefully this is the last story about Susan Kalter. See all previous stories here: https://blnnews.com/2020/09/16/isu-did-susan-kalter-lie/ I made a final attempt to determine if Kalter was lying about being told by an ISU lawyer the All Facility meeting didn’t have to comply with the Open Meetings Act. I was told she […]
By: Diane Benjamin President Trump banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory in all Federal Departments because it’s Marxist ideology. It is meant to destroy social norms to create an undefined utopia. It rejects the Declaration of Independence, the teachings of Martin Luther King, and of course Christianity. It destroys without ever saying what it […]
By: Diane Benjamin It takes FOREVER to receive FOIA’s, so now you have to think back. Susan Kalter is the chair of the Academic Senate at ISU. She wanted to hold a faculty meeting that wasn’t open to the media and didn’t comply with the Open Meetings Act. See all previous stories here: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/28/susan-kalter-explain-your-meeting-to-the-attorney-general/ In […]
ISU has released a plan for social change! http://www.videtteonline.com/sports/illinois-state-releases-action-plan-for-social-change-in-response-to-athlete-boycott/article_80feef42-ebb2-11ea-a80e-db89545107d9.html?fbclid=IwAR2rk9FyaZB7wZw_nQHqTngKMG3YybfZvMkJyLLOHCN0meOpY6qeVrcoQpo ________________ By: Diane Benjamin ISU President Dietz declared ISU is a Social Justice University. https://blnnews.com/2020/06/02/dietz-social-justice-is-an-isu-priority/ Athletics Director Larry Lyons proclaimed he’s all in too: https://blnnews.com/2020/08/04/did-isus-larry-lyons-become-a-social-justice-warrior/ What neither understand is caving to progressives never ends. Hand them one victory they will want 5 more things. When they […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Council met for a whopping 16 minutes last night, they didn’t have an Executive Session. Tim Gleason started the meeting with a COVID update. He claimed cases are up because people have been traveling now and are out and about more. He ignores the obvious: College kids are back and out […]
By: Diane Benjamin The City of Bloomington is pandering to the far left radicals. Since regular people with common sense are not speaking up, they think everybody agrees with de-funding the police. (Figure out why the Police Chief retired?) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/discussion-on-divestinvest-of-police-funding-tickets-115500841125 While the City Council continues to hide behind computer screens because of illegal edicts from […]
By: Diane Benjamin H/t a reader This is the same Larry Lyons who somehow got his son hired in the athletics department and then said son married a fellow employee – making three all related people working in the small ISU athletics department. No nepotism of course – even when the wedding took place on […]
By: Diane Benjamin https://www.wglt.org/post/isu-change-watterson-towers-house-names-over-slavery-history ISU President Dietz has caved to the Cancel Culture. He thinks it isn’t fair to ask students to live in Watterson Towers in houses named for historic figures ISU likely has no classes that even discuss. His Assistant for Diversity (head divider) told him. Dietz doesn’t know the Cancel Culture never […]
By: Diane Benjamin See previous stories: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/16/looks-like-a-revolt-at-isu/ https://blnnews.com/2020/07/20/isu-when-you-hear-from-the-attorney-general-just-plead-guilty/ Today I was notified by the Public Access office of the Attorney General they are going to investigate whether the first faculty meeting violated the Open Meetings Act. Excerpts: See the entire document I received: 63926 FI Letter When Kalter or ISU responds the Attorney General’s office […]
BlnNews 