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 […]
By: Diane Benjamin I have filed a Request for Review with the Attorney General’s office based on this meeting held by Dr. Susan Kalter, the Chair of the Academic Senate at ISU: https://blnnews.com/2020/07/16/looks-like-a-revolt-at-isu/ Part 2 was supposed to happen tonight to finish what didn’t get done last Thursday. Tonight’s meeting has been postponed indefinitely, the […]
Kalter was defeated, those in attendance rejected her agenda, at least that’s what I hear! _____________ An email I received from Academic Senate Chair Susan Kalter: The Dr of (I believe) English is WRONG. She called the meeting, therefore it is subject to the Open Meetings Act. This is no different than Koos inviting 2 […]
By: Diane Benjamin Contract Transit met on 6/23/2020: Meeting documentation Can supporters of Connect Transit explain why a system of empty buses with deficits that loses close to 1 MILLION every month is a valid use of taxpayer money? Whatever they say can’t possibly justify this abomination that only gets worse with continued spending on […]
By: Diane Benjamin ISU President Dietz spoke at the NAACP rally. The only video I can find is posted is on the WEEK 25 Facebook page. Unless you are on Facebook you won’t be able to see it. He only spoke for a few minutes. His comments ended with ISU is committed to social justice. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The local socialists are demanding public funds be used to protect the most vulnerable in the community. It doesn’t matter to them that government is the least effective mechanism possible. It doesn’t matter to them local charities are working hard to help. It also doesn’t matter the feds are going further in […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader If you make a comment here that is so devoid of facts it is obvious the truth is immaterial, it won’t get posted. The media gets much of the blame for making people really stupid. A lot of media has an agenda, if you absorb news not looking for […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story raises lots of questions: https://blnnews.com/2020/03/16/corona-was-already-here-you-just-didnt-know-it/ We know ISU has students from foreign countries. Since Illinois kids can go to college out of state for less than in Illinois, ISU actively recruits foreign students. https://illinoisstate.edu/admissions/international/ 74 countries? This is from the 2019 enrollment recap: Fall 2019 Enrollment Report Some of those […]
By: Diane Benjamin I don’t want you to miss the comment made to this story: https://blnnews.com/2020/03/15/a-real-emergency-will-kill-you/ It says everything I’ve been trying to tell you: Everyone needs to relax. This virus has been here for some time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the actual number of cases is 10 times what has been […]
By: Diane Benjamin Years ago ISU decided to tear down old dorms. This led to a plethora of private companies building housing for ISU students. Buildings went up all over Normal that contribute to the Town budget through property taxes. ISU has now decided to build a sophomore dorm. Are 2nd year kids living on […]
By: Diane Benjamin Some time around 2017 the rules changed at the Law and Justice Center for taking electronic devices inside the building. The head Circuit Court judge appointed a member of the media to approve press credentials so they could take in cameras, cell phones etc. The first press coordinator was Edith Brady-Lunny who […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader Defining what it means to be Progressive is Nikita Richard, failed candidate for McLean County Clerk: Nikita “tagged” McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael and McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage apparently to embarrassed them into allowing prisoners here to vote. Sheriff Sandage responded: Next, Kathy Michael responded, these comments appear […]
2 National news outlets picked up this story. Sorry Sonny, they didn’t use your name. By: Diane Benjamin Bloomington’s own Democrat Socialists who support Bernie Sanders made the Champaign News last night. They are upset Betsy Dirksen Londigron won’t have another debate with challenger Stefanie Smith. The report claims they did have a recent debate. […]
By: Diane Benjamin This handy chart from Illinois Family Institute can help. If you want illegal immigrants to get free healthcare at your expense, there are many to choose from. If you want to live in the stone age under the Green New Deal, lots of choices there too. The only two opposed aren’t in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Normal and ISU get along so well because both believe in ruling instead of governing. Neither thinks you have the right to know what they are up to. I asked ISU for emails just in the last 8 months concerning the leased space for ISU Galleries and the Town of Normal. If […]
By: Diane Benjamin DON’T miss the Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2020/02/04/normal-foia-fail/ At last Monday’s Council meeting Pam Reece stated the bonds owed for construction of the parking garage that houses the ISU Art Gallery does not require a fiduciary duty to lease the space for a profit. Did anyone but me wonder about Normal’s fiduciary […]
By: Diane Benjamin Last week the Redbirds played a home game. Fans park on the street when the games are played on the weekends. This game was during the week. The street signs say no parking on weekdays, but lots of fans parked there anyway. I’m sure they assumed it was okay since school was […]
Instead of getting exercise walking across campus, today’s kids need a bus to the taxpayer subsidized work out facilities and classrooms. Heartland will only be paying 82 1/2 cents per ride. Sounds like a war on the poor who are forced to pay $1. They will vote on a 6 month extension. https://www.connect-transit.com/documents/SpecialMeetingDecember17.pdf
By: Diane Benjamin According to this story: https://blnnews.com/2019/04/25/connect-transit-and-isu-facts/ ISU pays an average of .80 per ride for their students, The Connect Transit-ISU contract expires at the end of this year. I fully expect an emergency meeting since on December 5th the two sides couldn’t agree on what ISU will pay next year. Meanwhile, the ISU […]
By: Diane Benjamin More from the Workbook the Council used for their 2-day meeting. This meeting is posted on the website every year as required by the Open Meetings Act, but if citizens didn’t look for it they would never know it was open to the public. It is also always held during the week […]
By: Diane Benjamin 1) The Director of the McLean County History Museum recently left after only 1 1/2 years on the job. Was there some financial improprieties? I’m hearing rumors. If this is true it is yet another person allowed to quit without an investigation. He then moves on to do the same thing somewhere […]
Ask the elitists: Why they needs to ride instead of mingling with their constituents How much the carriage cost taxpayers – in past years it was $700 https://blnnews.com/2016/11/07/normal-time-to-say-no/ Doesn’t Normal own any worthy vehicles they could have used Who will be riding with Koos since Fritzen and McBride are gone. Will it be Chemberly Cummings? Kathleen […]
By: Diane Benjamin One bit of new information: Connect Transit does track transfers even though they aren’t reported anywhere. Mike McCurdy stated transfers aren’t up when he appeared at a Normal Town Council meeting, so I FOIA’d that info per month. I got this: This is one step closer to finding out exactly how many […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below are some things from the last Normal FOIA I found interesting. Some other things are very interesting, I had to file another FOIA for those. For now – enjoy these: On September 1st at 8:55 pm a resident of Normal sent an email with this title: The email is long, basically […]
By: Diane Benjamin On September 12, 2001 we were all Americans. American flags lined neighborhoods. For one day we were a united country. It didn’t last. The citizens of Normal sponsored the Racial Equity Summit held yesterday and today: Why are some minorities wildly successful and some aren’t? Maybe they didn’t “stand idly” waiting for […]
Update: A reader found this information: By: Diane Benjamin Just Bloomington, not including Normal. https://ilbusinessdaily.com/stories/513055916-bloomington-ranked-294th-in-state-for-resident-earnings-in-2017#.XYgF7wwE5dk.gmail Excerpt: Bloomington ranked 294th among cities in Illinois by annual earnings per resident, according to data obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau in August. The median income of Bloomington residents was an inflation-adjusted $33,702 per year. Bloomington had 31,652 households […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story should explain why Tari Renner despises Clarence Thomas. https://blnnews.com/2019/05/25/tari-renner-clarence-thomas-doesnt-act-afro-american/ Thomas is black and successful. Clarence proves being born poor and black in America does not mean you are doomed for life. The same applies to Ben Carson and many other minorities who are living the American Dream because they worked […]
By: Diane Benjamin Many people wondered what the Town of Normal was up to when they decided to stop enforcing the State Energy Codes. For a Town that has no problem spending taxpayer money to be “green” it didn’t feel right. See this story: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/06/normals-stan-nord-fires-back/ Side note: ISU is building housing for sophomores. What codes […]
By: Diane Benjamin Somebody calling themselves: just accused me of lying in this story from yesterday: https://blnnews.com/2019/08/29/failure-to-launch-local-dems/ Here’s part of the comment: I made up the whole thing? I lied? I know Derek has been to “Democrat Boot Camp”. That means he wants to run for something. The local dems have nothing to run on […]
By: Diane Benjamin From a Press Release issued by CIRA: Of course there is more to the story. This is an epic case proving when government is involved everything is much more difficult and more expensive. It proves yet again why government must be limited. Received by FOIA Start with this email – note the […]
By: Diane Benjamin Well it seems as if the Dems had a snafu at the last County Board meeting. Eventual candidate (more about that later) Derek M. Lough appeared to be ready to do a fire and brimstone speech about voter suppression in McLean County. The Dems are all fired up about waiting lines in […]
By: Diane Benjamin Dan Brady: It took until last night to connect with Dan Brady about HB 2040. See this story: https://blnnews.com/2019/05/06/illinois-gop-a-minority-on-purpose/ He told me he didn’t hear any opposition to the bill, one of the reasons he voted YES. Evidently we aren’t a Representative Republic where the elected reflect the values of the people […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader See this Press Release: What is “For a Better Tomorrow” and where do the funds raised go? This was attached to the Press Release: I still have no idea who this group is, they don’t appear to be an official non-profit. The money raised is going to FOUR Chosen […]
