By: Diane Benjamin I found this while looking for who went on the One Voice trip to Washington DC: . The Lorenz donation was a pass-thru from someone who wanted to remain anonymous, it wasn’t from the Republican Party. Smart? Nope. Bloomington is beholding to the Democrat Party thanks to Cody Hendricks and Jenna Kearns. […]
By: Diane Benjamin 10 people spoke at public comment. Of course the first 3 or 4 were Koos supporters who always show up to support more spending. The room was packed – standing room only and they stayed for the whole meeting. No, I didn’t watch the entire 2 1/12 hour discussion. I didn’t have […]
By: Diane Benjamin Democrats now completely run the Normal Township. Expect tax increases in your future. Krystle Able got 5,045 votes – Chris Koos was re-elected with only 3,914. Is this how a socialist and cohorts got elect? By handing out presents on the ISU campus – getting votes from students who don’t have to […]
By Diane Benjamin Krystle Able wants to win with the ISU vote. Those voters don’t have to live under the radicals they elect. Normal needs to outvote them. Signs on public property: District 87 is texting voters, of course directing them to the sales tax website. Desperate for your money!
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: […]
h/t a reader Illegal Kathleen Lorenz sign: Unlike Cody Hendricks placing a HUGE sign illegally, this one looks like a yard sign. Maybe this Lorenz supporter doesn’t know it is on public property and therefore illegal. Is Cody’s sign still there? https://blnnews.com/2025/02/12/five-things-you-need-to-know/
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 In case you forgot, this development was opposed by area property owners because they feared it would devalue their property: https://blnnews.com/2022/07/31/north-normal-normal-and-barickman-want-to-devalue-your-property/ Normal resident Doug Fansler was concerned when the Town gave preferential treatment to a developer. See this WGLT story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-10-08/normal-council-amends-annexation-agreement-for-carden-springs-townhouse-project Carden Springs is being developed by Fairlawn Capital from Champaign. What […]
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 If plans to build a fancy underpass for 10’s of millions of dollars only for pedestrians while vehicles are forced to sit waiting from trains to clear the tracks on Linden and College doesn’t prove common sense doesn’t exist in Normal, keep reading. From NextDoor: . I’ve written numerous stories about Normal’s […]
By: Diane Benjamin The property Normal is going to build a new Fire Station on is 1.69 acres. Normal paid $450,000 for it even after area residents petitioned the Town to just move it across the street: https://blnnews.com/2020/06/04/normal-isnt-listening/ It could have been located by the Town owned dog park, of course the opinions of citizens […]
By: Diane Benjamin I found this while looking for something else. I wonder if buying a hotel to house the homeless was her idea? Since she’s running for mayor of Normal, voters should know if she supports it. Does she know the tent city grew because the first camper was allowed to stay? Does she […]
FYI: Facebook is interfering in elections. They deleted this story by calling it spam. Luckily most reads don’t come from them. By: Diane Benjamin Not that she’s running for mayor, but this: h/t a reader She’s always said she was a Republican, she used to be a precinct committeeman for the GOP. She lost that […]
By: Diane Benjamin h/t a reader This isn’t a “fleet vehicle”. Check the plates.
By: Diane Benjamin So far this fiscal year the federal government has spent $1.61 TRILLION more than it collected in taxes. That is why inflation will continue. That didn’t stop Normal from applying for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. They want $100,000 and will find out in November is they get […]
By: Diane Benjamin This pic will give you an idea of how many citizens showed up in Uptown last night for the Normal Town Council meeting. Most of the speakers who were allowed to speak didn’t want the Council to approve either dispensary on the agenda. Below is how the mayor greeted them – some […]
By: Diane Benjamin The final amounts spent to win a Trustee seat on the Normal Town Council won’t be available until second quarter reporters are filed. The numbers below are through 3/31/23. There were another 4 days to campaign and expenses could have continued to come in even after the election. Normal doesn’t want Wards […]
By: Diane Benjamin Let’s pretend you bought a piece of property in Normal. That property has been connected to Normal’s sewer system for a least a decade. You are the 4th owner of this property in that decade. You want to develop the property but the Town tells you to include parts of the property […]
By: Diane Benjamin There wasn’t a hearing on HB 3337 yesterday because Sharon Chung filed an amendment to the bill. That means it has to go back to the Rules Committee before being heard at the Counties and Townships Committee. The amendment was a stall tactic, it didn’t change anything. Maybe she saw the Witness […]
By: Diane Benjamin More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2023/03/11/sharon-chung-screws-normal-taxpayers/. Normal declared war on it’s citizens and uses their money to take them out! The above story shows the people who supported Chung’s bill to legalize Normal’s illegal operation. Since you knew nothing about this bill you couldn’t object. The only reason we know about it now […]
By: Diane Benjamin The entire meeting was a little over an hour. I suggest citizens who plan to vote watch a few meetings instead of believing campaign literature. Of course no one showed up to speak at the Public Hearing on the budget. Many of the Trustees congratulated themselves on its greatness however. Spending on […]
By: Diane Benjamin The budget isn’t called Proposed Budget, but it is on line as a 5 years budget. Good luck reading it: https://www.normalil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/21181/Town-of-Normal-2022-23-to-2027-28-Five-Year-Operating-and-Capital-Investment-Budget Tonight – a whole 5 minutes is devoted to a Public Hearing about the Proposed budget. Even though the announcement below claims the budget is on line it isn’t. Kathleen was […]
Vote Accordingly! More money for any government never works, they will always want more. #History The Unit 5 candidates are hand picked by the union. The Board needs to represent citizens, not the union. All the above expect you to vote YE$ on the referendum.
By: Diane Benjamin If you have ever watched a Normal Town Council meeting it’s obvious Karyn Smith will support anything on the agenda. Kathleen Lorenz supports 99% of what’s on the agenda. Andy Byars was interviewed by Kevin Phares on his show Speechless 2/19/23: https://www.cities929.com/speechles/ Jump to 59:00. Andy Byars wants you to vote for […]
By: Diane Benjamin Unit 5 didn’t like the results of the November referendum – so they demand you vote again. Vote No Again Ask Unit 5 Board members how it is possible to be this irresponsible with other people’s money. Anybody see a problem? Anybody? Tim Gleason is pulling the same stunt on Monday. His […]
Update: PDF page 87 got fixed. Everything else still applies however: By: Diane Benjamin Review this story for details: https://blnnews.com/2022/09/09/village-of-normal-discriminates-against-stan-nord/ And this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/09/20/breaking-news-the-truth-about-stan-nord-and-the-executive-session/ Below is the original notice of this meeting – it was held on a Friday, not after a regular meeting like usual. https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4416 Jump to the documents for Monday’s meeting: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4557 […]
By: Diane Benjamin At last Tuesday’s meeting a representative from Stifel Public Finance made presentation. As reported yesterday this presentation was to inform the board about the status of bonds, when some would be paid off, and clear the way for new bonds for another building project. If I hadn’t been at the meeting to […]
By: Diane Benjamin The easiest way to tell who supports which candidates for local office is to look at who collected signatures for them. You can see what each filed here: https://www.normalil.gov/114/Municipal-Elections Kathleen Lorenz: Chris Koos, Kevin McCarthy, and Sonja Reece Karyn Smith: Sonja Reece, Kevin MCarthy Andy Byars: John McIntyre (Byars says he’s republican), […]
By: Diane Benjamin Kathleen thinks her, Karyn Smith, and Andy Byars are the positive candidates. Of course she implies the other 3 aren’t. I am positive these 3 will raise taxes and fees, vote for more bike paths, throw your money to the underpass when it goes way over budget, pretend government creates markets, and […]
By: Diane Benjamin Judge Kording ruled in September that Normal is an Incorporated Town even though they don’t act like it. In his ruling he stated he knows his decision could: . The “parade of horribles” has only just begun. The Normal elites ignored the ruling while celebrating the defeat of the citizen led referendum […]
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 Everything happening in the Town of Normal right now was self-inflicted. Chris Koos’ buddy Patrick Dullard argued that Normal was an Incorporated Town and therefore citizens didn’t have the right to put a referendum on the ballot to elect Trustees by district. Judge Kording reluctantly agreed with him: That “parade of horribles” […]
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 I heard one of the biggest opponents to the McLean County GOP Accountability committee was George Wendt. He needs to reconsider, the latest RINO Republican to turn on the party is Kathleen Lorenz. 4 years ago she campaigned door-to-door calling herself a Republican. Does George Wendt know Lorenz campaigned for his Democrat […]
By: Diane Benjamin Comments about Kathleen made by citizens really bother her. After the last batch she emailed me twice with corrections. She didn’t say anything about what I wrote, she was merely responding to people who comment. The comments are to this story: https://blnnews.com/2022/11/08/kathleen-lorenz-proves-again-why-she-shouldnt-be-on-the-town-council/ I could post her emails, but I’m not going to. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The chart below was posted on the Cities 92.9 Facebook page. Couple of notes:
By: Diane Benjamin Every time you eat out in Normal the prices are higher now – the Town is collecting more Food and Beverage Taxes because of food inflation. Every time you buy items in Normal the Town collects more Sales Taxes based on the inflation prices. Every time you buy inflated gas the Town […]
