By: Diane Benjamin Also from a reader: Evidently Illinois has a bunch of loopholes that allow THC sales outside of dispensaries! That expensive license dispensaries got from the State and who are heavily taxed aren’t that important: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/unregulated-hemp-thc-sales-illinois-loophole/3607019/ Original story that was also updated: https://blnnews.com/2025/01/30/the-bistro-admits-illegal-activity/
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently Illinois has a bunch of loopholes that allow THC sales outside of dispensaries! That expensive license dispensaries got from the State and who are heavily taxed aren’t that important: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/unregulated-hemp-thc-sales-illinois-loophole/3607019/ h/t a reader Many things I write about are brought to my attention by a reader. This is one of them. […]
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting wasn’t as long as the video shows. It includes close to 14 minutes of commercials before the meetings starts. If you want to know about upcoming events, watch them. 4 people spoke at Public Comment, 3 wanting the Council to go with Mboka’s Liquor Commission recommendation to deny the Liquor […]
By: Diane Benjamin The meeting started early with a Work Session. The first presentation was an update on Normal’s Smart City Plan. All you need to know about this plan is the World Economic Forum is pushing it: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/what-is-a-smart-city/ Government making decisions for the future is always a planned disaster to eliminate pesky citizens planning […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Council proved they are capable of sane discussions last night, maybe because one person was absent. Can Bloomington get the names right? Donna Boelen was acting mayor last night since Mboka is out of the country because of his father’s passing. Nice job Donna for the first time being thrust into […]
By: Diane Benjamin http://bloomingtonil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1119&Inline=True Bloomington won’t be voting on the changes to your garbage service presented last Monday. It didn’t make the agenda, actually not much made the agenda. The Council will still be meeting virtually but most of the Local Emergency Ordinance is being cancelled. See PDF page 179 and following. Of course the […]
By: Diane Benjamin If you already knew “right fit” businesses are all that matters in Normal, last night cemented their place in history for being unfriendly to business. The Town levied fines on Joe’s Stationhouse Pizza for daring to defy Pritzker’s spewings when the Illinois Constitution clearly states emergency powers last 30 days. It was […]
By: Diane Benjamin The festivities start at 4:00 because the Council isn’t done going over the proposed budget: “The purpose of the Special Meeting is to continue a Budget Work Session to review the Proposed 2021-2026 Five Year Operating and Capital Investment Budget, which began on Tuesday,January 26, 2021″ https://normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3879 Before the Council meeting at […]
By: Diane Benjamin Below is the STATEWIDE outbreak locations for the last 30 days. What’s missing? Restaurants and Bars. No, they aren’t all closed, some municipalities aren’t complying with meaningless Executive Orders and some businesses chose to stay open. They are being targeted because they are easy and without the resources to fight back. If […]
By: Diane Benjamin Congrats to Sen Jason Barickman for standing up to Pritzker yesterday and for small business owners here. We elect representatives to make laws but Governor Pritzker decided he is god and representative government is over-rated. We has forbidden our representatives from having a voice in the affairs of Illinois. It’s almost like […]
By: Diane Benjamin Even though the Financial Statements (CAFR) have been finished for at least a month, they were finally presented last night. The data was uploaded to the Comptroller’s site many weeks ago, why the City couldn’t take the time to release the data is a mystery. The auditor stated Bloomington is overpaying into […]
By: Diane Benjamin Vowing to uphold both the Constitution of the United States and the State of Illinois is beyond the left. Tari Renner proved that again at the emergency Liquor Commission meeting yesterday. See the short video clip as reported by Cities 92.9: https://www.cities929.com/2020/11/21/bloomington-mayor-renner-whines-at-liquor-commission-hearing-about-the-states-attorney/?fbclid=IwAR3IAg490VjyNCDqMzrrp8xgykB7fmsDgfxZdlbgmHMyl4m6kPGO9oEyrO0 Tari expect State Attorney Don Knapp to enforce Pritzker Executive […]
By: Diane Benjamin For the second time in recent months Normal was incapable of live streaming with good audio. The posted video still has the same problem, luckily it was fixed almost 13 minutes into the meeting. About every 20 seconds the prior audio was replayed over the first. In another 20 seconds a third […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is the Liquor Commission in Normal: https://normal.org/399/Liquor-Commission The entire Town Council in Normal is the Liquor Commission. Bloomington used to have a Liquor Commission made up of appointed citizens, if I remember right there were 7 members including the mayor. This is the Liquor Commission now: Link to the Liquor Commission […]
by: Diane Benjamin http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=22287 Reports to me from people who attended last year: Don’t take your kids: The documentation doesn’t name the Parkview Inn, but this ordinance is so they can get back in the gaming business. It’s generic in case another establishment with video gaming now is destroyed and rebuilt: Tari Renner and Jenn […]
By: Diane Benjamin Absent last night: Jenn Carrillo and Jeff Crabill. Tari Renner claimed he is homeless because pipes broke in his house. I wonder if he will be paying the likely high water bill? I hope he didn’t opt out of the insurance that will cover part of the cost. He was back from […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Liquor Commission before Tari had (if I remember right) 7 members. The King wanted to make all the decisions himself, so he now has two assistants, one of which is going to vote with Tari every time. Only 3 members means Tari thinks and acts like he alone is the moral […]
By: Diane Benjamin In the past month I had to file a FOIA request for the missing Sister Cities Committee minutes: https://blnnews.com/2018/04/18/cut-sister-cities/ I also had to file for the minutes missing from the Police Safety and Community Relations Board (PSCRB): https://blnnews.com/2018/05/17/pscrb-update-police-review-board/ The March and April Liquor Commission minutes are also missing: Tari needs to tell […]
By: Diane Benjamin Under former Mayor Steve Stockton the Liquor Commission was headed by Stockton, but at least 5 citizens served on the Commission with him. Tari Renner decided on his own to only have two people on the Commission. He got rid of the long time Commission members and picked two people he wanted. […]
By: Diane Benjamin Mayor Renner was in Cuba, so Karen Schmidt conducted the meeting. The Coliseum got more of your money and it sounds like much more to come: Evidently the design of the Coliseum is REALLY bad – Hales plans to budget more changes to the building in coming years. Watch the video starting […]
By: Diane Benjamin Problems surfaced months ago with the Liquor Commission when Tari wanted to raise Liquor Fees and Video Gaming licenses. Tari conspired with one of the two other members of the Liquor Commission to make that happen. Citizens deserve open, honest, and transparent discussions, Tari thought otherwise. A citizens filed NUMEROUS Request for […]
By: Diane Benjamin The Public Access division of the Attorney General’s office was designed to hold government accountable and give citizens a voice. As with Judy Stearns’ case against the City for violating the Open Meetings Act, justice can take years of mostly no action. I lost count of how many Request for Reviews have […]
By: Diane Benjamin Tari was on WJBC again this morning: Tari Renner Bloomington Mayor 8-10-16 Starting around 12:40 Tari discusses the Liquor Commission yet again. Kudos to Scott Laughlin for questioning some of Tari’s statements. Tari is trying to justify the Open Meetings Act violations by using State Law. He seems to forget Bloomington is […]
By: Diane Benjamin August 2nd I wrote a story about Bloomington’s Liquor Commission: https://blnnews.com/2016/08/02/is-tari-declaring-himself-king/ Monday night Tari wants to be granted all power to enforce, permit, and control liquor in Bloomington. From the agenda: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11004 From the packet page 238: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11003 The only “confusion regarding the authority of the local” Liquor Commission has been FOLLOWING […]
By: Diane Benjamin Diana Hauman first got a seat on the Council by being hand-picked by Tari Renner to fill a vacancy. She was then elected in 2015. Every once in a while I’m surprised by Diana, like her objections to Geoffrey Tompkins’s appointment last Monday. At other times, I just want to say: REALLY? […]
By: Diane Benjamin Why are Minutes missing from Liquor Commission meetings? The LAW requires approval within 30 days or the next meeting. http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=21&parent=9530 Citizen Bruce Meeks filed a Request for Review with the Attorney General and they agreed to investigate: 42623 FI Let Meeks alleges: The 5/24/16 meeting did not have a quorum The only […]
By: Diane Benjamin Evidently the Downs Liquor Commission doesn’t meet very often. See the reports on the Downs website here: http://www.villageofdowns.org/liquor-commission-documents.htm The minutes from the April 2016 meeting won’t be approved until they meet again. The agenda lists renewal of the Adkissons Liquor License. There is NO discussion on the agenda pertaining to their violations […]
By: Diane Benjamin This story expands the previous post: https://blnnews.com/2016/06/27/tari-sees-objects-ripe-for-fleece/ I have emails from Aldermen Diana Hauman and Jim Fruin, Mayor Renner, and JAMES. I believe that JAMES is James Jordan, member of the Liquor Commission. I have MANY emails written by Jim Fruin over the past few years – none of them say JAMES. […]
By: Diane Benjamin This is story #1 from the Saturday preview. I wanted to begin with the County, but since there is a Bloomington City Council meeting tonight, I’m starting here. Tari Renner is at the US Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis. I don’t know if he will be back for the meeting tonight or […]
By: Diane Benjamin First, Village Trustee Dan Lush no longer lives in Downs, he moved to Leroy. Since Lush no longer lives in Downs, he can not vote in local elections. Therefore his is not a “qualified elector”. Dan: I expect your immediate resignation. If your voter’s registration isn’t changed in the next week, I […]
I posted the last statement issued by BARTO, so here’s the latest:
by: Diane Benjamin Mayor Renner has decided he makes all the rules on liquor licenses in Bloomington. He made himself Chair of the Liquor Commission and appointed 2 others to the board. One of them will go along with whatever Renner wants, not sure about the other one, but it doesn’t matter. 2 votes are […]
by: Diane Benjamin I really appreciate the Bloomington website managers NOT updating it in a timely manner. It makes my research easier. Below is what the Liquor Commission used to look like – note 5 members and the Professor. MEMBERS POSITION NAME TERM EXP Chair Renner, Tari N/A Member Stockton, Stephen N/A Member Jordan, […]
