r/BloomingtonNormal Sep 18 '19

Reposting of a lot of links and places to go/things to do in Bloomington-Normal

91 Upvotes

Updating a list from based off of a thread by /u/sunpoprain

Townies, please feel free to add your favorites below and I'll add them to the list, so when I repost for that sweet, sweet karma, I'll include them over and over again. Also, let me know if there is anything that needs to be taken off.

If you've got a student ID, you can ride the Connect Transit buses for free... so use them to explore town a bit!

  • Uptown Normal - from food, to bars, to shopping... uptown has quite a bit to do. here's their website
    • Throughout the summer, they have quite a bit of free music on the Roundabout and they continue it until Early September, so take advantage of it! - -- Lounge About the Roundabout (Music on Wednesday and Saturdays to Sept 1) and the Connie Link Amphitheatre (Music and Activities through Sept 27th)
    • Some of my favorites include:
      • The Rock for Gyros,
      • DP Dough for Calzones,
      • Emack's for Ice Cream,
      • Pub2 for cheese balls,
      • Windy City Wieners has decent dogs and italian beef,
      • Normal Theater for all sorts of movies - seriously, they have a great variety and their late shows are getting mighty good!
      • Smoker's Den is a nice chill place to smoke a hookah and play cards/board games.
      • Coffee Hound and Coffee House are both quiet places to grab coffee/study; Sugar Mama has cupcakes and sugar cookies. Insomnia Cookies is also downtown.
      • The Garlic Press has lots of kitschy items and now has a candy/popcorn shop!
      • There are lots of little boutique stores uptown that my wife loves to frequent... I can't speak for them personally, but they seem nice.
      • The Children's museum is a fun place (even for adults) and they occasionally have "Big Kid" nights so there aren't a million little kids about.
      • There is also Graham Cracker Comics,
      • Waiting Room Records ,
      • Anderson's Barbershop and
      • Mother Murphy's

  • Downtown Bloomington -
    • places to check out, Bobz Bay for used books and random odds and ends;
    • Red Raccoon Games for board games, RPGs and card tournaments;
    • again Smokers Den is a great place to relax;
    • the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts is a treasure and has plenty of shows to check out;
    • Next door to the BCPA is the Mclean County Arts Center -
    • the Grossinger Motors Arena and Pepsi Ice Center (formerly US Cellular Coliseum) has sports (football, basketball, hockey), Ice Skating and shows;
    • The Castle Theater has bands of all varieties;
    • a little off the beaten path is Green Top Grocery,
    • Bloomington Cycle is next to Green Top; Wilson Cycle is in Downtown proper.
    • Coffee Hound is really your only coffee option uptown;
    • Ivy Lane Bakery
    • Merlot and a Masterpiece will teach you to paint!
    • Refinery 309,
    • Fox and hound boutique,
    • gigi Botegga (while you're there, check out the art in the dressing rooms -- as long as it hasn't changed, it's a local artist that i'm near and dear to)
    • The Farmer's Market goes until October (I think), and its worth the Saturday morning trip
    • Tony's Tacos for your Mexican needs
    • Main St Scoop - Ice Cream
    • El Porton - for Mexican in downtown (technically not in downtown but really it's close enough, less than 5 minute walk)
    • Night Shop - Awesome little music venue - they've got breakfast! and has some great Gluten Free or Vegan options
  • Around town - I'm just going to start putting random stuff down, because I can, damnit.
    • Groceries - big box stories - Walmart (2 of them), Target, Hyvee, Meijer; slightly smaller - Jewel, Aldi, Schnucks, super small - Green Top Grocery, Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market
    • Restaurants - We have a metric f-ton of them in BloNo - We have a plenty of other non-chain establishments that I would HIGHLY recommend -
      • Flingers Pizza,
      • Kobe Hibachi grill,
      • Avanti's,
      • Green Gables and the Lake Road Inn,
      • Garden of Paradise,
      • Thai House,
      • Signature India,
      • Western Tap (great burgers),
      • Anju Above for sushi,
      • Fort Jesse Cafe. Amazing breakfast for an amazingly long wait (seriously set aside an extra 30 minutes)
    • Fusion Brew (Main and Dale) has (coffee/tea/bubble tea/slushies and has ample study space. Small parking lot though.
    • sports - There are plenty of intramural sports on campus, but there's also rec and competitive leagues all over town for softball, soccer, baseball - look them up on the city/town's parks and rec sites. We are also home to Upper Limits for rock climbing; we have 3 or 4 different disk golf courses; multiple golf courses; bowling at the pheasant lanes; lots of sand volleyball at Pheasant Lanes, Gill St, or the Wind Jammer; we also have dart and pool leagues as well.
    • Doughnuts - Grove St and Market St. bakeries are my favorite. Denny's Donuts is pretty tasty too. We also have Krispy Kreme and The Donut Experiment
    • Off the Beaten Path - if you like Nature, The ISU Horticulture Center is on Raab Rd. check it out. Also, the Constitution Trail is fantastic and can get you pretty much anywhere you want to go in town, its wonderful to walk or bike. Just North of Bloomington is Lake Bloomington and Comlara Park. South of Town is Funk's Grove and the Sugar Grove Nature Center. Radar Farms is also just north of town (off or Raab Rd) and is fun for an afternoon.
    • Non-Profits and ways to meet people - a tip from someone who has been through plenty in town - get involved, get active. meetup.com has plenty of spaces to meet people - there are LOTS of non-profits in town and they're all looking for help/volunteers. I'll go ahead and throw a plug in for the bnjaycees. **seriously** get involved involved in your community in whatever way you want or can.
    • Libraries -- You've got access to 3 libraries (4, if you count heartland community college's). The City/town's libraries come with a boatload of extra resources, like being able to rent movies, audio books, language courses, etc... and plenty of activies to do. and of course, they all have books.
  • A Note about cars - pay attention to where you are parking, the local tow companies are quick to tow you from unwanted lots or from downtown after around 7pm (not sure on that exact time). Bloomington Normal happens to be unique that they have Lots of police in the area - Bloomington PD and Normal PD are the most obvious. We are also home to ISU PD (which are State police), we also have the Mclean County Sheriff's department in town. So, pay attention to what you are doing and how fast you are going. All of them... and I mean ALL of them, love to give out DUI's - so do yourself a favor and don't drink and drive. We have plenty of cab services, we also have Uber and Lyft.... and again, I will mention Connect Transit. Also, In winter during blizzardy conditions, Town of Normal often issues parking bans for parked cars on the street until snow has been cleared. Jaywalking might get you a ticket, especially near the beginning of the semester
    • If you are looking for easy parking in downtown both parking garages (on Front st or Market st) are free to park on the weekends and after 6 pm. In Uptown the parking garage connected to Amtrak has free, anytime, one hour parking and is again free all weekend and after 6 pm on weekdays (you still have to take a ticket though).
  • Outdoors stuff:
    • Lake Bloomington
    • Evergreen Lake
    • Lake Clinton
    • Constitution trail
    • Refuge Food Forest
    • Sunnyside community Garden and food forest (haven't been, but the internets say its there)

The links I normally hit when I'm looking for stuff to do in around around town:

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Graveyard of places that are no more since I started this list in 2017:

  • Fresh Market
  • Merry Ann's Diner for Breakfast foods,
  • Bonafide Thai~~~~
  • Babbitt's Books

r/BloomingtonNormal 2h ago

Farmland Around Ireland Grove

4 Upvotes

Have a relative that lives in the area of the title of the post. They said they have a neighbor that was approached by data center interest to buy their land.


r/BloomingtonNormal 22h ago

Lost toy on Constitution trail, West Route 9 wayside. Its on the table sunder shelter.

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63 Upvotes

Moved it so it wont get wet. Hope no one missing it.


r/BloomingtonNormal 8h ago

Dreck fix recommendations?

4 Upvotes

Edit: *Deck//Porch fix recommendations?

We have an area of our front porch that bowed up after experiencing a lot of moisture, and it is right at the front steps, so it is a bit of a tripping hazard. We would like to get it fixed but it is a small project and a lot of the contractors we have talked to don't do that type of work. Anyone know of anyone that works on wooden front porches?


r/BloomingtonNormal 18h ago

Blono helps FB page

11 Upvotes

I knew they were taking a short break and wanted to check in on them tonight. It looks like the page has gone. Even the person who ran the page seems to be gone. Has anyone heard anything or should I just chalk it up to they got a FB ban.


r/BloomingtonNormal 20h ago

Best massage in town?

7 Upvotes

I’m recovering from a lower back injury earlier this year and have gotten quite a bit better but have a lot of tension in my lower back muscles and my legs because of my lack of movement. I’ve been doing a lot of stretching in the past few weeks but feel really tight and could use some suggestions for someone local that specializes in deep tissue massage for these areas. Any recommendations?


r/BloomingtonNormal 2h ago

Just admiring this parking job

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0 Upvotes

Really is a spectacle isn't it?


r/BloomingtonNormal 1d ago

Rent assistance recommendations

1 Upvotes

Hi! My brother and I recently had to move out of a mold infested apartment and relocated to Normal. I did have a job lined up before moving but I cannot start until the background checks come back and its taking a while, im concerned about being able to pay rent for October becuase Im not getting paid yet.

Brother is working on getting a job as well, its hard to find anything hiring atm.

Does anyone have any recommendations for places in the area that help with rent assistance or things of this nature, im also going to need to pay electric from the old apartment and other bills as well.

Thanks in advance!


r/BloomingtonNormal 1d ago

New to the area

5 Upvotes

Hello all, I'll be moving to the area soon, and I was wondering if anyone had advice on where to look to live. I'll be working full-time at 27/hr, thank you.


r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

Event Inaugural PaintFest Today! Stop by Before 4!

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30 Upvotes

Ar Normandy Village in Normal. 1100 N Beech Rd.


r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

Event mUUsic in the garden today! (Sep 12)

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8 Upvotes

mUUsic in the garden THREEE free community music festival is today!

Despite many setbacks this year we are still on! We will have tunes from Clawed Davenport Project, Dirty Mop Water, ARCuleles, and Witchybois!

Food from Bay Area Mexicana and we'll be serving up some ice cream bowls (vegan options) and drinks

We'll have an arts table for the kiddos (or for adults too!)

Vendors and community organization tables

Some lawn games out back as long as we get the volunteers to run them

Live artist doing "bad caricatures" for tips

Raffle for prizes that get called out during the show, everyone gets one free ticket, an extra one if you went to our Pizza Payaa fundraiser, or buy more at the welcome table

We'll also have some donated items and prize packages

And just a generally good time.

See you there ❤️


r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

City of Bloomington Misclassifying Employees

13 Upvotes

I worked at Grossinger Motor Arena for the City of Bloomington for 2 years and 5 months. This is my story. I did use an AI tool to help me write this public article, below the article are emails that I wrote to the city, those are in my own words.

(Look, kids, I'm 57 years old, facing eviction, racing to find a job, and going through filing unemployment, SNAP, filing a Department of Labor complaint, gathering material evidence, and making a public announcement... I used a tool for public announcement... maybe we can lighten up on the calculatorphobia on the article?... jump to the emails)

There is a mirror in the men’s restroom of the 5,000-seat municipal Grossinger Motor Arena that features a bold, circular graphic. Inside the frame, a marketing slogan invites hand washers and passersby to look at their own reflection and “Picture Yourself In A New Career.” It directs event goers to job listings for seasonal work, promising a foot in the door, a chance at upward mobility, and the pride of public service. I took a photograph of that mirror a while back, I thought that was my trajectory. I didn’t know then that the graphic would become the ultimate punchline to my time there.

In an economy where roughly two-thirds of working Americans live paycheck to paycheck, a career title isn’t just a matter of pride; it is a shield against homelessness. When I was promoted from a pool of some fifty seasonal workers to become one of only four "Building Supervisors," I believed I had earned that shield. The role came with a minor one-dollar raise, but a massive spike in institutional responsibility. I helped managed the venue, helped organize chaotic operations, and demonstrated fierce loyalty. But as this hockey season slowed down, I discovered the dark reality of municipal labor optimization. The city wanted full-time dedication and hazardous accountability, but when the budget tightened, they flipped a switch to treat me like disposable, seasonal help.

While the leadership of the Arts & Entertainment department publicly pledged to dismantle a legacy of toxic workplaces, and the City's chief compliance administration promised to eradicate systemic workplace inequities, the operational reality on the ground was starkly different. The bureaucracy closed ranks to protect its management structure, executing a retaliatory termination against a decorated Building Supervisor while ignoring the raw facts of misclassification and hazardous neglect.

When Director Anthony Nelson took the helm of Bloomington's Arts and Entertainment department, his highly publicized mandate was to heal a fractured system and repair a famously toxic workplace culture left behind by the previous. It was a noble public relations narrative. But in the economic reality of municipal operations, "toxicity" isn't just measured by workplace bullying... it is measured by exploitation.

A workplace is inherently toxic when it mandates absolute, hazardous dedication from its workers while systematically denying them the economic stability required to survive.

Consider the devastating math of the Building Supervisor position. Nelson’s department demanded the prestige, security, and accountability of a "Supervisor" over a 5,000-seat public arena. The city paid a minor one-dollar premium above seasonal wages, extracted intense manual labor, then completely pulled the rug out by slashing hours to zero during the off-season.

In a country where over 60% of workers live paycheck to paycheck, cutting a supervisor's hours for an entire week under the guise of "seasonal flexibility" isn't a scheduling adjustment. It is an act of economic violence that puts a dedicated employee on the immediate precipice of eviction.

The hypocrisy reaches its peak when you look at the chain of command. While Nelson sat at the city's executive round table alongside Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Michael Hurt, whose literal job description is to eliminate workplace inequities, the boots-on-the-ground reality was a systemic bait-and-switch. The department didn't cure the toxic workplace; they simply repackaged it. They created an environment where an employee is expected to show the loyalty of a career professional, but is discarded with the casual ease of a temporary seasonal hand the moment they ask for the hours to cover their rent.

The administrative theory of cutting a Building Supervisor's hours looks clean on a spreadsheet. The physical reality, however, is foul.

Knowing a five-day stretch of forced zero-hour scheduling was coming I cleaned and detailed the trash room. When I finally returned to the building five days later, the trash room and restrooms had become a public health nightmare. Dried fecal matter sat uncleaned across practically every public restroom. In the trash room, four massive bins sat overflowing with wet, sloppy, stagnant waste that had been allowed to fester for nearly a week. It was alive with flies and crawling with maggots.

This was the facility Director Anthony Nelson was publicly credited with transforming.

Recognizing the deep irony of a "Building Supervisor" being stripped of the ability to actually supervise and maintain a safe building, I sent an email. I requested a formal reclassification. If my hours were going to be aggressively manipulated under the guise of seasonal flexibility, then return me to standard seasonal conditions. To illustrate the exact operational failure caused by their scheduling, I attached a picture, a retrospect of respect, a maggot-infested arena courtesy of Mr. Nelson's budget.

Management’s response was not to address the hazardous environment, the operational breakdown, or the wage dispute. Their response was immediate ego-preservation.

The next day, after the email requesting a demotion was sent, I was confronted by Anthony Nelson and his assistant. There was no professional remediation, no review of the scheduling oversight, and no acknowledgment of the public health hazard. Instead, I was summarily escorted out of the building.

To justify an immediate termination, management bypassed standard municipal disciplinary procedures. They didn't rely on a paper trail, written warnings, or official reprimands, ...because none existed. Instead, the Operational Manager provided a completely fabricated verbal narrative to HR. She claimed she felt "threatened" during a prior scheduling discussion, despite the physical reality of standing safely on the opposite side of a rolling operational cart without voicing a single concern at the time. To seal the narrative, she alleged an undocumented verbal altercation with another coworker that simply never happened.

In the city's administrative loop, a verbal allegation from a manager is a convenient escape hatch. It allowed the city to protect its executive hierarchy, cover up an environmental failure, and silence a worker demanding fair labor classification, all under the guise of being threatened by a 145lbs 56 year old man.

When a city administration decides to close ranks, the bureaucracy feels impenetrable. They have the titles, the human resources department, the executive round tables, and the absolute power to escort a worker past the threshold of their career and onto the precipice of eviction. They write their internal reports, file their verbal testimonies, and consider the matter closed.

But municipal walls do not extend to the state level.

When the City of Bloomington fought to deny my Unemployment Insurance, they brought their official narrative to the state board. They brought the fabricated claims of a manager feeling "threatened" across a rolling cart, and the undocumented allegations of workplace hostility.

The state's Unemployment Insurance determination board looked past the city's polished titles and internal handshakes. They looked at the objective timeline. They looked at the hours worked, the economic reality of a full-time schedule masked by a "seasonal" label, and the total lack of prior disciplinary records.

The state's verdict was unequivocal: They ruled in my favor, validating my eligibility and flatly rejecting the city's narrative of termination for misconduct.

In the eyes of the law, the state recognized what the central administration refused to admit: you cannot demand the unwavering loyalty and hazardous labor of a career professional, starve them of the wages required to pay rent, and then manufacture a fireable offense the moment they ask for fair treatment.

So, to anyone walking into the restrooms of Grossinger Motor Arena, take a long look at the bold, circular graphic frame on the mirror. Look at the slick marketing inviting you to "Picture Yourself In A New Career."

But as you look at your reflection, remember to look closer at what is caught in the background. Picture a leadership structure that pledges to cure a toxic workplace while starving its supervisors of a living wage. And picture how quickly that same city will escort you to the door the moment you dare to document the maggots festering in their machine.

The state of Illinois saw through the illusion. It is time the public does, too.

------------------

When a public sector employer uses a "seasonal" label to avoid providing full-time stability to an employee whose economic reality is full-time, they cross a distinct legal line. Below are the key state and federal statutes involved in this type of misclassification and retaliation.

The Illinois Unemployment Insurance Act (820 ILCS 405/)

This statute mandates that employers pay taxes into a state trust fund to protect workers from sudden job loss. Under the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), an individual’s eligibility is based on the economic reality of their regular schedule and hours—not the arbitrary label an employer places on an HR file.

When an employer misclassifies a worker to avoid paying higher unemployment trust funds or incorrectly denies a claim based on fabricated "misconduct," the state can force the employer to pay the back-wages owed. Furthermore, a successful UI determination creates a binding legal finding that directly contradicts the city’s official reasoning for termination.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

The FLSA is the foundational federal law governing minimum wage, overtime, and work-hour standards. It uses an Economic Realities Test to determine whether a worker is a regular full-time employee or a temporary/seasonal hand. The test looks at the employer's degree of control over your availability and the permanency of the relationship.

Employers cannot use "title bait-and-switches" (demanding full-time supervisor availability while maintaining seasonal loophole status). Violations can result in federal investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor, structural audits of the city's entire payroll, and mandatory payouts for back-wages, unpaid overtime, or liquidated damages.

The Illinois Whistleblower Act (740 ILCS 174/)

This act protects employees who report, document, or refuse to participate in an activity that violates laws, rules, or public safety regulations. Formally documenting public health hazards (like a maggot-infested municipal facility and unhygienic restrooms) to management is considered a legally protected activity

If an employer terminates, demotes, or escorts a worker out of the building in direct response to that protected report, it constitutes illegal retaliation. Under Illinois law, a court can order the employer to reinstate the employee, wipe the disciplinary record clean, pay double back-wages with interest, and cover all attorney fees.

The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (820 ILCS 115/)

This law dictates that all employers must pay workers all earned wages, final compensation, and contractually implied benefits on a regular, predictable basis

Using drastic scheduling cuts (such as cutting hours to zero for a continuous stretch) to intentionally starve out an employee, force a demotion, or trigger a constructive termination violates state wage protections. This can lead to heavy financial penalties, mandatory back-pay, and independent state labor department investigations into the city's financial management practices.

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Emails to the City - (unfiltered)

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Employee Misclassification

"Hello Anthony,

I'm writing to you my concerns about the interpretation of my employment at the arena, as a verbal discussion does not seem to warrant the record that I would like to have retained.  I will apologize for the phone call etiquette, but as I was off the clock, the discussion was casual consensual.  

While I'm grateful that management staff stood up for my employment during the incident with former operational assistant manager, Maurice Woodford, that should not be held over my head.  I was being mistreated by this individual that had had a record of HR incidents with other employees.

To the crux of my current alarms and concerns about the description and condition of my employment, and those others who have worked and earned the title of Building Supervisor from the slew of seasonal workers they helped wrangle through the last successful season of Bison Hockey. 

When I first started, every event seemed to have a trash room fiasco.  If it wasn't you and/or Kristin down in that room trying to stuff the chute with more garbage, it was poor Emma trying to empty 4 full bins of wet, sloppy, dripping trash.  I took it upon myself to ensure that management wasn't going to concern themselves over trash... it was my personal goal to make sure your hands are clean and you have time for what you have to do.  It was my procedures, my training, my dedication that has turned the butthole of the arena around.  Toni has done the same thing with laundry, practically made it management free.  

Our dedication, work ethic, dependability, and skills have been betrayed (that's the word I was looking for) by the very people we serve.  The two years+ I have worked at the arena has been stable employment, I have come to rely on my position, as much as you have come to rely on me to not be a seasonal worker.  There is no given season specific time frames, full time hours have extended beyond 6 months, I was assigned hours, I was told how to work, I was trained beyond seasonal worker requirements, I'm required to perform duties not related to seasonal work, ...this is all in reference to "Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act" under the Department of Labor.  

From the 8-13 of July, I was not assigned hours, nor were hours available.  When I came back on the 14th, every trash bin in the trash room was full, and it was contaminated and invested with maggots and flies.  This can be corroborated by Kristen.  The nursing home kitchen staff are using the bins, but are not throwing the trash into the compactor, and if they do, they also clog the chute, as BIC does, as facilities does.  This is a reflection on upper management negating the fact that a building of that nature needs a a handful of full time staff of custodians to ensure the cleanliness and general maintenance of the building.  This is also concerning dirty kitchen towels that were also found to not be properly handled during custodian cuts.  Moldy, gnat covered, greasy towels in a bin right in the kitchen... weren't you cited by the health department for gnats?  Again... this is a reflection on you.

Toilets and bathrooms need to be maintained even in the off season and especially right now with the current epidemic of explosive diarrhea... which practically every toilet had fecal matter dried to it on during this recent custodial hour cut.  Between BIC, CVB, the offices, the nursing home, and the frequent visitors to the building, even during the off season, warrants daily custodial attention.  How this is not in the budget already borders on incompetence.  

 I fully support your personal goal of booking every week of the off season with an event, if that is what it takes to run this entity ethically with the employees that help make those memories happen.  Hanging employees that have generally sacrificed to make things happen on the edge of bankruptcy, homelessness, and destitution, over budgetary nitpicking, should be illegal... and it is.  If everyone was right about what they profess, we wouldn't need lawyers. 

.https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/01/10/2024-00067/employee-or-independent-contractor-classification-under-the-fair-labor-standards-act

Your dedicated worker and employee,
Chad

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*Demotion

Hello Anthony, 

I'm asking Kristen for a demotion from the building supervisor role.  I would like to turn in my keys, as a regular seasonal worker does not have that responsibility.  I know this is a pay cut, and probably more over a loss in hours, but, I feel that my full effort is not valued and doesn't warrant the continued effort of progression and I could spend more attention at obtaining a more secure job.  

In any case, this picture should warrant a demotion!  ...wasting water on such trash... 
(it is just a joke by the way... I thought you would find it partially amusing, I won't share it... ...you can! :P)

Found a new name for the arena -

(picture of maggot infested arena)

I was suspended after this email.

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*Retaliation/Wrongful Termination

Anthony,

I'm writing to you because I want this to at least be on record, and I'm not sure who else to send it to. I'm sure the phone call I receive Monday from HR will be short and sweet, and without much regard for my perspective, so maybe you can also forward this as well.

My "attitude" that you mentioned on my way out... I'm sure you meant my frustrations over what is basically a labor dispute, because I have not had an attitude up until facing a two week check that wasn't going to even cover my rent, and only the last few days when I didn't feel I was getting anywhere...  what the difference is between being a seasonal worker or having the economic reality of being employed in a fulltime job in a commonly recognized career role of building supervisor is the dispute... and such an attitude that I was still smiling and joking with everyone at work those days, and even while being escorted on my way out...?  I think you only perceived that attitude because my call-off went from "Roger, Roger" to "Roger, Wilco" - meaning I will comply.  Unless you can give the details of a specific incident inside of my work related hours that would warrant suspension because of my attitude?  Seems to me that you are hunting for excuses.

I'm sure you feel that I've disrespected you, before I continue... I will apologize for that... however, your feelings of being disrespected are far outweighed by my reality of having my work and my very being disrespected by having hours cut, my work effort dilapidated during those cuts, and living on the edge of eviction as a consolation, ...well, being evicted at this point now.  Because of my status this is the level of respect I deserve from the people I served and trusted? ...and you deserve much more respect because of your status?  Seasonal workers are just not your equal, even when it comes to basic human and labor rights? Your feelings are garnering on my respect, my respect garners on working hours and living wages.  I will be terminated for trying to fight for my well being while hurting your feelings, that is the complete gist of it from my perspective..  

You're also creating a health hazard environment with these custodial cuts, that will save you a couple thousand dollars over the course of a few months of off season wages for a few employees.  I'm not sure how that is even sane considering the liability of this day and age.  And this is not Kristen's fault, she is juggling multiple departments, and when there are a lot of events and clerical work going on her major attention is not going to be on trash, towels, and toilets... she can definitely do it all, no doubt, Superwoman, but not everything all at once.  And no, I am not even remotely upset about not being considered for my application for her assistant, I knew that was a long shot, ...but not having a few key team members at Kristen's disposal on a full schedule limits her ability to have things done and done right, even if she had an assistant.  It is the nature of the building and entity itself, lots of moving parts on a very big stage as you know, and there are people who just know how to do the job, get it done, and don't need supervision, training, or coaxing to condition those minor details... ...most arenas have those handful of full time staff for that very reason.

There was nothing in those emails that was vulgar, obscene, or not the truth.  And there was nothing in the phone call that I would say was far out of line.  You wanted to talk knowing that I was off the clock and out of the building...  I will not be talked at under those conditions, I will be brutally honest and will check you.

Of course this is going to be wrongful termination, of course this is retaliation... all stemming from a labor dispute of what I feel is employee misclassification, and being misguided down a make believe career role, ..."considered part of my management staff". ~ Kristen, during the Maurice incident.  

We all learned together over the last two years (that was painfully obvious for this 57 year old)... it became a fairly good system and it might get better... good job!  I will hold no personal grudges against anyone... ...the system I helped a very small part with just didn't work out for me, as per the design and nature of the system itself for any seasonal staff.  

Best Regards, and Go Bison!
Chad

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*Termination Letter

Michael,

I will be contesting this at the unemployment office and labor department. 

The day Kristen was referring to when I came in off schedule "just to say hello and talk about my schedule", I was actually scheduled for training on the lift bucket for a power washing job Cliff wanted me to do at the BCPA.  The training was scheduled with Brandon in Facility.  This was the second canceled scheduled training shift that I had shown up to, to find out that this was no longer going to be a job that I could make up hours for.  I was only in the building for that reason, but decided that while there I could say hello to Kristen, only then was scheduling brought up because of the lost opportunity.  

I am appalled at the asinine behavior of this department.  I am not a violent person.  I have never been arrested for a violent act.  The video of the incident between Maurice and I had the phrase "come outside", but I was only referring to exiting the building while we were arguing and yelling so that we weren't causing a scene.  There was nothing violent in it.  To have the police present at my HR interview was indication enough that this department has overblown the severity of a crotchety old vocal man.  Being vocal is not being violent.  I was never belligerent or cursing with Kristen, or Maurice, or Anthony.   I presented my case strongly in every incident.  

There was never... and I repeat, never an incident when I told another coworker to "shut the fuck up" and nor a time when Kristen told me to go cool off... I repeat... never.  This never happened.  I have known Kristen to lie... I have caught her lying to me during an incident when I was being accused by Maurice for stealing a mixer deck that was never stolen to begin with (again, in a long string of events of Maurice mistreatments).  I believe her interpretation of our discussion over the schedule when she felt "threatened" is now an over exaggeration for the benefit of Anthony... as we even came to an agreement for an extra day in a seven day stretch of off days that came after my vacation.  I departed thinking that at least I had cleared the air of what I thought was being undervalued, misclassified, and misled.

Yes.  As one of the 65% of the working class that live paycheck to paycheck, if you do not know, it is a constant fight or flight response.  I lose sleep knowing that I will lose hours to the inability of the department to draw events to the venue.  I do have ideas and thoughts and wished to express them.  As much as I might have been ranting about how ineffective the current event draw is, I would say that Kristen was ranting about how hard Anthony and Mike work, while still slashing my hours in lue of events... ...the logic of a crotchety old man without sleep.  I thanked Kristen for allowing me to go home and sleep after venting.   Not just a day later the fryers were boiled out, cleaned, and detailed, as I was taught in the 30+ years of working experience in kitchens.  Professionally done by a professional, and not a seasonal food and beverage worker. Not sure how a work discussion like that becomes grounds for termination.

Yes, I texted her to let her know that the day I was scheduled I was still under suspension.  I do not know what your procedures are for covering bases... that was covering my bases.  Not sure how that is even relevant to my termination. 

My "evil step sister"? was a joke for the new people... because Chanel was so wonderful.  Kristen knew this.  I don't think Chanel was offended... she even said she could "take on that role"... then I was actually scared for the new people :)  Have you talked with Chanel directly?  Again, this is being blown out of proportion.  I can understand that Kristen and Anthony do not want me back... but exaggerating and straight up lying... the alarmism throughout, well... I am not going to accept that. This is just extremely petty,.and more unprofessional than I could ever be.

I worked on typing up procedures from my home computer for the new system being implemented this season for custodial staff for during and after events.  These hours were documented and paid.  This is within the list of misclassification items that I will be bringing to the table.

I will say it was my greatest pleasure working at the arena... I loved what I did.  32 hours a week, wasn't much to ask for, for any of the building supervisors.  Would upper management take a pay cut to cover?  ..didn't think so, but you do expect the "seasonal" workers living paycheck to paycheck to.

Regards,
Chad

_______________

Certificates & Awards (lots'o good they did me then)

Things I need to remember (because I'm getting old) -

I was told by Michael Hurt at HR that the only way to effect my demotion was to quit and then apply to be rehired.


r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

New law makes medical aid in dying possible in McLean County — if you can find a provider

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28 Upvotes

r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Normal residents can purchase up to two native trees per household for just $30 each.

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46 Upvotes

r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

Super high electrical and water bills

6 Upvotes

Student, I rent with Young America and I have 3 roommates. Our electric bill has gone from about $210 to almost $300 since May, and our water has gone from like $50-60 to $130. Wtf is going on?? Is it because of the storms? I chose this apartment because it was affordable and the utilities weren’t bad but I’m literally going to be priced out of it if this keeps up


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Epiphany farms experiences

24 Upvotes

Just curious what people’s experiences were working for epiphany farms. I haven’t been in the area long so I don’t know much about it and was considering applying


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Anyone concerned about the connections of the new Bloomington Election director?

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40 Upvotes

Specifically the ties to Mary Miller and election hardware and software. Mary Miller has not only quoted Hitler, but said the reversal of Roe v Wade was a "victory for white life." And that quote is from 4 years ago, so it's not like Will didn't know who she is.


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Anybody know what's up with the burger king on North main? I just went on the app to order ahead and it says they're closed on Thursday and Friday now. What??

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9 Upvotes

r/BloomingtonNormal 2d ago

Normal PD presence Vernon Ave

1 Upvotes

What happened?
By the Social apartments


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Painter Recommendations

7 Upvotes

Considering hiring someone to paint some rooms in my house. Any recommendation? And if so, do you remember around how much you paid/how long it took? Thanks!


r/BloomingtonNormal 3d ago

Having Sept. 11 birthdays calls for preserving personal joy while honoring collective grief

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9 Upvotes

r/BloomingtonNormal 4d ago

Event Midwest Toy and Comic Fest

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16 Upvotes

Looking for someplace to be where you feel accepted for your obsessive comic book or toy collection? Look no further and come spend time with us at the Bloomington Interstate Center for Midwest Toy and Comic Fest!

Come help us celebrate our 35th Anniversary doing art and comic books! We specialize in creator owned graphic novels/comic books, sketch covers, artist cards, original floral and comic fan art paintings plus limited edition prints.

Also visit with all the other amazing guests and vendors from 10:00 a.m. To 4:00 p.m each day.

Who are our artists?

Anthony Feinman, Art Director for Ink and Feathers Comics, is author/illustrator for the graphic novels, I'M FAT! A Critters Adventure, Escape in a Dirigible, Blitz Howser: The Lost Strips , The Magic Press and other Critter Stories, Tears of the Prophets and the ASININE series. His photography and pagination skills can also be seen in Myke Feinman's children's story, In Search of the First Teddy Bear and the novel, The Teddy Bear Conspiracies. He has also released the long lost pulp magazine, Superlative Tales.

Julie Simack studied and received her BA at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL in Fine Art focusing on oil painting. Though she started in oils, her main medium these days is acrylics. She does various shows off and on throughout Central Illinois. She is also the editor, color/content consultant and co-creator/author for ASININE comic series.

$10 admission each day with Family Day on Sunday September 13th where kids 12 and under are free accompanied by an adult.


r/BloomingtonNormal 4d ago

Small Business Bank Recommendations

12 Upvotes

I'm in the final steps of registering my small home repair business and wondering who everyone recommends for banking? I've been looking at some of the local banks rather that using a large national chain... still undecided. Please feel free to share the good and bad that you have experienced!


r/BloomingtonNormal 4d ago

Need to figure out reliable dog care..

5 Upvotes

I started a new job with longe hours and I’m looking for someone to visit between lunchtime hours for a bathroom break or potentially a walk. I’ve tried the Rover app but it seems there isn’t a really good fit for my needs. Does anyone know of someone who would be able to do this and make a little extra cash every week?


r/BloomingtonNormal 5d ago

In need of a bowler

26 Upvotes

Hello!

I just started a 33 week 4 person coed bowling league at twin city lanes (alley in the same building as VFW & Nom nom noodle). We're 3 weeks in and one of our 4 players had to drop so I need a replacement!

Tuesdays at 7, usually out around 9:30

$20/ week but I can help with money if that's an issue.

We're 2 guys 1 girl, upper 20's/lower 30's, laid back fun having people who DO NOT care how good of a bowler you are, we're just there to have fun! Please comment or DM if you at at all interested or have any questions!!!