April 9, 2026: Election sign kerfuffle, host hotel, bus operations center, police standoff
This edition includes reports on a sign placement controversy at Election Central, a step forward on Bloomington Transit’s effort to build a new operations center, a land transfer in connection with a convention center host hotel, and an hours-long standoff with police.
Please Listen: 5 p.m. Thursday!
From 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday (April 9), WFHB news director Kade Young and I will be taking our turn during the station’s on-air fundraising drive. Set an alarm so you can listen to the whole thing!
Most radio listeners dread fundraising season—but here’s what I promise: Kade and I will deliver conversation so scintillating, so clever, so insightful, and downright inspiring, that it will be worth tuning in for the banter alone.
What would be truly fantastic is if you would make an online donation to WFHB during that half hour. Listen now: WFHB live stream.
Civic Solver
We don’t have a fresh Civic Solver game this week, but we will return next week with a new one!
Weather Talk
Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice.
Thursday: Wear sunglasses and hang on to your hat. It will be sunny, with a high near 77F°. Wind gusts could go as high as 29 mph.
Friday: Take some rain gear or any umbrella, because there could be scattered showers between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., then more scattered showers and thunderstorms after 5 p.m. It will be partly sunny with a high near 72F°.
Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system
Recent articles
- $3.6M appraisal accepted for future Bloomington Transit operations center property. Bloomington Transit is moving ahead with the purchase of property at Curry Pike and Profile Parkway for a future operations center. A $3.6M appraisal has been accepted by the owner. Environmental concerns from a history of PCBs are expected to be addressed in part by a "comfort letter" from the IFA.
- Campaign sign kerfuffle marks early voting launch at new Monroe County location. Early voting for the May 5 primary began Tuesday morning at Monroe County’s lone early voting site, the North Showers building in downtown Bloomington. A controversy over the placement of campaign signs came to the surface when Bloomington officials objected.
- Bloomington police arrest woman after hours-long standoff on South Rockport Road. Around 10:30 p.m. Monday, Bloomington police arrested a 37-year-old woman after an hours-long standoff at a home on South Rockport Road. Police say she chased a man from the house with kitchen knives and barricaded herself inside before officers eventually took her into custody.
- Bloomington RDC OKs transfer of parking lots to CIB, as step toward potential host hotel. Bloomington’s RDC approved transferring convention-center parking parcels to the Monroe County capital improvement board to support a planned host hotel for the convention center expansion. The land will revert to the city if it is not used for convention-center-related purposes.
Quick notes
Hopewell South PUD: City council, RDC joint meeting. Bloomington’s city council already had a work session on its calendar for April 15, to talk about the Hopewell South PUD. That’s now expected to be a joint work session with the Bloomington redevelopment commission, which is the land owner and petitioner in for the requested PUD rezone. The work session is set to start at 6:30 p.m. The council is expected to take up the question of the Hopewell South PUD again on April 22. For B Square background, see: Hopewell South PUD pushed to April 22 as Bloomington council, mayor spar over conditions.
Keep track of early voting trends: Historic levels? Early voting started on April 7. Monroe County’s GIS team is maintaining a dashboard showing day-by-day early voting totals—compared to the same days in past mid-term election years all the way back to 2006.
Through two days of early voting (Tuesday and Wednesday) the 339 ballots cast so far outpace by 40% the next-highest year’s total (2018) for the first two days, which was 241. It’s just two days, but it could point to one of the biggest turnouts in recent history. The 8 a.m.–6 p.m. schedule is good for weekdays before the primaries on May 5. There are some Saturdays on the schedule but not this week. Here’s a link to the complete schedule. Remember, there’s a new early voting location—in the North Showers building at 9th Street and Morton Street.
April 7 jail deadline slips. The Monroe County council gave itself an April 7 deadline to “identify the funding source for ... construction” of a new jail. That’s not actually the date of a county council regular meeting. In any event, the deadline slipped past without any fanfare. The next county council meeting on the calendar is April 14. That’s when council could also have on its agenda a transfer of land to the Monroe County CIB for a new host hotel for the convention center.
Website search upgrade. In the last couple of weeks, you might have noticed that the search tool for the B Square Bulletin’s website (upper left on the screen) has been upgraded to include the full text of the articles, not just the headlines. Of course, that’s a basic expectation of any website visitor, which means the functionality went from pretty terrible to about average. Still, it’s better than before, so we will count that as a win.
On the calendar
Agenda for commissioners? Monroe county commissioners have a 10 a.m. Wednesday (April 8) meeting on their calendar, but as of 12 hours before the meeting is set to start, I don’t see an agenda posted on the website. The draft agenda includes three items: a $30,730 contract with Graber Post Buildings to repair storm damage and replace aging siding on the Karst Farm Park recreation barn; a $10,000 agreement with former deputy prosecutor Rich Hansen to help train IU Police cadets at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy; and a not-to-exceed $50,000 contract with Signal Construction for maintenance, inspections, and emergency service for county traffic signals and trail-crossing beacons.
Nerd Nite: April 9. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bishop Bar, the next edition of Nerd Nite features presentations on “Aphrodisiacs: A History, A Science, A Folktale,” “Tracking the ‘Misinformation Beat’ In the Press,” and “What’s in a Month?”
Trashion Refashion: April 12. Trashion Refashion has announced the release of ticket sales for this year’s event, which is set for April 12, at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Organizers describe the event like this: “This beloved event blends high fashion with sustainability, showcasing over 50 original, upcycled designs modeled by a diverse cast of community members. A highlight of Bloomington’s arts scene since 2010, the show promotes environmental sustainability and artistic creativity while challenging conventional notions about beauty and consumerism.” It’s a fundraiser for the Center for Sustainable Living. There’s more information in the link to the news release, but here’s a direct link to purchase tickets.
Ms. Lake Lemon: May 16. Start your training regimen now. This amazing contest of skill is to be held at Riddle Point Park this year. Monitor the Ms. Lake Lemon Facebook page for details, as they become available. The B Square covered last year’s inaugural event.
Meet Junior!
This very, very good boy is mix of husky and shepherd a. Here’s what the shelter staff have written for Junior:
Hello! I’m Junior. I might be shy when we first meet—strangers make me nervous, and I prefer to take things slow. But once I know I can trust you, I promise to be your most loyal, affectionate shadow. My favorite things in life are simple: a long walk to sniff the world and an epic game of fetch! I absolutely love chasing balls and I’m pretty good at bringing them back, too! I’m looking for a patient, loving home that will give me the time I need to come out of my shell. If you have a quiet spot on the couch and a tennis ball, I’m your guy!"
Photo Finish: Courthouse square
Two students take advantage of the warm day and flat surface of the courthouse lawn to paint signs for Culture Shock 2026. The April 11 event at Dunn Meadow marks the 40th year that WIUX has hosted this annual music and culture festival. The students said they lived in an apartment near the square. (Mary Morgan, March 31, 2026)
The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website.
Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great weekend!
Dave Askins
734-645-2633
dave@bsquarebulletin.com
Sponsors stand with local civic journalism
The B Square Bulletin is made possible by financial supporters who believe in informed, engaged communities. Learn more about how you can help ensure The B Square survives to serve Bloomington residents now and for generations to come.
Comments ()