Aug. 7, 2025: Stop signs, traffic crash, mold cleanup, convention center sewer fight

Weather

Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice.

Thursday: Drive slower. That way you can deal with the areas of fog that could obscure the road before 9 a.m. Otherwise it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 88°F.

Friday: Drink a bunch of water, and wear something light. It will be hot and dry starting on Friday with a forecasted high of 90°F and clear sunny skies. That's the same forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system.

Roundup of recent articles

• Pedestrian killed in crash at 3rd and Liberty; Bloomington police investigating.  According to a Wednesday (Aug. 6) news release, Bloomington police are investigating a Tuesday afternoon crash that killed a pedestrian. The pedestrian was walking north across 3rd Street and was struck by a Jeep turning west (left) from Liberty Drive onto 3rd Street.
• Bloomington city engineer gives 180-day order, puts stop signs at 2 intersections near IU campus.  Starting next Monday (Aug. 11), road users headed north or south along Indiana Avenue at 13th Street will see something new—a stop sign. The same goes for travelers in both directions on Woodlawn Avenue at 13th Street.
• Hopewell: Bloomington OKs mold cleanup at potential police HQ, small study of parking garage.  At Monday’s meeting of Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC), two big existing structures that sit currently unused in the Hopewell neighborhood were the focus of separate agenda items. One is the former IU Health parking garage. The other is the former Bloomington Convalescent Center.
• MCCSC students head back to school with Extended Day funded—for now.  Monroe County schools are back in session this Wednesday. As in years past, children in kindergarten through sixth grade can participate in MCCSC’s Extended Day program, before and after school.
• Convention center construction bids OK’d under budget, but sewer standoff simmers with City of Bloomington Utilities.  Monroe County’s CIB got good news about the final round of bids for the convention center expansion. The total for construction contracts landed under the $52-million budget. But Wednesday’s good news was tempered by a report about the status of sewer line negotiations between the CIB and CBU.

Quick notes

www.in.gov/counties/monroe/ Monroe County’s new website is up, but the redirect for the old domain name was not working last I checked. Here’s link to the new Monroe County government website domain: https://www.in.gov/counties/monroe/

On the calendar

Election board meeting. On the calendar for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 7) is a meeting of the Monroe County election board. No agenda is yet posted. But one bit of news out of that meeting will be: Who attends the meeting as the Monroe County Democratic Party’s appointee, filling the party’s vacancy on the three-person board?

Bloomington Summer Soulfest. Upland Brewing will play host to the Bloomington Summer Soulfest on Saturday (Aug. 9) which will include performances by The Dynamics, King Bee & The Stingers, Matixando, Big Dog, Keith Beatty, and a special feature from Birdena Lee Oakley as the “Featured Artist at Large.” For tickets and times see Eventbrite.

Bloomington mayor’s traveling office hours. You can set up a 15-minute appointment with Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson at Hopewell Commons on Tuesday, Aug. 19 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required using an online calendar.

Hello, you must be going! The play “An Evening with Groucho” is coming to Bloomington Aug. 16–17, with four performances at Constellation Playhouse, presented by Jewish Theatre of Bloomington and The Hundredth Hill. If you're a young person who often tells older folks, “That was before I was even born,” you might not even know who Groucho Marx was. And you might wonder who said stuff like “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member,” or “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” This show is for you.

The show is performed by award-winning actor Frank Ferrante who delivers a family-friendly one-man show, full of favorite rapid-fire one-liners, stories, and songs. Families and kids are encouraged to dress like Groucho at the matinee shows. Photos of whole families dressed like Groucho would be perfect for the "Be There" section of The B Square. Tickets can be purchased online or at Bloom Magazine;s office: 414 West 6th Street.

Tire amnesty day. The Monoe County waste reduction district is holding a tire amnesty day so that Monroe County residents can dispose of tires in an environmentally responsible manner, for free. Restrictions apply to certain types of tires. Tire collection will be held Saturday Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Monroe County Fairgrounds, 5700 W. Airport Rd, in Bloomington. A maximum of eight tires will be allowed per vehicle per trip. Monroe County residents only. No commercial haulers, businesses, churches, schools, landlords, etc.

Meet Jefferson Jones!

This very, very good boy is a mix of bully breed and labrador retriever. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Jefferson Jones:

Jefferson Jones is the ultimate Velcro dog. His favorite hobby is sitting on peoples' laps and giving them kisses all over. Watching a movie? Jefferson will be right there next to you, politely asking to share the popcorn. He's an energetic lovebug, who would love to make himself comfortable on your couch!

Photo Finish: College Avenue & 6th Street

The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website.

The geographic coverage of the B There section is pretty limited. Please consider occasionally contributing to the B There section some brief factual observations about the world outside your own head, as you go about your normal business. (Photos are optional for B There.) The mechanics of making a contribution are pretty straightforward—just let me know if you'd like to learn the ins and outs. If you’re looking at this bulletin in your email inbox, you should be able to reach me by hitting Reply.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!

Dave Askins
734-645-2633
dave@bsquarebulletin.com