Dec. 22, 2025: Annexation, historic protection, homeless encampments, basketball, fire protection, and more!

Civic Solver

So far, the Civic Solvers have included jigsaw puzzles and word searches. Buckle up for this week’s puzzle, because it’s a quiz! And guess what, you don’t have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the link. In the holiday spirit, here’s the link to the 5-question quiz.

Bloom Magazine food and restaurant quiz

On Thursday, The B Square botched the link to Bloom Magazine’s food and restaurant survey. The correct link to the survey is included up here at the top today, so you don’t have to hunt for it.

Weather Talk

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

Monday: Wear a warm jacket and a hat when you head out this morning, because the day will start from an overnight low of about 30F°. But things will warm up to a high of around 51F° by around 5 p.m. Take an umbrella or keep a rain jacket handy, because by late afternoon and evening the chances of rain will hit 70%.

Tuesday: Slow down. There will be patchy drizzle before 7 a.m. with patchy fog before noon. A light jacket will be plenty to keep you warm, because the overnight low from Monday will be 50F°. It will get sunnier as the day wears on and will reach a high of F°.

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

Roundup of recent articles

• Monday, Dec. 22: Possible decision on adding Bean Blossom Township to Monroe Fire District.  Monroe County commissioners could vote Monday on adding Bean Blossom Township to the Monroe Fire Protection District. The MFPD option would raise fire protection costs for Bean Blossom taxpayers by more than fourfold, while spreading part of the cost across other MFPD members.
• Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  Hawk quotes from the RFP for the convention center expansion RFP. (Because Hawk and Fish are civically engaged that way.) What does Fish say?
• Monroe County property transfers through Dec. 16, 2025.  This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from Nov. 24 to Dec. 16, 2025. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.
• Vacancies: Three depart Monroe County board of health, including chair, and 36-year member.  Three members concluded their service on the Monroe County Board of Health on Dec. 18, including longtime member George Hegeman. Their departures leave three vacancies on the seven-member board, which oversees the county health department and appoints the health officer.
• Bloomington South Panthers survive late scare, outlast North Vigo 71–68 in overtime.  After a tying 3 sent it to overtime, Bloomington South Panthers regrouped and beat Terre Haute North Vigo Patriots 71–68. Duncan Combs scored 27, hit the go-ahead 3 late, and Jack Clark added 20 as South shot 61%.
• Bloomington grows by a quarter-acre after 6–3 vote to OK owner-requested annexation.  Bloomington’s city council voted 6–3 to approve a voluntary annexation of a wooded parcel on Cory Drive, adding about a quarter-acre to the city. Neighbors warned of drainage and karst risks. New R2 zoning was also approved which would allow a duplex as a conditional use.
• Monroe County commissioners OK policy requiring 30‑day notice for clearing homeless encampments.  Monroe County commissioners have adopted a policy requiring at least a 30-days notice before clearing homeless encampments. No notices are supposed to be issued until March 2, 2026. The move followed backlash over a Dec. 1 eviction notice, with just a one-week deadline.
• 2026: Monroe County may revisit now-voided but council-OK'd donations—$30K to BEDC, $1.8K to Seven Oaks.  Two Monroe County Council-approved donations—a $1,800 award to Seven Oaks Classical School and $30,000 to the BEDC—were pulled from the county auditor’s claims docket by county commissioners, voiding the claims and forcing any payment come to from a restarted process in 2026.
• Inside MCCSC’s weather-related school closure decisions.  At Tuesday’s MCCSC board meeting, superintendent Markay Winston explained how weather-related school closures are decided, citing forecasts, road conditions, legal requirements, and safety concerns. Recent snow and extreme cold led to e-learning days and delays this month.
• Bloomington council OKs historic status for Ivan Adams House on 12th Street.  Bloomington’s city council voted 6–3 Wednesday to designate the Ivan Adams House at 115 E. 12th St. as a single-property historic district. Supporters cited Adams’ significance as a limestone sculptor; dissenters questioned whether residence alone justified historic protection.
• Indiana University to install “Keep Going” sculpture honoring Ryan White.  A sculpture honoring Ryan White will be installed at the IMU next spring. At an early-December talk, artist Melanie Cooper Pennington described the research and personal work behind “Keep Going,” a figural tribute to White, whose fight to attend school with HIV reshaped national views on AIDS.

Help Bloom Magazine choose best food, restaurants

In last Thursday’s edition of the Almost Daily Bulletin, The B Square botched the link to the survey. So we’re re-running this promotional bit in its entirety. Consider it to be like warmed up leftovers that read even better the second time around.

Listen, I know you might have survey fatigue, but this year’s survey on food and restaurants from Bloom Magazine has been revamped and improved: It’s short and crisp, and does not require a response for every single item! But best of all, each section offers a chance to comment. Here’s what associate publisher Sydney Zulich says: “You can add comments—they may be published in the magazine!” 

I think what that really means is: Please use the comment option to confess to Bloom Magazine all the weirdo stuff you like to do at different restaurants in town that make you feel at home there! For example, when I go to Uptown Cafe, what I like to do sometimes is order the waffles. Waffles come with a round pat of butter, and the waffles are garnished with strawberries and blueberries.

Here’s what you do: Take two of the blueberries and arrange them as “eyes” on the pat of butter. Then you wait patiently. When your server checks on you, point at the butter pat and say: “Look!” And when they say, “What?!” You deliver the punchline, which is: “Big Butter is watching!” It will get your day off to a hilarious start. It never gets old. Go ahead and take the survey and tell Bloom Magazine funny stories: survey link.

Puzzlefest!

Mark your calendar for Jan. 25 from noon to 4 p.m., because the Monroe County History Center is sponsoring a jigsaw puzzle competition, which will take place from 1-3 p.m. at the Switchyard Park Pavillion.

For the competition, teams of four race to complete the same 500-ish piece puzzle. The competition signup is currently open online. The registration fee for a team of four is $60 and proceeds go to support educational programming at the Monroe County History Center. But guess what: Completing puzzles can be a spectator sport. It’s free to watch the competition and participate in the puzzle sale/swap.

Starting in 2026, from Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. you can donate puzzles to the puzzle swap at the History Center.

Anyone who drops puzzles off at the History Center through Jan. 24 will avoid a wait on Jan. 25 and will get extra tickets to use in the swap.

On the calendar

Monroe County Fire Protection District. Set for Monday at 5 p.m. in the Nat U. Hill Room of the historic Monroe County courthouse in downtown Bloomington is a meeting of the county commissioners—who could decide to add Bean Blossom to the area covered by the Monroe Fire Protection District (MFPD). It’s the commissioners who have the statutory authority to make such a decision. For B Square background, see: Monday, Dec. 22: Possible decision on adding Bean Blossom Township to Monroe Fire District.

Meet Atlas!

This very, very good boy is a mix of Great Pyrenees and Labrador retriever. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Atlas:

Atlas is a very sweet and kind boy! He is FILLED with love and enjoys playing with toys or even frolicking outside. Atlas has lived with one other dog and cat, but it is crucial that he is heavily socialized with them before he can be completely comfortable. Atlas would prefer a home by himself, in which he could grow much closer to an owner this way. Atlas can be very shy in the beginning and struggles with reactivity, which is why it’s important he gets slow introductions and plenty of patience!

Photo Finish: Smith Road & 3rd Street (Office Lounge)

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

Thanks for reading. I hope your week is off to a great start!

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

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Civic Solver

Civic Solver turns Bloomington’s everyday civic life into a puzzle worth cracking — from familiar faces to local landmarks. A weekly reason to stay curious: Complete this week’s puzzle.