Dec. 25, 2025: Fire protection, holiday downtime, biscuits and gravy

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.

Weather Talk

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

Thursday: Slow down. There will be potential patchy and dense fog through the early afternoon. You’ll be fine with a light jacket when you head out, because the overnight low from Wednesday will just be around 57F°. And that’s just about where the temperature will stay the whole day, but could get up to around 60F°. It’s going to be misty and drizzly through the day.

Friday: Slow down. Patchy fog could persist until noon. Take something that will keep you dry—rain jacket or umbrella. Your rain jacket will probably keep you warm enough, too—the overnight low from Thursday will be around 51F°. There will be a 50% chance of rain—between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. But it will gradually become mostly sunny, with a high near 66F°. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph.

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

Roundup of recent articles

• Column: Fill holiday downtime by taking Bloom Magazine’s food and restaurant survey.  With holiday downtime to fill, here’s a low-stakes suggestion: take Bloom Magazine’s revamped food and restaurant survey. It’s short, flexible, and lets you explain why a place matters to you—how it tastes, how it feels, maybe even why it tastes like love.
• Bean Blossom added to Monroe fire district, sparking sharp words from Ellettsville leaders.  A 3–0 vote by the Monroe County commissioners will move Bean Blossom Township into the Monroe Fire Protection District in 2027, quadrupling fire taxes. The decision sparked sharp criticism from Ellettsville officials, who say it complicates their ongoing consolidation talks with Richland Township.
• Editor’s Notebook: Embrace our shared geography, please do not let me die with stickers left over.  Christmas week is quiet in Bloomington, giving the editor time to confront an envelope of unused B Square stickers. There’s no form or QR code—just a bag of stickers. See me out and about around town, say “Hey Dave, gimme a sticker,” and you’ll get one.

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.

Meet Jolly!

This very, very good boy is a husky. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Jolly:

This silly boy is all husky-playful, energetic and a ton of fun! Jolly loves squeaky toys and goofing around. Thankfully he's very treat motivated which helps a ton here at the shelter. If you want playfulness with a touch of sass Jolly is ready to help!

Photo Finish: 11th Street & Madison Street (The Mill)

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

Thanks for reading. Merry Christmas! 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 our supporters and how you can get involved.

Trusted by renters for more than 30 years, Renaissance Rentals is proud to support independent journalism that helps our community thrive.

Bloom Magazine proudly joins The B Square Bulletin in its mission to give Bloomington’s residents “the information they need to help our community thrive.” Look for Dave Askins’ “At City Hall” column in every issue.

Myers Croxton Group supports the B Square Bulletin and its independent journalism. We’re proud to have designed its visual identity and for creating distinctive brand identities for the clients and organizations we represent.

WFHB is Bloomington's volunteer-powered, community radio station broadcasting in south-central Indiana and streaming at wfhb.org. WFHB believes in the importance of independent journalism and proudly supports The BSquare Bulletin.

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.