Feb. 23, 2026: Tornado, teacher stipends, boys hoops, host hotel

Civic Solver

Civic Solver turns Bloomington’s everyday civic life into a puzzle worth cracking—from familiar faces to local landmarks. This week’s puzzle is a jigsaw of a 2010 photo taken inside the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. If you have not tried one of these jigsaws yet, I promise you that this one is a good one to start with.

Weather Talk

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

Monday: Slow down, bundle up, and hang on to your hat. Snow flurries could make visibility a challenge from time to time and the high of 31F° coming off an overnight low of 17F° will mean you need your warmest clothes. The wind could gust up to 23 mph.

Tuesday: Flurries are unlikely, but slow down anyway, because slower is better. To start the day, you’ll still need to bundle up, but the high of 42F° means you might need to shed some of your warmest clothes before day’s end. It’s going to stay windy, with gusts up to 26 mph.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Recent articles

• Impact of state law: MCCSC to distribute larger TAG stipends, but to fewer teachers.  Ninety-nine MCCSC teachers will receive state-funded stipends of $3,500 or $5,000 under a revamped Teacher Appreciation Grant program. A new law caps awards at 20% of teachers, replacing smaller stipends that previously were distributed to almost all teachers.
• IU weather balloon launch: Data for scientists, dramatic backdrop for musicians.  A weather balloon launched Sunday from Indiana University’s Northwest Quad was part of an international forecasting effort led by professor Travis O’Brien. The release also doubled as a video shoot backdrop for local band New Semantics.
• Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  Hawk: How are city council debates like the Winter Olympics? The answer from Fish will leave you laughing until tomorrow.
• Monroe County property transfers through Feb. 19, 2026.  This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from Jan. 30 to Feb. 19, 2026. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.
• Boys Hoops: Bloomington North rides fast start to 57–50 Senior Night win over Floyd Central.  Bloomington North used a 27-point first quarter to defeat Floyd Central 57–50 extending its winning streak to four games. Derrick Cross Jr. scored 20 points and Levi Lindeman added 16 as the Cougars held off a second-half push. North closes the regular season with two home games next week.
• Tornado damages Monroe County Humane Association; animals safe, recovery underway.  An EF2 tornado with 120-mph winds damaged the Monroe County Humane Association’s facility Thursday evening, destroying a supply shed and tearing off part of the roof. Animals inside were unharmed. The nonprofit has filed an insurance claim and is seeking donations to support recovery and repairs.
• Tornado tears through Bloomington’s west side, damaging homes and businesses.  A confirmed tornado struck Bloomington’s west side Thursday evening, damaging homes, businesses and knocking out power to hundreds. Hard-hit areas included Fieldstone and West Third Street. Residents sheltered in bathrooms. Neighbors worked into the night securing damaged properties.
• ‘Back on track’: Bloomington mayor commits downtown land for convention host hotel.  After talks with Dora Hospitality collapsed, Bloomington’s mayor has pledged city-owned land south of the convention center to the CIB at no cost, reviving the stalled host hotel plan. County land transfers and swaps are also being explored before issuing a new hotel RFP.

Quick notes

B Square on Facebook. If you use Facebook as a way to stay up to speed on local news, then try following the B Square’s Facebook page.

Transcripts on CATS. A long while back, Community Access Television Services (CATS) added closed captioning to its recordings of local government meetings. The words show up on the video screen. But where can you get access to the actual text for the closed captions—for example, to find out the timestamp for the place in the meeting when a certain topic starts?

Try this. Look at the “source” of the web page for the video. In the Chrome browser menu, select View → Developer → View Source. When you see the pile of HTML in the source, look for a string that ends in “.vtt” That’s the file type for closed captioned text. That should allow you to spot the URL for the closed captioning file. For the Feb. 19, 2026 meeting of the board of park commissioners, it looks like this: https://catstv.blob.core.windows.net/videoarchive/B_BPC_260219_subtitles.vtt

Click on that link and you’ll get the timestamped closed caption file.

Showers West: Justice complex? The story of the Showers West tenants who are fighting eviction by the city of Bloomington prompts the question: What does the city want to use the space for? There’s not a plan that has been identified by the city, except that it has to be for some public purpose, to satisfy the requirements of the bond used to buy the building.

It is a little surprising that the space in Showers West has not received any mention during public discussions as a way to accommodate some of the supporting courts function for a new county jail and justice complex, if it were to be located downtown. That would be a public purpose. It’s not obvious how that might work, but it seems like it warrants a public vetting.

On the calendar

Showers West: Tenant update. Not on the 5 p.m. Monday (Feb. 23) agenda for Bloomington’s redevelopment commission is an agenda item about the tenants in Showers West, who were supposed to be out of the building last year. But it seems likely that there will be some kind of update on that topic. For B Square background, see: Two Showers West tenants fight Bloomington’s bid to terminate leases; judge weighs city’s ‘inverse condemnation’ theory

Candidate challenges. A special meeting of the election board has been called for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 24) to consider a couple of challenges brought by the Democratic Party’s county chair to Republican Party candidates. One involves a notary seal and the other involves the stated employment status of a candidate.

Monroe County 2026 budget discussion. On the 5 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 24) agenda for the Monroe County council is a discussion of the 2026 budget with the county’s financial consultant, which is Financial Solutions Group (FSG).

Route 13 funding. On the 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 24) agenda for the Bloomington Transit board, it looks like there’s an interlocal agreement between BT and the Monroe County government to fund Route 13, which is at risk of being cancelled. For B Square background, see: Route 13 bus service could end March 8, but Monroe County funding might keep it alive

No Kirkwood conversion for 2026. After some strong objections expressed by some city councilmembers, the Thomson administration seemed like it might be willing to reconsider its plan not to convert Kirkwood Avenue to exclude motorized traffic this year. For B Square background, see: Bloomington may walk back plan to keep Kirkwood open to vehicle traffic, after city council backlash But the proposal that will be considered at the 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 24) board of public works meeting is to keep the street generally open to motorized traffic, except for special events.

Candy Stripe Classic Bicycle Race: March 8. The board of public works has approved the necessary street closures for a criterium bicycle race on March 8 that is hosted by the Cycling Club at Indiana University. It’s part of a two-day event. The race is several laps around The Mill, up and down Madison and Morton streets between 10th and 11th. There’s a “family ride,” which is a chance for parents and kids to turn one lap of the course so they can get an idea of how tight those corners really are.

Zingtrain: April 1. Brought to you by the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, this is a full day of training at the Bloomington Convention Center from the world’s leading experts in customer service—Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That’s not just the chamber telling you that, it’s me—former Ann Arbor resident for two decades—telling you that. And check this out: This event is free to everybody, chamber members and non-members alike. The chamber’s event description has more details. Lunch will also be provided!

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 Mickey!

This very, very good boy is a shepherd mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Mickey:

Mickey is a sweet boy who is a bit anxious here at the shelter. He gets along with other animals and kids, and he's housetrained. What more could you want? To top it off, his greatest love is playing with tennis balls—throw a ball for him and he'll be your best buddy!

Photo Finish: Courthouse square

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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