Jan. 12, 2026: Jail lawsuit, wrongful termination, basketball, football, ICE protest
In this edition: The rundown of recent articles includes reports on the 2008 jail lawsuit and a more recent wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a Monroe County employee. Also: Peach Bowl and upcoming high school men’s basketball.
Civic Solver
This week the link to the Civic Solver is in its usual place at the bottom of the Almost Daily Bulletin. (It’s a word search!)
B Square corporate sponsorships are now open
Since late 2025, we’ve been testing a sponsorship model that allows local organizations to support independent civic reporting without advertising. That model is now in place, and we’re making it part of how The B Square will be expanded and sustained for the future.
Corporate sponsorships are monthly commitments, publicly acknowledged as civic support—not ads. Some organizations will participate at a modest level. Others will contribute more. All sponsorships support accountability reporting in Bloomington and Monroe County.
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Weather Talk
Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice.
Monday: Bundle up before you head out this morning, because the day will start from an overnight low in the low 20s. But plan on shedding some of those warm clothes through the day, because the high will reach 44F° Hang on to your hat, because there will be wind gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tuesday: You’ll still need a layer to stay warm in the morning, because the overnight low will dip down to freezing. But the day will be mostly sunny, with a high near 51F°. Mind your headgear again, because wind gusts could get up to 24 mph.
Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system
Recent articles
- Live Hoops Updates: Bloomington North vs. Bloomington South (Jan. 12, 2026). This is where live updates to the men's basketball game between Bloomington North and Bloomington South will be posted, starting around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2026.
- Photos: Protesters rally on Bloomington courthouse square after ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Photos from Sunday’s protest in freezing weather show about 150 people gathered at the southeast corner of the courthouse square in downtown Bloomington, chanting against the killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
- Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish. What commentary do Hawk and Fish have about the Peach Bowl result?
- Monroe County property transfers through Jan. 8, 2026. This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from Dec. 17 to Jan. 8, 2026. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.
- Photos: Kirkwood Avenue Peach Bowl victory celebration. After Indiana University’s 56–22 Peach Bowl win over Oregon, fans spilled onto Kirkwood Avenue near Dunn Street to celebrate, chanting “Hoo! Hoo! Hoosiers!” Fox 59 filmed the scene as police and a transit bus quietly managed traffic and kept the crowd safe.
- Monroe County employee lawsuits: Judge dismisses one complaint, leaves open narrow wrongful termination question. A judge has dismissed one lawsuit by former Monroe County employee Lisa Jeneé Trimble and sharply narrowed another, but left in play a wrongful-termination claim against the county auditor in her official role. All other defendants and legal theories were dismissed.
- Years-old jail lawsuit against Monroe County nearing end, but ACLU signals potential new case based on current conditions. A settlement over unconstitutional overcrowding at the Monroe County Jail is set for a final 90-day extension, pending court approval. After that, the case is supposed to be dismissed—clearing the way for a new lawsuit, as the ACLU warns jail conditions remain dangerous and unresolved.
On the calendar
North-South basketball. The men’s basketball game between crosstown rivals Bloomington North and Bloomington South was shifted to Monday night at 7:30 p.m. because it had originally been scheduled for last Friday night, when the Peach Bowl was played.
Sean McAvoy will be there for the B Square in person to do the writeup of the hoops contest. Kelton O’Connell will be there to capture images. From the plan commission meeting, I will monitor a video live stream and provide realtime updates: Live Hoops Updates: Bloomington North vs. Bloomington South (Jan. 12, 2026)
Hopewell rezone, North Dunn plat. On the 5:30 p.m. Monday (Jan. 12) meeting agenda for the Bloomington plan commission are two significant items. One is a plat approval for an 18-lot subdivision of 4 acres for 3 common area lots and 15 residential lots in the Residential Medium Lot (R2) zoning district. It looks like there are enough unclear issues for planning staff that probably no action will be taken by the commission on Monday night, and it will instead get a second hearing.
A second hearing will also likely be in the works for a requested PUD (planned unit development) rezone for the Hopewell South neighborhood. The petitioner for that case is the Bloomington redevelopment commission, because it’s the owner of the real estate. For B Square background, see: Hopewell South PUD pitched as path to homeownership, heads to plan commission in 2026, gets first city council scrutiny
Status of new jail project. There is not an item related to the planned new county jail on the 5 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 13) meeting agenda for the Monroe County council. But before the regular meeting, there is an executive session scheduled (closed to the public) on the topic of the pending litigation related to the ACLU settlement agreement of the 2008 lawsuit. It seems pretty likely that the topic of the planned jail, in particular the location, will get some airtime during the council’s discussion time. For recent B Square background see: Years-old jail lawsuit against Monroe County nearing end, but ACLU signals potential new case based on current conditions
Routeware recycling software. On the 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 13) meeting agenda for the board of public works is a $17,728 item for software that “provides digital education and website outreach tools that enhance municipal sanitation and recycling operation capabilities to the public.” Maybe the board will ask some questions that help explain how that description of the contract is worth $17,728.
UDO revisions. On the city council’s 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 14) meeting agenda are two ordinances that would make changes to the city’s unified development ordinance (UDO).
One revises eligibility rules, qualifying standards, and defined terms related to planned unit developments (PUDs). The changes are intended to tighten and clarify when PUD zoning may be used and how such proposals are evaluated. The other ordinance revises the rules for affordable-housing incentives and payments made in lieu of providing affordable units. For B Square background see: Bloomington plan commission splits on payment-in-lieu rule, backs lower income thresholds for affordable units.
Chilly Cookoff! Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard will host its annual “Chilly” Cook-Off on Friday, Jan. 23, from 5–7 p.m. at the Switchyard Pavilion (1601 S. Rogers St.) to kick off Freezefest. The event will feature chili samples from 24 community chefs and a People’s Choice vote.
Tickets are $25 for ages 11 and up (children 10 and under free) and include all chili samples, a voting ticket, the option to enter the “Some Like It Hot” spicy chili challenge, and palate-cooling treats. Tickets are available online and at the door, with a bar hosted by Upland. Proceeds support Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. Tickets and chef registration are available at mhcfoodpantry.org/chilly-cookoff.
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 Luigi!
This very, very good boy is a mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Luigi:
Found abandoned with his buddy Mario, Luigi has been working hard to build confidence—and he’s coming out of his shell more each day. Mario has already been adopted, but Luigi is still searching for a patient family who will help him continue growing into the goofy, lovable character he’s destined to be. Once he warms up, Luigi becomes an ultra-snuggly lap dog (all 75 pounds of him) and happily leans into his silly side. He’s a loyal, gentle companion who just needs someone to cheer him on as he keeps discovering how fun the world can be.
Photo Finish: Kirkwood Avenue & Walnut Street
The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website. We’ve redone the layout of the section so that you can scroll through the posts and view the images at a large size (not thumbnails) and read the whole synopsis without clicking through to each one. We hope that improves the experience for you.
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
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