Jan. 22, 2026: Convention center hotel, Coretta Scott King, football championship

Civic Solver

I botched the link to the jigsaw puzzle on Monday so here it is, right where you can find it: jigsaw puzzle.

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Weather Talk

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

Thursday: You’ll need a warm coat and a hat to start the day, coming off an overnight low of 23F°. But things will get above freezing, with a high near 33F°.

Friday: Track down all your warmest snuggly things, because even though the Thursday evening temperature will stay in the mid 20s until after midnight, from there it will start dropping until it hits 9F° by 8 a.m. Friday. It will stay about that cold through the whole day Friday, and then dip down to around 5F° Friday night.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch, which is in effect from Saturday morning (Jan. 24) through Sunday evening with heavy snow. Total snow accumulations between 4 and 7 inches are possible.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Recent articles

• Feb. 5 meeting to review Dora ‘south option’ convention center hotel; mayor’s news release leaves CIB head ‘baffled’.  The Monroe County CIB will hold a special meeting Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. to consider Dora Hospitality’s proposal to build a 200-room hotel on city-owned parcels south of the existing convention center. CIB president John Whikehart criticized Mayor Kerry Thomson’s related news release as factually wrong.
• Bloomington MLK celebration highlights Coretta Scott’s activism and unfinished work.  At Bloomington’s MLK celebration Jan. 19, UC Davis historian Traci Parker urged the audience to see Coretta Scott King as a central architect of the movement, not simply MLK’s widow. The program also honored Ruth Aydt with the MLK Legacy Award.
• Watching IU win the national football championship: View from inside Nick’s English Hut.  Indiana football finished 16–0 by beating Miami 27–21 in the national title game Monday night (Jan. 19). Many fans watched the final moments unfold on the TVs at Nick’s English Hut on Kirkwood Avenue. Photographer Amy Mason documented the scene for The B Square.
• Indiana University claims first college football national championship: View from inside Assembly Hall.  Indiana capped a perfect 16–0 season Monday night, beating Miami 27–21 to claim the program’s first national title. Thousands packed Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for a watch party. Despite subfreezing temps outside, the celebration inside stayed orderly through the final whistle.
• Photos and video from Kirkwood Avenue: Post-game national championship celebration.  IU football beat Miami 27–21 Monday night. Afterward, Kirkwood Avenue from Grant to Indiana filled shoulder-to-shoulder with celebrating fans. Two couches were set on fire, and Nick’s English Hut’s guttering was damaged as people climbed to the roof. By 1:15 a.m., the crowd began to thin.
• Downtown Bloomington watch-party rush: Lines wrap blocks as IU plays for football national title.  Downtown Bloomington sidewalks filled Monday morning as IU fans bundled against 11°F temperatures, camping outside Brothers, Nick’s, Kilroy’s and other bars for seats to watch IU vs. Miami for the national title. Some arrived Sunday night. Buskirk-Chumley is an overflow option.

Quick notes

Choice of buses to block off Kirkwood. During small talk before the start of Bloomington Transit’s board meeting, I learned how the bus was chosen that was used to block off Kirkwood Avenue Monday night, to keep cars out of the roadway during the celebration of IU’s football national championship buses. It was the oldest vehicle in the fleet, in case there was any damage done.

Political races shaping up. Based on the county election supervisor’s report of candidate filings on Wednesday, there are several races shaping up for this year’s local primaries.

On the Democratic Party’s side, the nomination for the District 1 county commissioner’s seat will be contested at least between Trent Deckard and David Henry. The nomination for county assessor will be contested at least between Bob Nyquist and incumbent Judy Sharp. The nomination for county clerk will be contested at least between Tanner Branham and Tree Martin Lucas. The nomination for county council District 2 will be contested at least between Joe Davis and incumbent Kate Wiltz. The nomination for Perry Township trustee will be contested at least between Leon Gordon and Eric Petry.

On the Republican Party’s side, the nomination for the three Richland Township board seats will be contested at least between Traves Conyer, Elaine Thomsen, Jay Thrasher, David Willibey. The nomination for Clear Creek Township trustee will be contested at least between incumbent Thelma Kelley Jeffries, Ty Mungle, and Steven Hinds.

On the calendar

$2.7-million paving contract. On the 10 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 22) meeting agenda for the county commissioners is approval of a $2.7-million paving contract with Milestone Contractors. It’s basically the only substantive item on the agenda, which could make for a very short meeting.

Joint meeting: Discussion of county jail planning. County commissioners and county councilors have a 6:30 p.m. meeting set for Thursday (Jan. 22) to discuss planning for the county jail. It will be interesting to see how things unfold, and whether the two groups of elected officials will be able to review the specifics of their impasse, to sort through where things might or might not budge.

There is a fear that has been expressed that the future of Monroe County’s jail planning could wind up in the hands of a federal judge, if the current settlement agreement is allowed to lapse. I hope that sometime soon, maybe even at Thursday’s meeting, the commissioners and the councilors will get a public briefing on the topic of how much power a federal court potentially has to determine the future of Monroe County’s jail. There are clear constraints laid out in federal code.

Vacancy caucus for Perry Township trustee: Jan. 31 According to Monroe County Democratic Party chair Chrissie Geels, the vacancy caucus to replace Dan Combs for the remainder of his term as Perry Township trustee will be held at 2 p.m. on Jan. 31 in city council chambers. Two potential names have surfaced for consideration so far, through their filings as candidates for trustee in the Democratic Party’s primary in 2026: Eric Petry and Leon Gordon.

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 Fernando Mendoza!

This very, very good boy is a bully breed mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Fernando Mendoza:

Celebrity Status: yes. Cuteness factor: maximum. This sweet young guy is ready to wriggle and party his way into your heart!

Photo Finish: Courthouse square

The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website. We’ve reworked 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 you have a great weekend!

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.