July 2, 2026: Host hotel, ICE-detainer injunction, jail-site scoring, independent assessor bid

Civic Solver

This week’s puzzle is a 15-question multiple choice news quiz. If you have read most of The B Square’s news reports and included the Sunday Funnies, you will have no trouble acing this quiz. Just try not to brag too much about it, or how fast you finished it!

Weather Talk

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

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning through Friday (July 3) evening. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun. Check on relatives, neighbors, friends, and colleagues at work. If someone checks on you, don’t lie about feeling fine. Tell them what you need. For some of you, being helpful will come naturally. For others of us, we have to work at it, and this will be a chance to try out being nicer than we usually are.

Thursday: Slow down. It’s not going to rain. But take an umbrella to ward off the sun. It’s just hot. The high will be around 93F°.

Friday: Slow down even more. The high will be around 94F°.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Recent articles

• Photos: Bloomington Convention Center expansion construction.  College Avenue south of 3rd Street was closed to traffic starting Tuesday (June 30) for continued construction of the skywalk that will connect the convention center expansion project to the existing facility. Here’s a view of construction on the project through the lens Kelton O’Connell.
• CIB narrows Bloomington convention center host hotel field to Dora, MHG.  Bloomington’s CIB advanced host hotel proposals from Dora Hospitality and MHG Hotels for July 8 interviews, keeping a July 15 developer vote on track for Seminary Pointe. The move further dims hopes for a College Square land swap that could preserve Seminary Pointe for affordable housing and retail.
• Monroe County sheriff wins narrow injunction against Indiana ICE-detainer law.  A Monroe County special judge blocked AG Todd Rokita from enforcing SEA 76’s ICE-detainer compliance mandate against sheriff Ruben Marté, finding a likely Fourth Amendment conflict. The narrow preliminary injunction applies only to Marté while the state case continues.
• Trimble clears signature hurdle to make independent run for Monroe County assessor.  Lisa Jeneé Trimble submitted enough signatures to run for Monroe County assessor as an independent, pending a CAN-20 filing. Her ballot bid could revive an election board complaint by incumbent Judy Sharp, while Trimble’s wrongful-termination lawsuit against Monroe County continues.
• Jail site committee will score renovation-plus-Curry option for Bloomington location.  Bloomington’s jail-site committee finalized evaluation metrics Monday and added a renovation option combining the current jail with the Curry Building. The panel will weigh size, utilities, costs, floodway limits, transit and service access, with more meetings set before a mid-July recommendation.
• 3 MCCSC board incumbents to run unopposed in 2026.  Three MCCSC board seats are up for election in 2026, and all three incumbents—Erin Wyatt, Ashley Pirani and Aja Jester—are running unopposed. District 7 briefly had a challenger, but Cole Pospisil withdrew after Hatch Act concerns tied to Indiana’s new school board party-label law.

On the calendar

Preparation for jail litigation. On the 10 a.m. Wednesday (July 2) meeting agenda for Monroe County commissioners is a letter of representation for an attorney to give legal advice to commissioners if the county government is sued over current conditions at the jail.

Not explicitly on Thursday’s agenda is any discussion of the participation by commissioners in the Collaborative Justice Project Working Subcommittee Meeting, which is supposed to make a recommendation on a jail site inside city limits by mid-July. But the topic might get handled in the context of the “Appointments” section of the agenda.

Friday (July 3) Holiday. The July 4 holiday is observed by government offices on Friday (July 3). So remember to take care of your business on Thursday.

Fourth of July Parade. Bloomington’s Independence Day parade takes place Saturday (July 4) in downtown Bloomington. The Bloomington Community Band performs on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn at 9 a.m. The parade begins at 10 a.m. The route starts and ends at 10th Street and College Avenue.

Monroe County Fair: June 27–July 4. The county fair has a schedule of events that runs through Saturday.

Carwash fundraiser: July 18. Is your car filthy? Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana invites the community to support the 17th Annual Crew for Kids fundraiser on Saturday, July 18, 2026, with a rain date of Saturday, July 25. For one day only, visit a participating Crew Carwash location and purchase an Ultimate or Ultimate 360 wash. Fifty percent of the cost will be donated directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters, helping join Bigs and Littles together for effective mentorship and impacting lives for the better through meaningful one-to-one relationships. Bloomington participants can visit Crew Carwash at 235 South Pete Ellis Drive or 3430 West 3rd Street.

Meet Nelly!

This very, very good girl is an unidentified mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Nelly.

I am a shy but sweet girl who loves to jump, play, and do zoomies. I'd love to cuddle up to my new best friend!

Photo Finish: Walnut Street & Kirkwood Avenue

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

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great weekend!

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

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