July 24, 2025: Panic buttons, countywide buses, hot weather
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Weather
Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice:
Thursday: Wear the lightest outfit you own that does not violate indecent exposure laws. The 92°F high temperature combined with the humidity will make for a predicted heat index of 108°F. Consider just staying home. That’s not a joke. Ask if you really need to be out and about today. Make a phone call. Send a text. Leaving the house without an umbrella is worth the risk, because the chance for isolated thunderstorms is after 4 p.m. and it’s only 10–20% . But don’t forget that umbrellas make great sun shades. The NWS has issued a heat advisory on July 24 from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. That means heat index values up to 108°F. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
Friday: It’s more of the same from Thursday, but with a better chance for thunderstorms. Through most of the day on Friday there’s a 10–20% chance of isolated thunderstorms but that increases to 30–50% from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system.
Roundup of recent articles
- North, South high school teachers and staff to wear panic buttons in coming school year. Coming to Bloomington’s two largest high schools this fall are wearable panic buttons for all staff members. MCCSC plans to eventually expand the technology to schools in addition to Bloomington High School North and Bloomington High School South.
- Looming shift in local income tax: Bloomington public buses will need county government help, service outside city expected. The Bloomington Transit board’s regular monthly meeting included an initial look at the 2026 budget and a financial advisor’s briefing on a new state tax law—both important items in their own right. More significantly, board commentary indicated a strong interest in countywide service, because of the new law.
- Predicted 99° heat index, bad air quality alert: Monroe County to open cooling sites. With a forecasted high temperature of 92°F and a heat index of 99°F on Wednesday, Monroe County emergency management staff have announced that 10 cooling centers will be open across the county in fire stations and public library locations. The forecast has become more grim since the time the article was published.
- Monroe County Democrats elect Geels as chair, eye 2026 elections. At a caucus held on Sunday afternoon at Bloomington city hall, the Monroe County Democratic Party elected Chrissie Geels its new chair. She is replacing Samuel Ujdak, who resigned in the third week of June, three and a half months after being elected, citing personal reasons
On the calendar
Naming of donated land: Monroe County Nature Preserve. On the 10 a.m. Thursday (July 24) meeting agenda for the Monroe County commissioners is an item that would give a name to about 400 acres of donated land: Monroe County Nature Preserve. The property is bounded by Smith Road, Moores Pike, and State Road 446. The donation comes with the requirement that the land be used for recreational purposes.
It looks like links to commissioner meeting agendas are no longer being included in the calendar items. The best place now to retrieve agendas and meeting information packets for the board of commissioners is through a preset search.
Bloomington mayor’s traveling office hours. You can set up a 15-minute appointment with Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson at Hopewell Commons (332 W. University St., Bloomington, IN 47401) on Tuesday, Aug. 19 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required using an online calendar.
Repeat weather warning siren test. A re-test of the Monroe County outdoor warning sirens will take place Friday, July 25, 2025, at noon. According to the Monroe County emergency management office the reason for the repeated test is a “communication error” that occurred during the regular monthly test on Friday, July 11.
AI and natural language processing. The Quantum AI and NLP 2025 Conference is scheduled for Aug. 6–8, 2025, at the Indiana University Memorial Union here in Bloomington. This event will promote AI and natural language processing (NLP) approaches using quantum computing. It aims to bring together experts from academia, industry, and government. The agenda includes keynote speakers from major tech companies like NVIDIA, IBM Quantum, and Microsoft. The conference website includes registration information.
How to apply for Monroe County’s Sophia Travis social services grants. On July 29 at 5 p.m. in the Nat U. Hill Room at the historic county courthouse, the county government is hosting a meeting to explain how to apply for Sophia Travis grants.
Meet Andy!
I wonder how this dog barks. Does he say “Bow wow!” or “Woof!” or ... “Ruff!” This very, very good boy is an Anatolian shepherd that does not seem to have aspirations to run for city council. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Andy.
This Andy is just dandy! He's a young dog whose overall temperament has been quite chill but he's happy to show his silly playful side when you take time to hang out with him. This is quite a special pup if you're looking for a bigger fluffy friend, as Andy has done excellent in playgroup but his puppy exuberance can be too much for more reserved or smaller pals. Andy does his best to be housetrained and at the shelter has kept his kennel pretty tidy. Like other large breed dogs, Andy will continue to grow for several more months. He really is still a puppy! Adopters should be aware of this, and renters should be sure to discuss with landlords any potential size limitations so they can keep this big fluffy love in their lives forever!
Photo Finish: 3rd Street & Walnut Street
The former NAPA Auto Parts store, more recently the election operations building for Monroe County, gets demolished to make way for the expansion of the Bloomington Convention Center (formerly the Monroe Convention Center). The demolition started a bit after 8 a.m. and the building was flat in under two hours. (Dave Askins, July 232025)
The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website.
The geographic coverage of the B There section is pretty limited. Please consider occasionally contributing to the B There section some brief factual observations about the world outside your own head, as you go about your normal business. (Photos are optional for B There.) The mechanics of making a contribution are pretty straightforward—just let me know if you'd like to learn the ins and outs. If you're looking at this bulletin in your email inbox, you should be able to reach me by hitting Reply.
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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