July 3, 2025: Safe street corridor study, Hopewell bids rejected
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Social Media
For readers who rely on Facebook or LinkedIn to get news, you can now add The B Square Bulletin to the mix. We have set up a B Square Facebook page as well as a LinkedIn page, where you can find links to the latest articles that have been published. And if you “follow” the page, those posts may get shoved right into your feed in some kind of regular way.
Weather
Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice:
Thursday: Grab an umbrella, but not for the rain. They make great parasols. Or get a broad brimmed hat and slather on some sunscreen. It will be sunny with few clouds with a high of 89°F.
Friday: Thursday will be great practice for Friday. Independence Day will be free of crowds with a high of 91°F.
Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system.
Roundup of recent articles
- Bloomington OKs $209K contract to study Rogers Street corridor, part of safe streets effort. Now set for closer study is the Rogers Street corridor, stretching 4.5-miles from Bloomington’s southern boundary to the SR 45/46 bypass. Approved on Tuesday night by Bloomington’s board of public works was a consulting contract with Toole Design Group worth $209,221.
- Bloomington rejects 2 Hopewell bids, sets new course ‘democratizing neighborhood development’. At a meeting on Monday, Flintlock LAB was authorized by Bloomington's RDC to start a new process as an alternative to the city’s redevelopment efforts up to now for the former IU Health hospital site. The two responses to the city's public offering of the land were formally rejected by the RDC.
On the calendar
Statement of salaries and wages. Monroe County commissioners. The 10 a.m. Thursday (July 3) meeting agenda for county commissioners is probably shortest on record. One item is a contract amendment. The other item is the annually required presentation of “Statement of Salaries and Wages Proposed to be Paid to Officers and Employees.” It is a prescribed form that has to be completed annually by every county department head, elected official, board, or commission whose officers or employees are paid with county funds. The presentation of this form does not mean a final decision for 2026 budgeting purposes, but it’s a step in the process.
Fourth of July parade. Bloomington Fourth of July parade was canceled last year due to lightning, but the weather forecast this year looks OK. The parade is set to start at 10 a.m. with the Bloomington Community Band tuning things up around 9 a.m.
Local music. The Sweet May Dews are opening for Lily Unless & The If Onlys at the Orbit Room at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9. The Sweet May Dews will get a mention in my Tuesday talk for the Bloomington Photography Club. For some B Square background, see this piece from 2021: Column: Feed pigeons fresh clay, don’t use file photos.
Vacancy caucus. The Monroe County Democratic Party will be holding a vacancy caucus to elected a new chair of the party on July 20 at 3 p.m in Bloomington's city hall. For B Square background, see: Ujdak resigns as chair of Monroe County Dems after 3 1/2 months, calls for ‘direct action’ to improve lives of others
Cyberattack after action report? Coming up tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the cyberattack that shut down county government for a week. There has still been no after action report issued on that event.
Meet Joker!
Up for adoption, as of June 29, 2025, at the city of Bloomington's animal shelter is Joker. Here's another link: all animals up for adoption at the shelter. (The photos are from the city's website.)
This very, very good boy is a hound mix. Here's what the shelter staff have written about Joker:
You've gotta be joking; no one has applied for Joker? This guy is the perfect size and has a silky smooth coat with secret tiger stripes if you look carefully. He can initially be a bit more reserved in his affections, but he is always ready to get out in the yard and check out the smells.
Photo Finish: 6th Street & Washington Street
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 you have a wonderful holiday!
Dave Askins
734-645-2633
dave@bsquarebulletin.com
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