June 25, 2026: H-T arts hub pitch; SUV shooting; BT land buy; jail-site group reset; Kirkwood veto; town-township merger; RAAM; Seminary Pointe

Civic Solver

We’re skipping the puzzle for this week.

Weather Talk

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

Thursday: Whatever you want to do outside, do it by around 1 p.m. on Thursday. After that, it’s at least scattered showers and thunderstorms for the next few days. Until then, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 84F°.

Friday: Take an umbrella or rain gear, because it’s going to rain all day. There’s already a flood watch, starting Thursday night. The high will be around 77F°

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Recent articles

• Pillar Arts eyes former Herald-Times building for regional creative arts hub.  As MCCSC moves to sell the former Herald-Times building, Pillar Arts is pitching a $16 million regional creative hub at the site, supported in part by a $4 million READI grant request. MCCSC says it has no update on the sale process.
• Bloomington police investigate shots fired into SUV with 7 aboard.  Bloomington police are investigating a June 23 shooting in the 1000 block of North Summit Street, where a known male suspect allegedly fired 7–8 rounds into a white GMC SUV. Three adults and four children were inside; no injuries were reported.
• Bloomington Transit board OKs $3.6M land buy for ops center after getting IDEM ‘comfort letter’.  Bloomington Transit’s board voted unanimously to authorize buying a $3.6 million Curry Pike/Profile Parkway site for a new operations complex, after IDEM issued a comfort letter on PCB contamination. A 3-2 vote by the board now requires public discussion after closing the real estate deal.
• ACLU interviews at Monroe County jail frame $30K legal request, reset for work group.  Monroe County councilors voted 6–1 to appropriate $30,000 for sheriff Ruben Marté’s outside legal counsel as the ACLU prepares new jail litigation. The council also pared down a stalled jail-site working group from eight voting members to six before another try at convening.
• Monroe County awards $190K in Sophia Travis grants to 42 nonprofits, community groups.  Monroe County council unanimously awarded $190,000 in Sophia Travis grants to 42 nonprofits, funding food aid, shelter, youth programs, arts education, rent help, transportation, CPR training and tech upgrades. Pantry 279 received the largest award of $13,000.
• Bloomington mayor vetoes carless Kirkwood, council could try override on July 22.  Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson vetoed a council ordinance that would close Kirkwood Avenue to cars from April to November, citing limited public input, fiscal uncertainty and no implementation plan. The council can override the veto with six votes at its next regular or special meeting.
• Ellettsville–Richland reorganization headed to November ballot.  Richland Township and Ellettsville voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to merge into a single government. Separate votes by the township board and town council advanced the plan, which would dissolve township government, create a seven-member council, and set separate urban and rural tax districts.
• Austrian cyclist Philipp Kaider leads RAAM through Bloomington for second straight year.  Philipp Kaider rode through Bloomington on SR 46 Monday as the Race Across America leader for the second year in a row. The 40-year-old Austrian held about a 270-mile lead over fellow Austrian Thomas Mauerhofer, who was projected to reach Bloomington around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
• Advocates say financing plan for Seminary Pointe feasible, if land swap happens.  Bloomington Homes for All says Seminary Pointe can become a permanently affordable cooperative with a $1.6M rehab plan. But the proposal depends on a CIB-RDC land swap that is stalled as host-hotel and College Square proposal deadlines loom.

Other Important Notes

Tornado imagery. A reader (Quinton Deppert) has shared some before-after satellite images of the area in northern Monroe County that was hit by a tornado on Wednesday a week ago (June 17). The path of destruction is visible even from space.

Bingo Brunch at Cardinal Spirits: June 28. It’s every Sunday 12-2 p.m. at Cardinal Spirits: Bingo Brunch with celebrity callers! You might wonder: What is the Cardinal Spirits definition of celebrity? It needs to be flexible enough to include ... me, the founder of The B Square. This Sunday (June 28), I plan to apply all the principles I have learned about government meeting procedures to bingo calling—in the best possible way! You have never heard letters and numbers sound so great. What kind of prizes can you win? How about a hat?

On the calendar

Historic preservation for Seminary Pointe? On the 5 p.m. Thursday (June 25) agenda for Bloomington’s historic preservation commission are the demolition delays for two buildings on the Seminary Pointe block where Monroe County’s capital improvement board (CIB) is looking to develop a host hotel—unless a land swap deal materializes before then. The staff recommendation is for “release” of the delays, which were triggered when the CIB applied for demolition permits for all the buildings. For B Square background, see: Seminary Pointe demolition clock starts as downtown Bloomington land-swap hopes continue

Monroe County Fair: June 27–July 4. The county fair starts this Saturday. If you are an old sleepy person who always wanted to see Hank Ruff perform, but cannot stay up late for the start of his shows when he plays the Bluebird, this is your chance! Among the many fantastic events on this year’s fair schedule is a free Hank Ruff Show starting at 8 p.m Wednesday (July 1).

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 Malone!

Today is a reminder that Bloomington’s animal shelter houses more than dogs. This very, very sweet kitty is named Malone. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Malone:

Malone is a professional biscuit maker and is happy for social interaction. He can be a little nervous, but he is warming up wonderfully. We can't believe how far he's come from the shut down guy we met when he arrived. If you are looking for a cat with ashy but sweet personality, Malone is your man.

Photo Finish: Powerline Trail

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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