June 30, 2025: $1B in grants, details of rental inspections, new Lady Liberty statue, county fair

Funding update

With one day left in June, The B Square still has 71 people to go to reach its goal of 600 contributors by the end of the month. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed! Details on how to support The B Square are included on the About page.

Facebook

For readers who rely on Facebook as a way to get news, you can now add The B Square Bulletin to the mix. We have set up a B Square Facebook page, where you can find links to the latest articles that have been published. And if you "follow" the page, Facebook will shove those posts 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:

Monday: A flash flood warning has been issued by the National Weather Service until 8 a.m. on Monday. That could get extended. Take an umbrella or a hat with a brim to ward off the rain, because there will be a solid 30-50% chance of rain and thunderstorms for most of the day. Dress light, because the temperatures in the mid-80s will still make it feel like you’re living in a sauna. The high temperature will hit 85°F but the heat index will be 5 degrees warmer. If you like good local music, don’t let the weather forecast keep you from kicking off the week at the Monroe County Fair with a Monday night show by Hank Ruff.

Tuesday: By the time the dawn’s early light hits on Tuesday, the chance of rain and thunderstorms will have passed. It will be a great day to check out the Monroe County Fair. The high is supposed to be around 85°F, about what you would expect in July in southern Indiana.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system.

Roundup of recent articles

• Bloomington applies for share of $1B from federal safe streets program.  This past week, the city of Bloomington submitted its application for a portion of nearly $1 billion in funding that is available in 2025 through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program. The deadline for applications was June 26.
• Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  What are Hawk and Fish up to this time? Same as always, they're making terrible puns.
• Bloomington inspection reports detail conditions inside supportive housing complex now targeted with city lawsuits.  The city of Bloomington has now released the most most recent inspection reports for Crawford Apartments, which lay out unit by unit the problems with the physical property. The city is asking for around $5.9 million in fines, just for the lack of current rental permits.

• Monroe County health board drafts public comment policy, seeking public input. The Monroe County Board of Health has drafted a policy for governing public comment at its meetings. The initial draft received discussion at the board’s regular meeting on Thursday (June 26). A meeting will be held on July 11 July 14 at 4:30 p.m. in the Nat U. Hill Room of the county courthouse for the sole purpose of hearing public input about the policy.

• Monroe County sheriff submits newly amended immigration enforcement policy in pending litigation with state AG.  On Tuesday (June 24), Monroe County sheriff, Ruben Marté, submitted a new document, in connection with the lawsuit that Indiana’s attorney general has filed against him over the enforcement of immigration laws. This week’s filing included a copy of the sheriff’s newly revised policy.
• ‘This is what a community should be’: My Sister’s Closet event features local art, collective spirit, women’s voices.  My Sister’s Closet marked a milestone on Tuesday (June 24) with a festive ribbon-cutting and community celebration at its future location. The event featured viewings of the new facility, an unveiling of community art, and remarks from Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson.

On the calendar

Hopewell South: Bids to be rejected. At a special meeting of Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) on Monday (June 3) at 4 p.m, all the bids for the public offering made last year for the land in Hopewell South are expected to be rejected.

Instead, the RDC will be asked to authorize up to $300,000 for a contract with Flintlock Ltd. Co. to deliver a comprehensive and coordinated design for redevelopment of Hopewell South (Blocks 9 and 10), including detailed site planning for the roughly 6.5 acres, and the creation of a catalog of up to 20 pre-approved housing plans, among other things. This comes after the city issued a second public offering for Hopewell South in September 2024. For B Square background see: Bloomington tries again for more housing: Second public offering OK’d for Hopewell South blocks in planned new neighborhood at former hospital site

A talk about teeter totters and the role of photos in local journalism. The Bloomington Photography Club asked me to give a talk, and there’s nothing I like better than talking about The B Square, even if I don’t know a lot about photography. I have put together some thoughts that will be accessible to non-photographers, and I hope I can make you laugh at least once—or at least smile faintly and exhale a little harder than you normally do. It’s at the downtown library at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (July 1). The title of the talk is: “Sense of place in local journalism: From backyard teeter totters to the city hall dais.”

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. The Monroe County Democratic Party did not get its registration turned in on time, but the party is hosting a free ice cream social at The Chocolate Moose after the parade.

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.

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 Bella!

This very, very good girl is a border collie and hound mix. Here's what the shelter staff have written about Bella:

I am a cute fun-loving girl looking for that special someone to take me home! I am really good at a lot of things. My previous owner said I get along with all people, big and small! I also LOVE playgroup! I started out so very shy, but within a day I became the life of the party. I like to chase and tackle with my buddies, and I've done well with male and female dogs alike. I'd love to have a dog buddy in my home!

Photo Finish: Kirkwood Avenue & College Avenue

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 holiday week is off to a great start!

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