The B Square’s Most Recent 20

Oct. 12, 2026: Bloomington AI ban; murder charge; Showers West costs; Stinesville ICE agreement; 2027 city budget.  This morning's edition includes reports on Bloomington's proposed superintelligence ban and a murder charge in a northwest-side shooting. Also: Showers West ownership; Rokita's defense of Stinesville's ICE agreement; and city council's votes on 2027 budget cuts.

Analysis: Bloomington’s proposed superintelligence ban raises questions about authority, enforcement.  Bloomington councilmember Dave Rollo’s current effort to address AI risks would ban superintelligent systems within city limits, even when hosted elsewhere. Unlike a resolution, the proposed ordinance would carry penalties, but raises legal questions about city authority, enforcement and repeal.

Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  Hawk is thinking very hard about the colors of autumn leaves. Maybe a little too hard.

Monroe County property transfers through Oct. 7, 2026.  This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from Sept. 9 to Oct. 7, 2026. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.

Monroe County jail notebook: Week finishes on 4-day stretch under functional capacity.  Monroe County’s jail population fell to 220 Saturday, down 11 compared to a week ago. It also marked the fourth straight day under the ACLU’s 229-person functional capacity. Over the last 82 days, the jail averaged 237 inmates, with at least 803 departures and a median stay of two days.

Bloomington man, 23, charged with murder in fatal shooting on northwest side.  A 23-year-old Bloomington man faces a murder charge after a 24-year-old man was shot in the head Thursday evening near Crestmont Park. Police city witnesses saying the suspect approached the victim on a porch and fired. Witnesses cited a suspected relationship involving Gilreath's ex-girlfriend.

Showers West Notebook: RDC members question continued ownership as city offices move in.  Bloomington’s redevelopment commission has paid nearly $77,000 in electricity bills for Showers West this year, while city departments occupy much of the building without leases. Commissioners are considering transferring ownership or establishing leases to clarify who should pay the bills.

Rokita backs Stinesville ICE agreement, but town board puts off up-or-down decision.  Indiana AG Todd Rokita says Stinesville’s ICE agreement is valid without town board approval. Immigration attorney Christie Popp disputes his legal reasoning. On Tuesday, the board delayed a decision a month, and created a fund to receive the federal money. County commissioners drew criticism.

2027 Budget: Bloomington council rejects $2.5M general fund cut, still withholds millions for housing, parking projects.  Bloomington’s city council rejected a $2.5 million general fund cut, but withheld $5.5 million in housing and parking appropriations and cut vehicle-monitoring funds. The debate exposed tensions over spending oversight and staff morale. A final budget vote is expected Oct. 14.

Oct. 8, 2026: Bloomington budget cuts, $2.5M proposal fails; Habitat water deal; early voting; $30M police HQ; food inspections.  This morning's edition has reports on Bloomington's 2027 budget amendments, including: a failed $2.5 million cut; a water-service settlement for Habitat's Osage Place; the start of Monroe County early voting; plans for a $30 million police headquarters; and August food inspections.

2027 budget: Council president proposes $2.5M across-the-board target for Bloomington general fund.  Bloomington council president Isak Asare has proposed cutting $2.5 million from the city’s 2027 general fund, leaving Mayor Kerry Thomson’s administration to identify the specific reductions before final adoption. Council takes up 16 possible amendments Wednesday night.

Bloomington utilities, Habitat settle Osage Place water dispute.  Bloomington utilities approved a settlement letting Habitat for Humanity get water service for Phase 2 of Osage Place while a Phase 1 stormwater dispute continues. Habitat will withdraw its appeal, and CBU keeps authority to require approved drainage fixes by Oct. 30, 2027. The vote was unanimous.

Polls open for early voting in Monroe County ahead of Nov. 3 election.  Early voting for the Nov. 3 election began Tuesday at Monroe County’s North Showers building. About a half-dozen voters waited outside in 42-degree air before the 8 a.m. opening. Clerk Nicole Browne gave the legally required proclamation that the polls were open.

Bloomington looking for architect to design $30M police HQ project at 714 S. Rogers.  Bloomington is seeking architects to design a new police headquarters at 714 S. Rogers St., with proposals due Nov. 6. The city wants to reuse as much of the 56,000-square-foot former convalescent center as possible while keeping construction costs at or below $30 million.

Monroe County Retail Food Inspections: August 2026.  During 70 of the 92 inspections of retail food establishments done by the Monroe County health department in August 2026, no violations were found. During 11 of them at least one core violation was found, but nothing more severe. During 4 of them, at least one priority violation was found.

Oct. 5, 2026: Early voting starts; Bloomington budget cuts; Kirkwood shooting warrant; ICE bond; jail report; B Square’s future.  This morning's edition includes reports about early voting, Bloomington’s 2027 budget, a warrant issued related to the Kirkwood shooting. There’s also a report about a $10,000 immigration bond, plus property transfers, Sunday Funnies and The B Square’s “dangerous middle.”

Editor’s Notebook: Getting The B Square unstuck from the ‘dangerous middle’.  A Syracuse University study finds independent local publishers can get stuck in a “dangerous middle”: established enough that readers depend on them, but without the revenue to spread the work. The B Square fits that pattern, and is asking readers to help build a sustainable future.

Monroe County jail notebook: Population down to 231 with recent trend slightly downward.  Monroe County’s jail population fell to 231 on Oct. 3, down six from a week earlier. The 10-day rolling average dropped to about 233. Over 75 days, the jail has averaged 238 people. Of the 247 jailed on July 21, 108 were still there Oct. 3.

Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish.  A pumpkin’s circumference divided by its diameter and the best kind of chart for visualizing it. Hawk and Fish have all the answers.

Monroe County property transfers through Sept. 30, 2026.  This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from Aug. 21 to Sept. 30, 2026. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.