May 21, 2026: Historic protection OK’d, skybridge art chosen, fare-free week for public buses, Ms. Lake Lemon!

Civic Solver

This week’s puzzle is a 5-question news quiz about events that happened in the last week.

Weather Talk

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

Thursday: Leave your umbrella at home, because it’s not going to rain. The day will eventually turn sunny and we’ll hit a high of 70F°.

Friday: You’ll be sorry if you don’t bring an umbrella, even if the day doesn’t start out wet. At 8 a.m. there will be at least a 30% chance of showers, increasing to 80% by 2 p.m. The high will be around 72F°.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Quick Notes

Cottage Grove conservation district: Approved. On a 7–1 vote on Wednesday night, the city council voted to approve the establishment of a conservation district for the Cottage Grove area. Dissenting was Kate Rosenbarger. Matt Flaherty was absent for the vote.

Recent articles

• Skybridge sculpture selected as public art for Bloomington convention center expansion.  The Monroe County capital improvement board selected Los Angeles artist Benjamin Ball’s “A Form of Connection” as the signature public artwork for the Bloomington Convention Center expansion. The twisting aluminum installation will wrap around the skybridge spanning College Avenue.
• Fare-free week, new west side route, ‘Bloomington Transit for Everyone’ to launch June 1.  Starting June 1, Bloomington Transit will launch Route 16, combining Route 13 and Route 3 West to improve west-side service, including to Ivy Tech and Cook Medical. BT will also debut “Bloomington Transit for Everyone” and offer fare-free rides June 1–7 during Passenger Appreciation Week.
• Bloomington formally closes road to unsafe Club House Drive bridge, as officials dispute ownership.  Bloomington’s board of public works ratified the emergency closure of Club House Drive near Lower Cascades Park after inspectors found the bridge there unsafe for vehicles over five tons. City and county officials are still disputing who is legally responsible for the span.
• Election complaints target Monroe County clerk hopeful over signs, electioneering in ‘chute’.  The Monroe County election board has set June 4 hearings on complaints against candidate for clerk Joe Davis, who denies allegations, including electioneering inside the 50-foot “chute” at polling places. A different complaint, against independent assessor hopeful Lisa Jeneé Trimble, was tabled.
• Photos: Ms. Lake Lemon pageant returns with mud dives, lawnmowers, and fancy dresses.  Saturday’s second annual Ms. Lake Lemon competition mixed fancy dresses with frozen T-shirts, lawnmower driving, watermelon-seed spitting, and mud-pool dives at Riddle Point Park. The quirky fundraiser for Monroe County firefighters went ahead despite threatening skies and light rain.

On the calendar

Flashing beacons. On the 10 a.m. Thursday (May 21) agenda for the Monroe County commissioners is a $300,000 item involving pedestrian flashing beacons at various trail crossings. It seems like what happened is that INDOT decided to give Monroe County more money for the project, but it’s not clear to me what the item is actually about. It’s a very light agenda, though, so there will be plenty of time to get any clarifying questions answered.

Board of health. The Monroe County board of health has a regular meeting set for 4 p.m. on Thursday (May 21). No agenda is posted yet, but The B Square hasn’t checked in with the board of health in a while, so that could be a good enough reason to pay them a visit.

Garden Walk: June 7. The Bloomington Garden Club will host its 37th annual Summer Garden Walk on Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday, June 7, from noon to 4 p.m. The self-guided tour will feature six private gardens around Bloomington, along with a flower show at Hilltop Garden and Nature Center. You can buy $10 tickets are from local vendors, with proceeds supporting children’s gardening education programs and other local beautification projects.

Meet Hansel!

This very, very good boy is a bully breed mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Hansel:

Handsome Hansel Needs a Second Chance Hansel is a young, 1.5-year-old male searching for a forever family to spoil him. He is a truly wonderful boy who is affectionate, smart, and ready to learn. He is great with other dogs, making him a perfect addition to a multi-dog home or as a new best friend for a current dog. He would love to go home with his buddy Gretel! Hansel is currently undergoing treatment for heartworm. While that sounds scary, it is manageable, and our shelter covers all costs for his treatment to ensure he goes to his new home healthy and happy. He has so much love to give and is simply waiting for you to find him!

Photo Finish: Kirkwood Avenue & Walnut Street

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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