Nov. 6, 2025: Charlotte Zietlow, Princess Theater, economic news, infrastructure, social services

Weather Talk

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

Thursday: You won’t need an umbrella, but throw on a warm jacket and maybe a hat because the day will start with an overnight low of just 34F°. It will be sunny. The high temperature will reach 60F°.

Friday: You will need an umbrella, because it is going to rain, and you will need a jacket with a start to the day at around 53F°. The high will be around 64F°. The rain and thundershowers could start around 7 a.m. and last at least through 7 p.m. So figure out how you are going to stay dry when you go to the Sectional title football game between Bloomington North and Bloomington South, to be played at South’s field.

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

Roundup of recent articles

• Bloomington icon Charlotte Zietlow dies at 91 after lifetime of community service.  Charlotte Zietlow, a stalwart in Bloomington civic life and the first woman to lead both city and county government, has died at 91. Her five-decade legacy spanned politics, business, and activism—from restoring the courthouse to co-founding Goods for Cooks.
• Retail notebook: Fresh facade for Princess Theater building means possible Dec. 1 opening for new downtown dining spot.  After eight months under scaffolding, the century-old Princess Theater building on Walnut Street has a restored facade and a new tenant on the way. Restaurateur Mey Cristobal plans to open Japonee, a sushi-focused eatery, by Dec. 1 in the space that last housed the Village Pub.
• IU Kelley School panelist drops ‘rough‘ news about Bloomington wages, points to Trades District as site of ‘creative collision‘.  At IU’s Futurecast Economic Outlook in Bloomington, Kelley School economist Phil Powell said the region’s wages fell 6.2% over the past year—among the worst in the state—due to IU job losses. Still, he praised local entrepreneurs and pointed to the Trades District as a hopeful hub for innovation.
• Bloomington RDC: $5M for roads, $145K for Hopewell South rezone, $58K for police HQ Study.  Bloomington’s redevelopment commission approved $5 million for design work on road projects in the southwest of the city, a $145,000 contract to guide the Hopewell South PUD rezone, and a $58,250 feasibility study on converting the vacant 714 S. Rogers Street building into a new police headquarters.
• Monroe County council distributes $174K to 44 nonprofits through Sophia Travis grants.  Last Tuesday, the Monroe County council awarded $174,000 in Sophia Travis Community Service Grants to 44 nonprofits. The meeting also saw discussion about awards to Planned Parenthood and charter schools, and concern about next year’s allocation, which had been cut from $250,000 to $190,000.
• Little 500 fall series: Street sprints through IU campus.  On Sunday, as part of the Little 500 fall series, riders sprinted 200 meters down 7th Street from the Indiana Memorial Union toward Showalter Fountain. Photographer Juliette Kniola captured the action on campus.

Quick notes

Naming of the area around Miller-Showers Park: Postponed indefinitely. On Wednesday, the Bloomington city council’s resolution that would have renamed an area around Miller-Showers Park as “Stadium District” was postponed indefinitely on a nearly unanimous vote. A vote to postpone indefinitely effectively kills the motion, but in a softer way than voting it down. The only vote not in support of killing the motion came from Hopi Stosberg, who had co-sponsored the resolution with the administration. For B Square background, see: City council again mulls ‘Stadium District’ as name for area around Bloomington urban wetland park, as liquor zone question looms.

Use table change to allow commercial urban agriculture: Defeated. On Wednesday, the Bloomington city council voted almost unanimously against an ordinance that would allow commercial urban agriculture as a use in the city’s zoning code. The only vote in support came from Isabel Piedmont-Smith.

On the calendar

$114,000 for paving Maple Grove Road. On the 10 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 6) meeting agenda for Monroe County commissioners is a $114,000 paving contract with E&B Paving for a section of Maple Grove Road from Arlington Road to Stanton Drive.

Early voting facility update. On the 1:30 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 6) meeting agenda for the Monroe County election board is an update of the Showers North renovation project, that is supposed to provide a new home for early voting activity as well as voter registration.

Nerd Nite: Nov. 6. The fourth edition of Bloomington’s Nerd Nite is 6 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 6) at The Bishop Bar. This month’s talks span memes, morals, and math. Wolfe Allen dives into “SpongeBob… DrillPants?”—a look at how parody rap turned a cartoon into an online hip-hop feud. Dana Duffy revisits Louisa May Alcott’s radical life behind “Little Women.” And Ben Spitz unpacks the wild centuries-long quest to find The Quintic Formula.

Handmade Market: Nov. 8–9. The Bloomington Handmade Market takes place Nov. 8–9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bloomington Convention Center (still called by almost everyone the Monroe Convention Center). More than 100 makers from across the Midwest will fill both floors. Sunday is family day, featuring kid makers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Santa from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free, and concessions will be available.

Dec. 1: Online auction for “Batman House” ends. The big old mansion at Kirkwood Avenue and Madison Street is up for auction for a minimum bid of $750,000. The auction is being conducted online.

Meet Phats!

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

Phats is a wise old dude who is ready to be your sidekick. Apply to meet this distinguished fella today.

Photo Finish: 3rd Street & Walnut Street

The Photo Finish items are drawn from the B There section of the B Square website.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!

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

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