Oct. 2, 2025: Church fire, arrests in fight, historic preservation
It's easy to receive this free message in your email inbox, instead of waiting for social media to serve it up to you: Visit the B Square website and click on the red button in the upper right hand corner.
Weather Talk
Based on the National Weather Service forecast in text and charts here’s some advice.
Thursday: You might need to throw on a light jacket or a sweater to start the day, because it will be a brisk 56F°. But the mostly sunny skies will warm things up quick to a high of 83F°.
Friday: Whatever you did for Thursday, you can repeat for Friday. The high will be smidgen warmer at about 85F°.
Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system.
Roundup of recent articles
- Fire at downtown Bloomington church quickly contained; no injuries reported. Mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Bloomington firefighters put out a blaze at the First Christian Church, located at the corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Bloomington.
- Downtown Bloomington fight: 2 arrested on felony charges in beating of unhoused man. Two men have been arrested in connection with the severe beating of an unhoused Bloomington resident during a fight with as many as four other men last Friday (Sept 26) in downtown Bloomington.
- Historic protections sought for area between 10th, 12th streets in central Bloomington. Property owners and others with views about the idea of establishing a conservation district in central Bloomington met on Monday night at the downtown branch of the Monroe County Public Library.
On the calendar
Mold. On the 10 a.m. Thursday (Oct. 2) meeting agenda for the Monroe County commissioners are two contracts with VET Environmental Engineering to deal mold at the justice building. One of the contracts is for $44,067.65 for dehumidifier installation and development of a long-term stewardship plan for the justice building. The other is for consulting services not to exceed $134,986.68 per year, including monthly costs of $2,448.83 for ongoing mold inspection, $6,604.95 for targeted remediation, and $2,195.11 for confirmatory sampling.
Early voting 2026. On the 1:30 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 2) meeting agenda for the Monroe County election board are several updates, including one on the status of the planned early voting location for 2026, which is in the Showers North building. The previous location, in the old NAPA building at 3rd and Walnut streets, has been demolished to make way for the convention center expansion.
A Little Extra Love: Oct. 3. Local photographer Rodney Margison, in cooperation with Down Syndrome Family Connection, is presenting his first solo exhibition, “A Little Extra Love,” opening Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, from 5–8 p.m. in the atrium at Fountain Square Mall in downtown Bloomington. (Rodney is the managing editor of Bloom Magazine—he’s the guy who receives my column submission for each edition.)
Bloomington Paint Out: Oct. 4. Grab a paintbrush and a canvas and go paint a scene somewhere in Bloomington. From the organizers: “The event is open to professional and emerging artists of all ages and skill levels to create original artwork of any subject in any medium. Stamped/tagged works must be completed that day by 3 pm to be eligible for judging.” The idea is that you check in at Bryan Park in the morning and get an official stamp for your canvas, so that the judges know you created your painting that same day. If you see someone painting with an easel outdoors on Oct. 4, chances are they’re a Paint Out artist.
Snow plowing jobs: Oct. 7. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will host four hiring fairs in southeast Indiana for INDOT winter seasonal positions on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The hiring events will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the following locations:
- Aurora Sub District Office: 310995 Marsh Road Aurora, IN 47001
- Bloomington Sub District Office: 2965 N. Prow Rd, Bloomington, IN 47404
- Columbus Sub District Office: 3545 W Two Mile House Rd., Columbus, IN 47201
- Falls City Sub District Office: 5701 U.S. 31, Clarksville, IN 47129
Winter seasonal positions run between early November and early April at a starting pay of $21 per hour for full-time operations and $25 per hour for snowplow-only/on-call positions. Job duties include performing general highway maintenance, traffic maintenance, snow and ice removal and other duties related to winter operations. A valid CDL is required to be considered for a seasonal role.
Pumpkin Launch. The city of Bloomington hosts a competition every year involving the construction of a contraption to fling a pumpkin as far as possible. It’s Pumpkin Launch! The deadline for entry is Oct. 15. The competition itself takes place on Oct. 25. For past B Square coverage of Pumpkin Launch: Photos: Cold rain can’t squash Pumpkin Launch 2021
Little 500 fall racing series. Mark your calendar for Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 for cyclocross and street sprints.
Meet Beast!
This very, very good boy is a German shepherd. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Beast:
Beast is a handsome German shepherd who's a bit nervous around new people and dogs but is clever, attentive and eager to please!
Photo Finish: Fullerton Pike & Clear Creek
Left: Ribbon cutting for Fullerton Pike in front of what is now the longest bridge in Monroe County, Indiana. That’s 525 feet. Or 582 feet, if you include the approaches. Right: Multi-use path bridge treatment. (Geoff McKim, Sept. 26, 2025)
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
Comments ()