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Bloomington’s proposed 2027 budget continues a four-year reduction in its planned general fund shortfall. Mayor Kerry Thomson says a final $3.8M payment to Bloomington Transit and $650K for municipal elections account for nearly all of the remaining operating gap.

Monroe County’s clerk’s office closed Monday after condensation from unwrapped pipes sent water through the justice building ceiling and into light fixtures. Employees reported popping sounds. The incident follows recent sewage, drain-cleaner and HVAC problems at the aging building in downtown.

Saturday’s alleycat bicycle race hosted by Bloomington Homes for All sent riders racing across town, where checkpoints involved bike repair, potato tossing, SCOBY eating, drawing and academic card trading. The sweaty afternoon ended at Friendly Beasts Cider Company.

Bloomington’s redevelopment commission is set Monday to ratify $381,650 in settlements with two Showers West tenants after losing both lease disputes in circuit court. One tenant also gets a year of free rent, ending a legal fight over the city’s effort to clear private occupants from the building.

What does Coach Cignetti say, after a preseason scrimmage, when the quarterback kicked the ball to the defensive unit? Did the quarterback really mean to do that?

This report includes new property transfers in Monroe County that haven’t previously been reported by The B Square, with dates ranging from July 30 to Aug. 12, 2026. The data in this report comes from Beacon, the county’s online geographic information system for property and parcel data.

Monroe County’s jail population fell from 247 to 227 over 25 days. But the snapshots mask heavy turnover: 220 people left, with a median stay of 3 days. The Aug. 14 count dipped below the ACLU’s 229-person capacity estimate, but remained 41 above Sheriff Ruben Marté’s 186-person figure.