Archive

Bloomington’s city council introduced an ordinance that would close five blocks of Kirkwood Avenue to vehicles each year from April through mid-November. The proposal revived disputes over accessibility, logistics, and which branch of city government controls Bloomington streets.

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.

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’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.

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.

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.

Two Bloomington meetings next week will spotlight the question of who controls city streets. One is a board of public works bridge-related road closure on Club House Drive in Lower Cascades Park. The other is a new proposal from the city council for permanent seasonal shutdown of Kirkwood Avenue.