Sept. 3, 2026: City council hires attorney; potential $8.8M student housing deal; street-camping arrest; food inspections

Civic Solver

We’re skipping the puzzle for this week and probably a few more weeks. The news operation is stretching me ever thinner. Puzzles seemed like a good place to conserve time and effort.

Weather Talk

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

Thursday: Slow down, dress cool. It will be sunny and hot, with a high near 96F°. Heat index values will be as high as 103.

Friday: Same as Thursday. Slow down, dress cool. It will be sunny and hot, with a high near 95F°. Heat index values will be as high as 104.

Sign up for weather alerts: Monroe County emergency alert system

Stop scrolling!

Right now, only one in five Almost Daily Bulletin subscribers makes a recurring financial contribution. If you’re one of them: Thank you! You are the reason The B Square can do any of this work.

If you read The B Square, rely on its reporting, find it useful in any way, or just think Bloomington and Monroe County are better off with a local press that pays close attention, please consider signing up for a monthly contribution right now.

Recent articles

• Bloomington city council picks deputy Monroe County prosecutor as new staff attorney.  Bloomington’s city council voted unanimously to hire Monroe County deputy prosecutor Jake Rossman as its new staff attorney, ending a search that began after both council lawyers resigned in February. Rossman’s start date is not yet set, but is expected by mid-October.
• Monroe County Retail Food Inspections: July 2026.  During 38 of the 59 inspections of retail food establishments done by the Monroe County health department in July 2026, no violations were found. During 5 of them, at least one priority violation was found.
• Methodists OK step toward $8.8M deal for student housing at old post office lot.  First United Methodist Church is moving toward an $8.8 million sale of its downtown South Lot to Core Spaces for a 350- to 400-bedroom student housing project. It’s the old post office lot. The church would own 100 spaces in the newly constructed parking garage.
• Bloomington man released from jail after second arrest under Indiana’s new street-camping law.  A man arrested for the second time this month under Indiana’s new street-camping law was ordered released from the Monroe County jail Monday. Judge Darcie Fawcett released nine of 13 people appearing from custody during the largely procedural initial-hearing docket.

Other notes

Bloomington worker detained by ICE. A Venezuelan man who worked at Walmart in Bloomington was taken into custody on Tuesday (Sept. 3) by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the man’s family and friends. He has an asylum case pending.

Supporters have started a GoFundMe to pay for legal representation and efforts to seek his release.

ICE’s online detainee locator has since shown him at three facilities. He was first held at the Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, Indiana, a county jail that also houses ICE detainees. He was then moved to the Broadview Service Staging Area in suburban Chicago, an ICE-operated hold room used for processing people pending immigration review or deportation. By Wednesday night, the locator showed him at the North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan, a privately operated, 1,800-bed facility used exclusively by ICE.

The B Square has also heard reports of other ICE arrests in the Bloomington area this week, but does not have any confirmed details about those possible cases.

C’mon B Square readers, shape the future of your library! From the public library: “We’re creating a new strategic plan for the Monroe County Public Library, and we want to hear from you! Take our short survey and share your experiences and ideas. Your feedback will help us better serve you, your household, and our community.”

Monroe County health department: Check your measles vaccination status. The Monroe County Health Department has issued a news release urging residents to check their MMR vaccination status because measles cases have increased in Indiana and nationwide. No cases have been reported in Monroe County, but Indiana has recorded five cases in 2026. The U.S. total has topped 2,900, which is already more than all of 2025. The department also says that unvaccinated children exposed to measles at school or daycare can be excluded from school and related activities for 21 days.

On the calendar

Public review of general election ballots. On Thursday (Sept. 3) the public review of ballots for the Nov. 3 general election will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Monroe County Government Center That’s on Morton Street: 501 N. Morton St., Suite 101. It’s a chance for the public and the candidates to flyspeck all the versions of the ballots for typos, and omissions or other mistakes.

Communications help for Monroe County. On the 10 a.m. Thursday (Sept. 3) meeting agenda for Monroe County commissioners is a $20,000 contract with Allowell Consulting Services, to provide “professional communication assistance to MCG [Monroe County government], through strategy and positioning, messaging and content development, media relations and public engagement, and providing deliverables on progress, outcomes, and recommendations.”

Board of elections regular meeting. The Monroe County election board has a regular meeting set for 1 p.m. on Thursday (Sept. 3). I don’t see an agenda posted yet.

County council budget presentations. Set for Thursday (Sept. 3) at 5 p.m. is the second night of departmental budget presentations for the Monroe County council. Presenting will be: legal department, veterans services office, employee services department, weights and measures, building department, emergency management, highway department, technical services department, and the board of commissioners.

Friends of Lake Monroe hits the decade mark: Sept. 13 Friends of Lake Monroe marks its 10th anniversary with live music from Frank Jones and the Undertones, a look back at a decade of work, and light appetizers on Sunday, Sept. 13, at The Fields Clubhouse. Doors open at 6 p.m., with remarks at 7 p.m. and music at 7:30. Tickets are $35 for members, $40 for non-members or $250 for a table of eight, and sales close Sept. 7.

Big Book Sale: Sept 18-21. The Friends of the Library will be hosting their Big Fall Book Sale in Meeting Room 1B/C at the Downtown Library with thousands of items at bargain prices. The 2026 Big Fall Book Sale will be open to the public Sept. 18–21 with a special early-bird sale for Friends members on Sept. 17. For hours on specific days, check the book sale webpage.

New Leaf New Life benefit book event: Sept. 23. Authors Chastidy Mader, Ryan Mader, Nordia McNish and Trunnis Goggins II will discuss resilience, recovery, purpose and second chances Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 6–8 p.m. at Redbud Books, 408 W. Kirkwood Ave. Tickets cost $20, with $12 from each ticket benefiting New Leaf New Life, which supports people affected by incarceration and reentry.

Nerd Nite Bloomington: Sept. 25. Bug sex, imperfect maps and the Great Molasses Flood get the 15-minute-talk treatment at Nerd Nite Bloomington #6. Doors open at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, with presentations starting at 7:30 p.m. at The Bishop Bar in Bloomington. Organizers would like people to RSVP.

Meet Doug!

This very, very, good boy is a chocolate Labrador retriever mix. Here’s what the shelter staff have written about Doug:

I am new to the shelter and we are all getting to know each other. If you are interested in adopting, stop by the shelter for a visit.

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. Have a great weekend!

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

Sponsors stand with local civic journalism

The B Square Bulletin is made possible by financial supporters who believe in informed, engaged communities. Learn more about how you can help ensure The B Square survives to serve Bloomington residents now and for generations to come.