Sign in Subscribe

Old B Square

Déjà two for next week’s final round of comedy festival

Déjà two for next week’s final round of comedy festival

On Wednesday, three candidates advanced to the finals of the Bloomington Comedy Festival, based on a vote of the audience: Mark Bookwalter, Abby Troughton and Kristen Lucas. The two women were finalists last year. Lucas won the competition in 2016, which made her the Funniest Person in Bloomington three years

Bloomington city councilmembers want more police officers in 2020 budget, more data

Bloomington city councilmembers want more police officers in 2020 budget, more data

Two additional patrol officers, which would bring Bloomington’s total sworn police force to a total of 105, are a part of the 2020 budget that the chief of police, Mike Diekhoff, presented to the city council on Tuesday night. Some councilmembers told Diekhoff they wanted to see more officers

Bloomington utilities to study pace of water main replacement: Is 2.5 miles of pipe a year enough?

Bloomington utilities to study pace of water main replacement: Is 2.5 miles of pipe a year enough?

On Tuesday night, Bloomington’s utilities director Vic Kelson presented the city council with a proposed $1.7 million for water main replacement as part of the department’s 2020 budget. He described how that would pay to replace roughly 2.5 miles of pipe. During the time for councilmember

Show cause hearing date set in Bloomington eminent domain case: Sept. 12 (Updated: Change of date likely)

Show cause hearing date set in Bloomington eminent domain case: Sept. 12 (Updated: Change of date likely)

Sept. 12 is the date now set for the show cause hearing in Bloomington’s current eminent domain litigation. The case involves the City of Bloomington’s attempt to take the 222 Hats building at the south end of the block between 3rd and 4th streets along Walnut Street, so

Budget 2020: Bloomington fire chief points to improvements in fire call and response time stats, says situation now too fluid to put timeline on new stations

Budget 2020: Bloomington fire chief points to improvements in fire call and response time stats, says situation now too fluid to put timeline on new stations

The 10-year capital plan for Bloomington’s fire department includes two additional fire stations—one in the southwest and one in the southeast part of town. It also includes the replacement of two existing stations, and a relocation of the station that serves the Indiana University campus. Those five stations

City council mulls future local funding for Bloomington Transit investments, as 2020 budget relies on feds for electric buses, shared-ride microtransit

City council mulls future local funding for Bloomington Transit investments, as 2020 budget relies on feds for electric buses, shared-ride microtransit

Possible federal grants are a key part of the Bloomington Transit 2020 budget presented to the city council on Tuesday by the public transit agency’s general manager, Lew May. Councilmembers appeared receptive to the planned $4 million in capital expenditures to acquire four more alternative-fuel buses. BT is also

Climate change, looming recession highlight city council response to mayor’s budget speech

Climate change, looming recession highlight city council response to mayor’s budget speech

Reactions from some Bloomington councilmembers to the administration’s proposed 2020 budget on Monday included two major questions: whether the budget does enough to address climate change; and whether Bloomington is ready for a looming recession. Climate Change In his 2020 budget speech to the Bloomington city council Monday night,