Bloomington is home to a diverse community; some residents stay for a few years while attending Indiana University and some have been here for generations.
We want to explore the past, present and future of Bloomington with you with CityLimits.
Our community is changing, from closing businesses to traffic and road construction to affordable housing, and we see the impact of these changes all around us.
You might wonder: How much does it cost to live in Bloomington compared to the rest of Indiana? How much property does IU own within citylimits? Are apartments in Bloomington at capacity?
We’ll run regular voting rounds so you can weigh in on what you most want answered. If your question is picked, you could participate in the investigation.
Interested in an ongoing conversation how Bloomington is changing? Join our Facebook group!
In 2018, the city set aside $800,000 of its Bicentennial Bonds project to plant trees throughout Bloomington. That project is expected to begin this month.
Council originally blocked multifamily, or plex, housing from single-family residential neighborhoods in 2019, but legalized them with conditional use approval in May 2021.
But the issue gets even more complicated when every member of a governing body is from the same political party, such as currently exists with Bloomington City Council, Monroe County Commissioners, and Ellettsville Town Council.
Oni Thomas is entering a profession that already faced a worker shortage before the pandemic. Since early 2020, nursing has been hit particularly hard by the constant care of those suffering from COVID-19.
Monroe County Commissioners and residents against annexation marked the official conclusion of remonstration Thursday evening at the Monroe County Courthouse.
Some residents say they already have the signatures needed to void annexation. But will remonstration hold up if the city ends up challenging recent waiver legislation in court?
An affordable housing project, public art, and a Spanish language preschool find secure and flexible funding with the help of CDFI Friendly Bloomington.
Instead of using only a request-based system to log improvement projects, the report suggests the city should prioritize all projects based on 10 different data lenses.
Ben Sturbaum knows all too well about breakthrough COVID-19 infections. Four months after receiving his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in March, the 62-year-old Owensburg resident started feeling sick.
Bloomington’s annexation proposal now moves to proceedings next week as city council decides whether to accept, limit, or revoke any of the eight areas under consideration.
Indiana University Chief Medical Officer Aaron Carroll wants more people to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It’s a matter of public health and putting the pandemic behind us.
City Limits will address five commonly offered reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 this week in a short Q&A series. Today’s question: Can I take the vaccine if I have an egg allergy?
City Limits will address five commonly offered reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 this week in a short Q&A series. Today’s question: Does the COVID-19 vaccine weaken my immune system’s ability to fight off viruses?
City Limits will address five commonly offered reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 this week in a short Q&A series. Today’s question: Does the vaccine threaten fertility, especially among women?
The city is in communication with the Bicycle Garage to commission a new mural for the space in Peoples Park, but Ksander is unsure of a timeline for the project. Ultimately, the Bicycle Garage must approve the plan.
The Bloomington City Council annexation public hearing was supposed to be in-person and online, but upon arrival at city hall, flyers read that due to concern of COVID-19, city council will recess and reconvene an hour later on Zoom only.
Bloomington is a gold-rated city by The League of American Bicyclists. This certification means at least 5.5 percent of the population commutes by bicycle and 65 percent of arterial streets are accessible by bike lane, among other criteria.
Google ‘Lake Monroe’ and you’ll get the expected tourist, boat rental, realty property and Department of Natural Resources links. But if you dig down a bit, you can also find a link to something called ‘Site 81.’
Bloomington’s mayor wants to catch up on the size of the city by annexing property in Monroe County’s jurisdiction into the city. The city’s last annexation took place in 2004.
While some see the success of the controversial plex amendment as a victory for inclusion, affordability and environmental sustainability, others see a near apocalyptic attack on Bloomington’s neighborhoods.
“If you’re living paycheck to paycheck $600 a month is close to what you can afford. But there’s nowhere in Bloomington where you can get a two-bedroom for $600. Nowhere.”
One of the most controversial measures being considered is legalizing duplexes in most of the core neighborhoods, where they are currently not allowed.
New MCCSC Superintendent Jeff Hauswald knows that many people with a stake in public education have questions about his plans for leading the corporation, but he just does not have many specific answers to give them.
It's disheartening that only 9% of plastics actually get recycled. Or that a little food residue can spoil tons of plastic and fiber recycling. But Hoosiers can find encouragement in their own state if they know where to look.
This issue has been one of much debate the last two years as the city continues to propose changes to its local zoning districts under the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
In the 1950s, Second and Rogers was the type of neighborhood that no longer exists - a neighborhood where nobody locked their door, and kids spent every hour of sunlight in the park.
Proponents of the pause believe it is necessary to keep discussing the issue and be thorough rather than adopting it into law and being stuck with the possible consequences.
Bloomington residents find the city's many road projects make getting around town challenging. "Who instigated the project?" and "Why is it taking so long?" are two of the questions we answer in today's City's Limits.
The proposal is in response to the city removing tents from Seminary Park on multiple occassions this winter despite local organizations and public officials urging against it.
The proposed law would ban the city from removing homeless encampments, like the ones seen in Seminary Park this winter, unless sufficient housing options are available.
Our look back at Black history in Southern Indiana stays right here in Bloomington, where reporter Mitch Legan tackles a City Limits question: What's the city's history of racially restrictive housing covenants?
A listener suggests while there are more cases, there are relatively fewer deaths – and asks our City Limits Series, “Have doctors found more effective ways of treating patients?”
Historically, alleys provided rear access to a property. Back there, deliveries could be made, trash piled for collection, flotsam stored and transportation housed. For the most part, that’s still the case.
The weekend street closure stretches from Indiana Avenue all the way to Walnut Street and eliminates multiple parallel parking spots outside businesses.
As the pandemic continues and another stimulus package hasn’t been put in place since the extended CARES Act ended in July, one listener asks our City Limits Series, "What happens to quarantined people after unemployment benefits expire?"
In February of 2019, Bloomington’s Barnes and Noble closed its doors for good and left the community with an immense need for more books.
Nancy Boerner, a retired collection development librarian and avid reader, had lost her favorite place to browse and find new books when Barnes and Noble closed. She then asked City Limits to find out if there were plans for Barnes and Noble to return and if there were any other bookstores planning on opening in the area.
