Good morning, Bloomington.

Lotus World Music & Arts Festival is scheduled for Oct.

1-4 at six downtown venues (a four-day showcase of local music and arts).

The McCalla Center will open its free 'Treasures of the Silk Road' exhibition tomorrow from 4-6 p.m., featuring over 70 musical instruments from Asia, the Middle East & North Africa.

The show will run until Sept. 2027.

Diesel hit record highs on Tuesday and Wednesday in Indiana, with AAA recording nearly $7 per gallon statewide including a record $6.992 in Bloomington; rising fuel costs + expert warnings suggest grocery prices could increase as transport costs climb.

Faculty at Bloomington Faculty Council met in Presidents Hall Tuesday to discuss concerns over IU's 10 percent benefits cuts, rising enrollment, and financial transparency, while endorsing free speech guidelines and early military student registration.

The council set its next meeting for Oct. 13.

The MCCSC Board of School Trustees identified six factors for possible changes to school zones and facility planning — including socioeconomic balance and net expenses as top priorities.

The board will hold another public work session to refine these parameters.

IU researchers received $1.18 million from NSF to study security risks in open-source AI models used in scientific research.

Led by Sagar Samtani (lab director at IU’s Data Science and AI Lab), the team will develop tools to protect research data.

Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington will host a free five-day AI training program in partnership with the Mark Cuban Foundation from Oct.

19-23 at its Bloomington campus (limited to 30 participants) to teach adults without prior experience how to build and use AI agents for workplace tasks.

Bloomington will begin its annual fall leaf collection on Monday, Oct.

19, and residents should set out leaves in brown paper bags, handled trash cans, or City-issued green-lid carts on their regular A and B week schedules through Dec. 30.

Two Monroe County boards added new members this month as the convention center expansion nears operational handoff; Kyle Hannon fills a vacant CIB seat and Geoff McKim becomes the new mayoral appointee to the restructured six-member CVC.

Both boards approved limestone-support changes and will shift vendor contracts on Oct. 1.

Indiana football players Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt won a preliminary injunction against the NCAA yesterday and will play Friday night against Northwestern as the ruling challenges the new age based eligibility rule.

Bloomington North’s all-senior girls’ golf team will compete in the Franklin Regional on Saturday, Sept.

26, in pursuit of a state finals bid. The team, known for its maturity & strong work ethic under coach Harrison Carmichael, aims to surpass its high standards and secure a top finish.

Jacklyn Wheeler redeemed last year's heartbreak by posting a 94 at the Bloomington North girls golf sectional Monday at Cascades Golf Course — she hit a clutch putt on the final hole to secure her berth at regionals.