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Dave Askins

Dave Askins

Bloomington, Indiana

Dave Askins is editor and publisher of The B Square Bulletin. A Hoosier native with a background in math and linguistics, he previously co-founded the Ann Arbor Chronicle with his wife, Mary Morgan.

Bloomington mayor unveils $20M more in one-time spending on first night of budget hearings

Bloomington mayor unveils $20M more in one-time spending on first night of budget hearings

On Monday, Bloomington’s city council held the week’s first night of departmental budget hearings. Three more nights of hearings are set to follow on successive days. One piece of big news about the spending plan for 2024 came from Bloomington mayor John Hamilton’s introductory remarks. To a

Meeting on site selection for new Monroe County jail set for Aug. 29

Meeting on site selection for new Monroe County jail set for Aug. 29

On Tuesday, a big group of local government officials has been invited by Monroe County commissioners to a discussion about the future site of a new county jail. The meeting, which will be convened in the Nat U. Hill Room of the county courthouse, is set to start at 5:

Proposed 2024 Bloomington budget of $131M includes 5% raise for employees, 2 dozen added jobs

Proposed 2024 Bloomington budget of $131M includes 5% raise for employees, 2 dozen added jobs

At around 9:45 p.m. on Friday, the final proposed city budget of Bloomington mayor John Hamilton’s service was uploaded to the city’s website. At about $131 million, it’s about 1.5 percent more than the budget approved by the city council for 2023. That figure

Molly Tuttle: “My backyard is an Indiana farm, Bloomington is alright”

Molly Tuttle: “My backyard is an Indiana farm, Bloomington is alright”

On Thursday night, Grammy-award winning artist Molly Tuttle and her band Golden Highway delivered more than an hour and a half of bluegrass bliss in Bloomington’s Switchyard Park. The temperature of 92 F degrees, combined with a relative humidity of around 66 percent, made for a heat index of

Filling Monroe County election supervisor position called “good first step” by League of Women Voters

Filling Monroe County election supervisor position called “good first step” by League of Women Voters

The upcoming Nov. 7 local elections include just one contested municipal race—for Bloomington city council District 3—plus a referendum question for Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC). So they’re not expected to present a big logistical challenge for the county’s election division. Still, this year’s

Monroe County council looks at boosting employee pay in 2024: “We have our work cut out for us.”

Monroe County council looks at boosting employee pay in 2024: “We have our work cut out for us.”

On Tuesday night, Monroe County councilors opened a discussion about next year’s salary increase for county employees. A starting point for that discussion is 6 percent. No decisions were made on Tuesday. The county’s budget process will unfold over the course of a couple of weeks starting Sept.

Split vote this year on all Monroe County social services grant awards

Split vote this year on all Monroe County social services grant awards

Community service grants to 38 organizations totaling $160,830 were approved by Monroe County councilors at their Tuesday evening work session. The community service grants, which have been made annually since 2008, are named after a former county councilor, the late Sophia Travis. In past years, councilor Marty Hawk has