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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.

Scooter data notebook: Bloomington ride numbers show downturn, one vendor leaves

Scooter data notebook: Bloomington ride numbers show downturn, one vendor leaves

At a work session on budget priorities held this past Wednesday, Bloomington city councilmembers discussed sources of revenue for various initiatives. One of the sources of revenue, which was mentioned by council president Isabel Piedmont-Smith, comes from fees paid to the city by shared electric scooter companies. Each company

Over protest from many employees, Monroe County to change health clinic vendor by Aug. 1

Over protest from many employees, Monroe County to change health clinic vendor by Aug. 1

Monroe County is starting a transition to a different vendor for its employee health clinic, which was established in 2010. At their regular meeting on Wednesday, Monroe County commissioners voted unanimously to approve a $59,750 business associates agreement with ProActiveMD to start the transition work. The move was opposed

Column: Besides loyalty, what budget outcomes does Bloomington’s city council want to buy?

Column: Besides loyalty, what budget outcomes does Bloomington’s city council want to buy?

On Wednesday, Bloomington’s city council is holding a work session to talk about budget priorities for 2025. Here’s something to watch for: Will the city council start to apply the principles of outcomes-based budgeting to its own part of the budget? Specifically, will Bloomington’s city council

Backlash on Monroe County’s pending decision to change vendor for employee health clinic

Backlash on Monroe County’s pending decision to change vendor for employee health clinic

A transition to a different vendor for Monroe County’s employee health clinic, which was established in 2010, appears on the agenda for the regular meeting of the board of county commissioners on Wednesday morning. Under the terms of the contract, Monroe County will start working to transition to ProActiveMD

2–2 deadlock on duplex for Bloomington’s board of zoning appeals

2–2 deadlock on duplex for Bloomington’s board of zoning appeals

A greenlight for construction of a duplex on an empty lot northwest of Bryan Park in a central Bloomington neighborhood will have to wait at least until the next meeting of Bloomington’s board of zoning appeals (BZA). At its meeting last Thursday (May 23, 2024), the BZA voted 2–

9 flagpoles now legit for Elks after action by Bloomington board of zoning appeals

9 flagpoles now legit for Elks after action by Bloomington board of zoning appeals

Nine new flagpoles in front of Elks Lodge #446, which were installed early this year at the corner of Walnut and 8th Streets, got an official approval from Bloomington’s board of zoning appeals (BZA) last Thursday. Normally, a variance is requested before the work is actually done. So the

Bloomington budget notebook: Outcome-based budgeting, city council salaries

Bloomington budget notebook: Outcome-based budgeting, city council salaries

Next Wednesday (May 29), Bloomington’s city council will hold a work session to discuss budget priorities for 2025. Possibly part of the conversation will be the concept of outcomes-based budgeting, which is a notion that was given some discussion at an April 24 budget work session. Outcomes-based