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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.

Column: Quorum issue for Bloomington city council highlights need for objective study of procedures

Column: Quorum issue for Bloomington city council highlights need for objective study of procedures

This past Wednesday, Bloomington’s city council failed to achieve a quorum for its committee-of-the-whole meeting. For the nine-member council, a quorum is five. But only four councilmembers showed up: Susan Sandberg, Jim Sims, Dave Rollo, and Ron Smith. In practical terms, the lack of a quorum just meant that

Bloomington police update: 23-year-old arrested in connection with July 27 killing

Bloomington police update: 23-year-old arrested in connection with July 27 killing

In a Thursday news release, Bloomington police reported that a 23-year-old man, described as a “transient,” has been arrested in connection with the July 27 shooting death of a Kinser Flats resident on the city’s north side. The news release says that Kendrick Q. Webb was arrested in Melrose

Bloomington’s Bethel African Methodist Episcopal church set to get historic district OK from city council

Bloomington’s Bethel African Methodist Episcopal church set to get historic district OK from city council

Bloomington’s Bethel AME church, which sits on the northeast corner of 7th and Rogers streets on the western edge of downtown, is set to receive historic designation from the city council at its meeting next Wednesday (Aug. 17). The parsonage, which sits to the north of the church, will

Convention center notebook: Monroe County commissioners react to Bloomington pitch by putting appraisal of property on agenda

Convention center notebook: Monroe County commissioners react to Bloomington pitch by putting appraisal of property on agenda

“I think it only makes sense to go into negotiations armed with knowledge.” That was county commissioner Julie Thomas’s commentary on Wednesday morning about the possibility of getting an appraisal of county-owned real estate in downtown Bloomington. Her comment came at the end of Wednesday’s work session, which

2023 budget notebook: Monroe County council recommends 5% pay raise for planning purposes

2023 budget notebook: Monroe County council recommends 5% pay raise for planning purposes

Monroe County employees could be looking at a 5-percent increase to their pay in 2023, while inflation is running a few points higher than that. At their Tuesday night meeting, Monroe County councilors voted unanimously to recommend for current budget planning purposes that a 5-percent cost-of-living adjustment be made to

County council warm to Bloomington’s pitch for convention center transfer

County council warm to Bloomington’s pitch for convention center transfer

While a lot of details remain to be worked out, Monroe County councilors appear receptive to the basic idea of transferring ownership of the county’s convention center and related properties to the city of Bloomington. The city’s hoped-for timeline for getting the deal done is the end of

SR 46 & I-69 crash: Driver charged with reckless homicide, Bloomington police say 46-year old woman was intoxicated when she crashed SUV into truck

SR 46 & I-69 crash: Driver charged with reckless homicide, Bloomington police say 46-year old woman was intoxicated when she crashed SUV into truck

In a news release issued Tuesday afternoon, Bloomington police reported the outcome of their investigation into a crash on Saturday (Aug. 6), which took place at the intersection of SR 46 and the southbound entrance ramp to I-69, on the northwest edge of the city. On Tuesday, police arrested Charity