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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.

Public works notebook: Scooter contracts, underpass mural repair, sidewalk fines

Public works notebook: Scooter contracts, underpass mural repair, sidewalk fines

Bloomington’s short-handed board of public works still worked its way through a Tuesday agenda that included: renewal of the $10,000 annual licenses for two scooter companies; an agreement with an artist to refurbish the 7th Street underpass mural; two public improvement bond estimates; and a noise permit for

Bloomington’s Waldron Arts Center now open for shows, including MLK-themed “The Mountaintop”

Bloomington’s Waldron Arts Center now open for shows, including MLK-themed “The Mountaintop”

In a news release issued Tuesday afternoon, the city of Bloomington announced that Bloomington’s Waldron Arts Center is open again for use as a visual and performing arts venue. The facility was closed for a time after ownership of the facility reverted to Bloomington from Ivy Tech in 2020,

Pandemic notebook: Highest ever rolling daily case average for Hoosier state, vaccine clinic in Bloomington Jan. 5 to Jan. 8

Pandemic notebook: Highest ever rolling daily case average for Hoosier state, vaccine clinic in Bloomington Jan. 5 to Jan. 8

The datasets maintained by Indiana’s state department of health were updated Monday afternoon, with the COVID-19 numbers from the previous four days. Indiana’s rolling average of daily positive test results now stands at 8,175 as of Jan. 2. That’s an all-time pandemic high, eclipsing the previous

Temperature notebook: December 2021 one of Bloomington’s warmest on record

Temperature notebook: December 2021 one of Bloomington’s warmest on record

Sub-freezing temperatures in Bloomington on the second day of 2022 signaled a contrast between the last month of 2021 and the start to the new year. The National Weather Service office for Indianapolis led off its Jan. 2 forecast like this: “The recent warm weather pattern has come to an

Funbearable cold at 2022 Lake Monroe polar plunge after warm December

Funbearable cold at 2022 Lake Monroe polar plunge after warm December

On Saturday morning at Lake Monroe’s Paynetown Recreation Area, with a steady rain falling out of a sky with low-hanging clouds and fog, right when the time ticked to 10 o’clock, about 50 people sprinted from the beach into the water. Counting down the crowd to the appointed

A look ahead to 2022: Bloomington area local government stories

A look ahead to 2022: Bloomington area local government stories

Last year’s lead art for The B Square’s look ahead to 2021 featured this caption: “These numerals began life as a photograph of the sidewalk around the courthouse square in downtown Bloomington, where the crows like to crap. It was that kind of year.” Arguably a worse year

COVID-19 update: Top Hoosier health official’s forecast of “very steep rise in cases” true just one day later

COVID-19 update: Top Hoosier health official’s forecast of “very steep rise in cases” true just one day later

Kristina Box, the health commissioner for the state of Indiana, warned at a Wednesday news conference about the looming impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Box put it this way: “We expect to see a very steep rise in cases over the next several weeks.” On Thursday, the update