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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: Judge rules Bloomington plan commission violated Open Door Law, second lawsuit now filed

Column: Judge rules Bloomington plan commission violated Open Door Law, second lawsuit now filed

In a ruling issued on June 1, Monroe County circuit court judge Catherine Stafford found that Bloomington’s plan commission violated Indiana’s Open Door Law (ODL) with its March 14, 2022 meeting. The allegation that the meeting violated the electronic meetings section of the ODL was made in a

Possible mayoral run for Sandberg: Bloomington city council president forms exploratory committee

Possible mayoral run for Sandberg: Bloomington city council president forms exploratory committee

On Wednesday (June 1) a little before noon, Democrat Susan Sandberg filed paperwork with Monroe County to form an exploratory committee to run for mayor of the city of Bloomington in 2023. That means her campaign can accept financial contributions, but does not require that she eventually declare her candidacy

Tangled web: So-called “spider” TIF for Bloomington high-speed internet deal hits procedural snag

Tangled web: So-called “spider” TIF for Bloomington high-speed internet deal hits procedural snag

A 2–1 vote by Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) on Tuesday night is now a procedural bump for a $50 million high-speed internet fiber deal between Bloomington and the Paris-based infrastructure firm Meridiam. Even though two out of three was a majority of RDC members who were

US Census Vintage 2021 estimates: 800 more people in Bloomington compared to 2020 decennial count

US Census Vintage 2021 estimates: 800 more people in Bloomington compared to 2020 decennial count

Based on new estimates released on Thursday, Bloomington’s population has bumped up by 800 people compared to the 2020 census count. The US Census Bureau (USCB) now estimates the city of Bloomington to have 79,968 residents. That’s as of July 1, 2021. The USCB calls this set

Photos: Claim confirmed, bald eagle at Griffy Lake

Photos: Claim confirmed, bald eagle at Griffy Lake

Last Tuesday, after Bloomington’s board of park commissioners meeting, operations director Tim Street told The B Square that a pair of bald eagles live out at Griffy Lake. There’s a old reporter’s motto: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” So on Saturday, The

Photos: Red-tailed hawk moves for change of venue, swaps courthouse weathervane for tree branch

Photos: Red-tailed hawk moves for change of venue, swaps courthouse weathervane for tree branch

The Monroe County courthouse red-tailed hawk beat, which The B Square has been covering since Earth Day this year, has been quiet for a few weeks. Before Saturday (May 28) the last sighting of the hawk had been on May 9. On that day the bird took up is

Pandemic notebook: Monroe County cases steady, hospital numbers higher, still under CDC thresholds

Pandemic notebook: Monroe County cases steady, hospital numbers higher, still under CDC thresholds

In its regular Thursday news release this week, the city of Bloomington announced 11 new COVID-19 cases among city employees. That’s the highest number of weekly employee cases in four months, when 14 cases were announced on Feb. 3. According to Indiana’s state dashboard, the one COVID-