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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.

Bin there done that: Bloomington council OKs garbage fees retroactively, preps for report

Bin there done that: Bloomington council OKs garbage fees retroactively, preps for report

At its regular Wednesday meeting, Bloomington’s city council ratified garbage collection fees that expired nearly a year ago, on Nov. 1, 2020. In the future, the council won’t have to worry about fees expiring. That’s because on Wednesday, the council eliminated the city code’s entire “sunset”

Bloomington city council enacts law intended to prevent long meetings

Bloomington city council enacts law intended to prevent long meetings

On a 7–2 vote at its regular Wednesday meeting, Bloomington’s city council enacted an ordinance that is intended to prevent its meetings from lasting longer than five and a half hours, or going past midnight. Dissenting were council president Jim Sims and Susan Sandberg. The ordinance was authored

Column: Bloomington city council needs to shift out of park, into legislative gear

Column: Bloomington city council needs to shift out of park, into legislative gear

Bloomington’s city councilmembers want mayor John Hamilton’s administration to make policy choices that are consistent with the community’s values. And they want to see those choices reflected in the annual budget. Otherwise put, Bloomington’s city council is like any other city council in America. It’s

$82.5K OK’d to get help naming new Bloomington neighborhood: “Hospital Redevelopment Site doesn’t really roll off the tongue.”

$82.5K OK’d to get help naming new Bloomington neighborhood: “Hospital Redevelopment Site doesn’t really roll off the tongue.”

The new Bloomington neighborhood, which is to be developed on the site of the IU Health hospital, will get a name of its own. That’s among the tasks the city’s redevelopment commission (RDC) wants Borshoff, an Indianapolis public relations firm, to help complete. At Monday’s regular RDC

Bloomington resumes curbside recycling pickup week of Oct. 4

Bloomington resumes curbside recycling pickup week of Oct. 4

In a news release issued early Saturday evening, the city of Bloomington has announced that curbside recycling service will resume on Monday, Oct. 4. Last week the recycling service was cancelled, because not enough sanitation workers were available to work. Several workers had tested positive for the COVID-19 pandemic virus.

Data notebook: Bloomington’s electric scooter ridership at 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels

Data notebook: Bloomington’s electric scooter ridership at 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels

Measured by scooter rides, life in Bloomington has not yet returned to the pre-pandemic norms. Numbers available through the city’s B Clear platform show that for August and September of 2021, a total of 106,083 rides were taken on a shared electric scooter, which is 69 percent of

Pandemic notebook: Surge subsiding, but slowly

Pandemic notebook: Surge subsiding, but slowly

The current surge in COVID-19 case numbers seems to be past its peak statewide and in Monroe County. But IU Health south central region president Brian Shockney said on Friday that this one seems to be a little different from previous surges. That’s because hospitalization numbers are decreasing more