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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.

Law requiring occupancy affidavits for renters put off at least 2 weeks by Bloomington city council

Law requiring occupancy affidavits for renters put off at least 2 weeks by Bloomington city council

A decision on a proposed new local law that would require landlords and tenants to sign occupancy affidavits, and file them with the housing and neighborhood development (HAND) department, has been postponed by Bloomington’s city council until June 16. The unanimous vote to postpone final action came after public

Opinion: Bloomington is 52% serious about gun crime

Opinion: Bloomington is 52% serious about gun crime

In mid-February, Bloomington’s mayor, John Hamilton, and chief of police, Mike Diekhoff, among others, appeared at a press conference to present the city’s annual public safety report. The event was framed by Hamilton like this: “By sharing public data about the full range of public safety issues, we

Bloomington’s planned annexation: County hires own consultant, city clarifies map

Bloomington’s planned annexation: County hires own consultant, city clarifies map

Bloomington’s proposed annexation plan will be getting scrutiny from a financial consultant hired by Monroe County. At their weekly meeting on Wednesday, county commissioners approved an agreement with Baker Tilly US, for “review and analysis of the city of Bloomington’s annexation fiscal plan.” The not-to-exceed amount for Baker

Tax abatement for affordable housing project next to new park to be weighed by Bloomington city council

Tax abatement for affordable housing project next to new park to be weighed by Bloomington city council

By December 2022, Bloomington is expecting to see completed construction of Retreat at the Switchyard, a new housing project with 48 apartments designated as affordable. The project is a 64-unit, 5-story building with first-floor retail space at the 1.5- acre site of the former Night Moves building on South

Public right-of-way issues: Use of Kirkwood for dining through Oct. 31 mulled by Bloomington city council, motorcoaches get some parking commission talk

Public right-of-way issues: Use of Kirkwood for dining through Oct. 31 mulled by Bloomington city council, motorcoaches get some parking commission talk

Bloomington restaurants might be able to continue using a few blocks of Kirkwood Avenue as restaurant seating, through Oct. 31. That’s the effect of a resolution to be considered by Bloomington’s city council at its regular Wednesday meeting this week (June 2). In mid-December last year, the council

Photos: Plenty of free barking in Bloomington

Photos: Plenty of free barking in Bloomington

One of the most frequent complaints about Bloomington that I hear from folks is that there’s not enough barking. There’s just no place to bark, they say. And when you do find a place to bark, there’s a barking meter with jammed coin slots, so it accepts

Column: Feed pigeons fresh clay, don’t use file photos

Column: Feed pigeons fresh clay, don’t use file photos

Mid-afternoon on Saturday, I had a choice to make. But let’s not bury the lede with a bunch of boring background. Shortly after making the right choice, I was listening to two verses of Blaze Foley’s “Clay Pigeons.” The performance was by street buskers under the canopy of