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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.

Monroe County extends COVID-19 contracts for enforcement of health regulations, processing of CARES reimbursement claims

Monroe County extends COVID-19 contracts for enforcement of health regulations, processing of CARES reimbursement claims

At their regular meeting on Wednesday morning, Monroe County commissioners approved revisions to two existing contracts related to local government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An early-November agreement with Security Pro 24/7, to help enforce the county board of health’s regulations, was bumped by commissioners on

Bloomington parks board votes 1–3 on policy change: Daytime camping still allowed

Bloomington parks board votes 1–3 on policy change: Daytime camping still allowed

A proposed policy change that would have prohibited camping or otherwise inhabiting Bloomington’s parks at any time, not just overnight, got just one vote of support at Tuesday’s meeting of the board of park commissioners. Dissenting on the vote was Les Coyne, who was congratulated at the start

Bloomington city council to recognize GOP party chair’s choice for transit board seat, an appointment the council is supposed to make

Bloomington city council to recognize GOP party chair’s choice for transit board seat, an appointment the council is supposed to make

In a press release issued in mid-November, GOP Monroe County chair William Ellis announced he had appointed Doug Horn, a Bloomington businessman and former Monroe County plan commissioner, to the five-member, partisan-balanced Bloomington Transit board. It’s an appointment that is normally supposed to be made by

Bloomington RDC on path to keep hospital’s Kohr building for now, OKs lease offerings for ground floor of new parking garages at $20/sf minimum

Bloomington RDC on path to keep hospital’s Kohr building for now, OKs lease offerings for ground floor of new parking garages at $20/sf minimum

At its regular meeting on Monday, Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) kept on a course that would preserve the Kohr Administration Center building as part of the IU Health hospital site at 1st and Rogers streets. The RDC’s vote came in the context of a $6.5 million real

Bloomington finalizing digital equity plan, with recommendation for new staff position

Bloomington finalizing digital equity plan, with recommendation for new staff position

At a sparsely attended public meeting last Tuesday, Bloomington’s IT director, Rick Dietz and consultants from Maryland-based CTC Technology and Energy made themselves available for feedback on the city’s draft digital equity strategic plan. The introduction to the plan describes “digital equity” as a situation where “all

COVID-19 Update | First vaccine doses a week away, as cases, deaths, positivity rates make hospital capacity the story of the day: “We haven’t seen a decrease in patients that we’re hoping to see.”

COVID-19 Update | First vaccine doses a week away, as cases, deaths, positivity rates make hospital capacity the story of the day: “We haven’t seen a decrease in patients that we’re hoping to see.”

Eighty-three percent of IU Health system’s intensive care unit (ICU) beds are filled statewide, but not all of them with COVID-19 patients. That’s according to Brian Shockney, president of IU Health’s south central region, speaking at Friday’s weekly press conference of local leaders to

Sidewalk committee to talk about equity at Dec. 15 meeting

Sidewalk committee to talk about equity at Dec. 15 meeting

One of the outcomes of Thursday’s meeting held by the Bloomington city council’s sidewalk committee was the addition of an agenda item to the four-member group’s next meeting, on Dec. 15. At the mid-December meeting, the committee will take up the question of its role