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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.

Bloomington’s Seminary Park action spurs “Hands off Homeless” rally, call for funding of grassroots efforts

Click to view slideshow. On Friday evening, about 200 people gathered on the southeast corner of the Monroe County courthouse square to respond to the city of Bloomington’s action on Wednesday night, to remove a group of a dozen and half tents and people from Seminary Park. One demand

Removal of people, personal property from Bloomington’s Seminary Park prompts question: What, if anything, is an encampment?

Removal of people, personal property from Bloomington’s Seminary Park prompts question: What, if anything, is an encampment?

When it was founded in 1825, the school that stood on what’s now a park, at 2nd and Walnut streets in Bloomington, taught just two subjects, both heavy with vocabulary study—Greek and Latin. What’s the right word to describe Seminary Park over the last few weeks? It

Swift retraction of appointment to Bloomington parking commission after Facebook posts highlighted: “Not a reflection of the city that we are.”

Swift retraction of appointment to Bloomington parking commission after Facebook posts highlighted: “Not a reflection of the city that we are.”

An appointment made on Wednesday to Bloomington’s nine-member parking commission was retracted by the end of the day, because of Facebook posts made by the appointee, Joseph Bortka. The posts in question include one that responds to a post that says, “I hate feminism” with “I second this.

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