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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.

Opinion: Shalom Community Center adopts a great new name befitting its role as a beacon

Opinion: Shalom Community Center adopts a great new name befitting its role as a beacon

Last week, Bloomington’s city council meeting grew a bit contentious when it was revealed that the city’s administration has a notion to rename the planning and transportation department. The idea is to eliminate “and transportation” from the department’s name. I made a Shakespearean joke of it: A

Long lines but sunny start to early voting in Monroe County

Long lines but sunny start to early voting in Monroe County

Tuesday morning, Oct. 6, saw a long line of voters in downtown Bloomington. It stretched south down the block from Election Central, at the corner of 7th and Madison, around the corner where the former La Vie en Rose Cafe stands, west along 6th Street, nearly to Rogers Street. Tuesday

Bloomington RDC greenlights parking control equipment for two new parking garages

Bloomington RDC greenlights parking control equipment for two new parking garages

On Monday night, action by Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC) ensured that a contract is in place, with Evens Time, Inc., to provide parking control equipment for the two new parking garages currently under construction. One of the garages is a replacement facility for the 4th Street deck, which was

Monroe County girds for in-person, mailed-in ballots alike, as registration deadline looms

Monroe County girds for in-person, mailed-in ballots alike, as registration deadline looms

A voter registration deadline of Monday, Oct. 5 is looming, and four weeks of early voting are set to start the following day at 8 a.m. The only location for early voting is Election Central, at the corner of Madison and 7th streets in downtown Bloomington. So Monroe County’

Hey, Wait a Minute | Is Bloomington’s annual budget process like slaughtering chickens?

Hey, Wait a Minute | Is Bloomington’s annual budget process like slaughtering chickens?

Note: “Hey, Wait a Minute” is an occasional B Square Beacon series that highlights meeting minutes and other documentation of local government meetings in the Bloomington, Indiana area. The Bloomington city council’s information packet for its Oct. 7 meeting includes some meeting minutes with dates from 2011. Why are

No burn ban yet for Monroe County, but EM director says: “Make good decisions when you’re burning things.”

No burn ban yet for Monroe County, but EM director says: “Make good decisions when you’re burning things.”

At Wednesday’s meeting of Monroe County commissioners, county director of emergency management Allison Moore told them no outdoor burn ban was yet recommended for the county, despite persistent dry conditions. She still asked the public to exercise caution: “We do challenge you to make good decisions when you’re

Bumpy road for Bloomington mayor continues with initial debate on final 2021 budget, as city council gets jolted by surprise renaming of department

Bumpy road for Bloomington mayor continues with initial debate on final 2021 budget, as city council gets jolted by surprise renaming of department

Two weeks ago, Bloomington’s city council handed mayor John Hamilton a rare if not unprecedented defeat in his nearly half decade as mayor, when it rejected a request for a quarter-point increase to the local income tax. Five of nine councilmembers voted against it. The administration’s rough