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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 councilors take unanimous, futile vote to support rural fire departments

Monroe County councilors take unanimous, futile vote to support rural fire departments

Monroe County councilors voted 7–0 Monday night in favor of a resolution supporting the direct allocation of about $353,700 in public safety local income tax (PS-LIT) revenues to four rural fire departments in the county. The county council took the vote as a member of the tax

Monroe County confirmed COVID-19 numbers jump, driven by younger cases

Monroe County confirmed COVID-19 numbers jump, driven by younger cases

The last two days of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Monroe County have soared past previous highs, since the county’s first confirmed positive case on March 21. The number reported for Saturday (Aug. 30) was 38, eclipsing the previous one-day total by 3. The number for Sunday

Column: Fighting hen’s tooth and nail over a Bloomington plan commission seat

Column: Fighting hen’s tooth and nail over a Bloomington plan commission seat

The latest twist in the ongoing legal dispute over a seat on Bloomington’s plan commission came two weeks ago, when the city of Bloomington asked the local judge to allow for an interlocutory appeal of the judge’s first significant ruling. That ruling was to deny Bloomington’s motion

Analysis | From transit, to climate, to basic services: A changing trajectory for Bloomington’s income tax proposal

Analysis | From transit, to climate, to basic services: A changing trajectory for Bloomington’s income tax proposal

An op-ed written by Bloomington’s mayor, Democrat John Hamilton, published Friday morning in The Herald-Times, tries to make a case for Bloomington’s city council to enact a quarter-point increase to the local income tax. The Friday morning op-ed by the mayor resurfaced the idea

County board of health turns recs into regs after university imposes quarantine on Greek houses due to “alarming” number of COVID-19 cases

County board of health turns recs into regs after university imposes quarantine on Greek houses due to “alarming” number of COVID-19 cases

Two and a half weeks ago, on Aug. 5, Monroe County’s board of health issued a set of recommendations for residential and communal living facilities, to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic virus. The recommendations also applied to Indiana University Greek houses. On Friday, the county

Committee gets more perspective on police as Bloomington city council weighs 2021 budget proposal to swap out sworn officers

Committee gets more perspective on police as Bloomington city council weighs 2021 budget proposal to swap out sworn officers

A Wednesday night meeting of the Bloomington city council’s standing committee on public safety put some new information about Bloomington’s police department in front of the four-member group. Committee member Isabel Piedmont-Smith told Bloomington police chief Mike Diekhoff, who was on hand to answer questions, “I

100th anniversary of women’s voting rights commemorated by Monroe County commissioners as COVID-19 uncertainties linger in fall election prep

100th anniversary of women’s voting rights commemorated by Monroe County commissioners as COVID-19 uncertainties linger in fall election prep

Aug. 26, 2020 was Women’s Equality Day in Monroe County. Making it so was a proclamation from Monroe County’s three county commissioners, which they issued at their regular weekly meeting on Wednesday morning. The occasion was the 100th anniversary of another proclamation, issued by U.S. Secretary of