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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 election board girds for June 2 in-person primary balloting, but all voters to receive applications to vote by mail

Monroe County election board girds for June 2 in-person primary balloting, but all voters to receive applications to vote by mail

Monroe County’s election board is preparing for the upcoming June 2 primary election by promoting the no-excuse absentee voting option that the state’s election commission has enacted just for this year’s primary. The June 2 date is a postponement from the originally scheduled May 5 primary.

Column: “Breaking Away” sometimes means taking a delightful detour

Column: “Breaking Away” sometimes means taking a delightful detour

[Note: The Little 500, the bicycle race at the center of the 1979 movie “Breaking Away,” has been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was scheduled to be run on Friday (women’s) and Saturday (men’s) this weekend.] Last July, I managed to arrange a

Bloomington city council includes memory of BearCat purchase in COVID-19 emergency powers for mayor

Bloomington city council includes memory of BearCat purchase in COVID-19 emergency powers for mayor

At its Wednesday meeting, Bloomington’s city council approved an ordinance that gives the city’s mayor and controller more flexibility to act in the context of an emergency, like the current COVID-19 pandemic, without following standard procedures or existing laws. One of the amendments to the ordinance, adopted

Bloomington: $550K in COVID-19 small business relief loans awarded so far using food and beverage tax proceeds, about $250K already distributed

Bloomington: $550K in COVID-19 small business relief loans awarded so far using food and beverage tax proceeds, about $250K already distributed

In a press release issued Wednesday afternoon, the city of Bloomington announced that a total of $550,700 has now been approved in loans to 22 businesses that applied for COVID-19 relief funds. The city currently has a pool of $2.5 million to draw on for loans to

Monroe County commissioners OK $68K in first round of COVID-19 relief funding, using food and beverage tax proceeds

Monroe County commissioners OK $68K in first round of COVID-19 relief funding, using food and beverage tax proceeds

Ten Monroe County business owners outside the city limits of Bloomington will be getting an email sometime Wednesday with an agreement for COVID-19 relief grant funds. Once the agreements are signed, the county auditor’s office will be able to cut checks to the businesses. A total of $68,

COVID-19 means Bloomington Transit holds most new routes in limbo, gives hazard pay to drivers, still looks on sunny side

COVID-19 means Bloomington Transit holds most new routes in limbo, gives hazard pay to drivers, still looks on sunny side

At its meeting on Tuesday night, Bloomington Transit’s board voted unanimously to approve just one of the new routes that had emerged from a study done by a consultant last year. The collection of newly designed routes, optimized to increase readership, was presented to the public at meetings held

County-level COVID-19 perspective includes Bloomington mayor’s negative test

County-level COVID-19 perspective includes Bloomington mayor’s negative test

On Monday, the city of Bloomington issued a press release announcing the city’s mayor, John Hamilton, had tested negative for COVID-19 after having flu-like symptoms. Current testing protocols don’t yet include people who are asymptomatic except for first responders and health care workers. The city had