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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.

UDO Update: City council OKs amendments impacting driveways, payment-in-lieu, ranch porches

UDO Update: City council OKs amendments impacting driveways, payment-in-lieu, ranch porches

The penultimate batch of amendments to Bloomington’s updated unified development ordinance (UDO) were dispatched by the city council in less than 90 minutes on Tuesday (Dec. 10). The council handled 11 amendments on Tuesday, six of them on a consent agenda. That sets the stage for final adoption of

Focus of Bloomington’s “fragile” farmers market in 2020: Decisions on time, manner and place

Focus of Bloomington’s “fragile” farmers market in 2020: Decisions on time, manner and place

On Jan. 9 next year, Bloomington’s board of park commissioners will make a decision about the future of the city-sponsored market, which last year featured 121 farm vendors and 17 food and beverage artisans. The Jan. 9 decision will come after a season of protests this year against

City clerk’s complaint prompts investigation, decision by city council to make public a summary: No evidence of racial animus by council staffer

City clerk’s complaint prompts investigation, decision by city council to make public a summary: No evidence of racial animus by council staffer

In early August, Bloomington’s city clerk, Nicole Bolden, filed a complaint about the city council’s attorney/administrator, Dan Sherman, alleging that he was “disrespectful and rude” in his questioning of her about the posting of required legal notices for a meeting of the council’s rules committee. Bolden,

County, city disagreement defused with oral agreement to pursue CIB for convention center expansion, down to working out details

County, city disagreement defused with oral agreement to pursue CIB for convention center expansion, down to working out details

Two days short of the second anniversary of the Monroe County council’s vote to enact a 1-percent food and beverage tax, city of Bloomington and county officials have agreed on the basics of the governance structure for a $59-million convention center expansion. By law, the tax has

Monroe County’s council loads legislative gun, levels it at food-and-beverage tax as prelude to Wednesday’s convention center negotiations

Monroe County’s council loads legislative gun, levels it at food-and-beverage tax as prelude to Wednesday’s convention center negotiations

[Update at 1:18 p.m. Dec. 11, 2019: This piece has been updated at the end to include action from Wednesday morning] At their Tuesday night meeting, Monroe County councilors helped set the stage for Wednesday morning’s negotiations between county commissioners and Bloomington’s mayor, John Hamilton, about

4th Street parking garage may be off plan commission agenda for 3 months

4th Street parking garage may be off plan commission agenda for 3 months

Every month starting in August, Bloomington’s plan commission followed a pattern. The commission continued to the following month’s meeting one of its agenda items—the city’s proposed site plan for a replacement garage at Fourth and Walnut streets. Demolition of the old structure, with its 352 parking

Ruff runs for 9th District Congressional seat, wraps up 20 years on Bloomington city council

Ruff runs for 9th District Congressional seat, wraps up 20 years on Bloomington city council

In a press release sent Monday morning, Bloomington city councilmember Andy Ruff, a Democrat, announced he’s running for the 9th District U.S. Representative seat currently held by Republican Trey Hollingsworth. In the press release, Ruff is quoted as saying, “I’m running because we need to do a