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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.

Indiana’s election commission confirms primary will include in-person voting on June 2, reveals partisan sticking points despite consensus

Indiana’s election commission confirms primary will include in-person voting on June 2, reveals partisan sticking points despite consensus

At a Friday noon meeting, Indiana’s four-member state election commission adopted an order that says in-person voting will take place on Election Day, June 2. Early in-person voting will be held May 26 through June 1. The possibility of a vote-by-mail election, which had

Bloomington plan commission vacancy: GOP county chair says he has authority to fill it, picks Guenther

Bloomington plan commission vacancy: GOP county chair says he has authority to fill it, picks Guenther

One of the nine seats on the Bloomington plan commission has been vacant since around Jan. 6, when the four-year term for Nick Kappas expired, and the city’s mayor, Democrat John Hamilton, decided not to reappoint him. The spot held by Kappas is one of the five seats

Monroe County, Bloomington review applications from private sector for COVID-19 relief money, as emergency is continued

Monroe County, Bloomington review applications from private sector for COVID-19 relief money, as emergency is continued

On Wednesday morning at their regular weekly meeting, Monroe County commissioners voted to extend the order of emergency for the county another two weeks through May 1. It was an expected move that squares up the county’s emergency order with executive orders from Indiana governor Eric Holcomb . As confirmed

Basic zoning map for Bloomington gets final OK from city council, but COVID-19 means map revisions unlikely before 2021

Basic zoning map for Bloomington gets final OK from city council, but COVID-19 means map revisions unlikely before 2021

In unanimous votes taken on Wednesday night, Bloomington’s city council approved a conversion map for the unified development ordinance (UDO), as well as some technical text amendments. The UDO is the basic zoning and land use document for the city. The council’s vote was not controversial—it was

COVID-19 kindles financial caution as Monroe County council puts off some, not all spending

COVID-19 kindles financial caution as Monroe County council puts off some, not all spending

Monroe County’s council is already starting to weigh how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact future revenues. A presentation from councilor Geoff McKim towards the start of Tuesday night’s regular monthly meeting considered some scenarios for revenue reductions that would, in just two years, wipe out the bulk

Bloomington, Monroe County fabric mask update: Thousands made, still more needed

Bloomington, Monroe County fabric mask update: Thousands made, still more needed

The latest Centers for Disease Control guidance on the topic supports wearing cloth face masks by members of the general public to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. That endorsement from the top health protection agency in the country squares up with local efforts in Bloomington and

Unknowns might shroud worse racial disparity as Indiana releases more COVID-19 information

Unknowns might shroud worse racial disparity as Indiana releases more COVID-19 information

More kinds of data and more tools for visualizing it were a part of the re-vamped COVID-19 data dashboard rolled out on Monday by the Indiana State Department of Health. The new dashboard shows that of the 2,960 ICU beds in the state, about a quarter of