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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.

Bloomington city council districts don’t guarantee geographic diversity (Or: Steve Volan is the center of the political Bloomiverse)

Bloomington city council districts don’t guarantee geographic diversity (Or: Steve Volan is the center of the political Bloomiverse)

City Councilmember Steve Volan lives almost exactly in the middle of Bloomington. The center of Bloomington’s area—the centroid calculated by a piece of geographic information software called QGIS—lies a few feet west of Indiana University’s Henderson Parking Garage on Atwater Avenue. And of the nine people

Could the blue bubble of Bloomington have a reddish tinge in City Council District 2?

Could the blue bubble of Bloomington have a reddish tinge in City Council District 2?

When maps of election results in recent Indiana statewide races are color-shaded—with reds or blues where Republicans or Democrats won more votes—the Hoosier state is a sea of red with some blue islands. The few patches of blue for Indiana are consistent with a robust national pattern:

92 shades of green for Indiana on St. Patrick’s Day

92 shades of green for Indiana on St. Patrick’s Day

Two teams from Michigan are playing today in the finals of the Big 10 tournament for men’s college basketball. The championship game falls on St. Patrick’s Day this year, which might give an edge to Michigan State, whose school colors are green and white. The Cream and Crimson

Indiana GOP legislator: Decriminalizing syringe possession could be topic in 2020 session

Indiana GOP legislator: Decriminalizing syringe possession could be topic in 2020 session

Bloomington resident Jean Capler stood at the public podium in city hall last Saturday morning to ask: “Is there ever any talk about decriminalizing syringe possession?” The occasion for Capler’s question was the regular in-session monthly legislative update hosted by the local League of Women Voters. On hand

May 7 Bloomington Primary Election: A Nonpartisan Resource

May 7 Bloomington Primary Election: A Nonpartisan Resource

Twenty-three candidates for 11 city offices are on the ballot for Bloomington voters in the May 7, 2019 primary election – all but one of them Democrats. And this year, all but two of the Democratic Party primary races are competitive. To help voters research their choices for Bloomington mayor,

Square Spots: Tree tapping an annual ritual

Square Spots: Tree tapping an annual ritual

Trees on the grounds of the Monroe County History Center are an early sign of spring this year, because they have been tapped for sap collection. According to staff at the center, located downtown at 6th and Washington streets, the tapping was done by Hinkle-Garton Farmstead as part of

B Square Elsewhere: Bloomington’s clerk weighs in on city council meetings

Bloomington’s city clerk, Nicole Bolden, was quoted on the City Council Chronicles last Sunday describing her first run for the elected office of city clerk: “When I decided to run for city clerk, my family laughed at me. They said, ‘How on Earth are you going to be able