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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.

2020 budget prompts Bloomington city council thoughts on climate change: From definitional questions to golf courses

2020 budget prompts Bloomington city council thoughts on climate change: From definitional questions to golf courses

Wednesday’s departmental budget hearings in front of Bloomington’s city council returned to a couple of themes from Monday’s session on the budget overview. On Monday, councilmember Dave Rollo asked questions about the city’s preparedness for a looming economic downturn. And Isabel Piedmont-Smith questioned whether the

Now posted: The Beacon’s voter’s guide for 2019 Bloomington general elections

Now posted: The Beacon’s voter’s guide for 2019 Bloomington general elections

This November will mark the first election, dating back at least to 1967, that not all registered voters in Bloomington will able to cast a ballot for city offices—mayor, city clerk, and the nine-member common council. That’s because elections are contested in just two city council districts:

Déjà two for next week’s final round of comedy festival

Déjà two for next week’s final round of comedy festival

On Wednesday, three candidates advanced to the finals of the Bloomington Comedy Festival, based on a vote of the audience: Mark Bookwalter, Abby Troughton and Kristen Lucas. The two women were finalists last year. Lucas won the competition in 2016, which made her the Funniest Person in Bloomington three years

Bloomington city councilmembers want more police officers in 2020 budget, more data

Bloomington city councilmembers want more police officers in 2020 budget, more data

Two additional patrol officers, which would bring Bloomington’s total sworn police force to a total of 105, are a part of the 2020 budget that the chief of police, Mike Diekhoff, presented to the city council on Tuesday night. Some councilmembers told Diekhoff they wanted to see more officers

Bloomington utilities to study pace of water main replacement: Is 2.5 miles of pipe a year enough?

Bloomington utilities to study pace of water main replacement: Is 2.5 miles of pipe a year enough?

On Tuesday night, Bloomington’s utilities director Vic Kelson presented the city council with a proposed $1.7 million for water main replacement as part of the department’s 2020 budget. He described how that would pay to replace roughly 2.5 miles of pipe. During the time for councilmember

Show cause hearing date set in Bloomington eminent domain case: Sept. 12 (Updated: Change of date likely)

Show cause hearing date set in Bloomington eminent domain case: Sept. 12 (Updated: Change of date likely)

Sept. 12 is the date now set for the show cause hearing in Bloomington’s current eminent domain litigation. The case involves the City of Bloomington’s attempt to take the 222 Hats building at the south end of the block between 3rd and 4th streets along Walnut Street, so

Budget 2020: Bloomington fire chief points to improvements in fire call and response time stats, says situation now too fluid to put timeline on new stations

Budget 2020: Bloomington fire chief points to improvements in fire call and response time stats, says situation now too fluid to put timeline on new stations

The 10-year capital plan for Bloomington’s fire department includes two additional fire stations—one in the southwest and one in the southeast part of town. It also includes the replacement of two existing stations, and a relocation of the station that serves the Indiana University campus. Those five