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Old B Square

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 its

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

Analysis of Indiana legislative voting patterns: Who’s outside the corral?

Analysis of Indiana legislative voting patterns: Who’s outside the corral?

Analysis of information available on LegiScan—a website that provides robust tools for monitoring and tracking legislation in all 50 states—shows that legislators in the Indiana House and the Senate tend to vote along party lines. Lawmakers voting along party lines is not exactly a revelation. But plotting out

Bloomington Transit bus ridership: Continued slide in 2018 with university affiliated ridership down 8 percent

Bloomington Transit bus ridership: Continued slide in 2018 with university affiliated ridership down 8 percent

Fresh numbers provided by Bloomington Transit show that total bus ridership last year dropped for the fourth year in a row. And the decrease was driven mostly by decreases in ridership by university affiliates—students and faculty. The roughly 3.1 million rides taken on Bloomington public buses in 2018—

Opinion: Bloomington should consider a different approach to stormwater revenue

Opinion: Bloomington should consider a different approach to stormwater revenue

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 20, the Bloomington City Council will consider “adjusting stormwater fees.” It’s the second reading of a change to the city’s ordinance on the “stormwater utility.” Of course, a “fee adjustment” generally means an increase of the fee. And Bloomington’s proposed

How Bloomington “Citizen Sovereigns” can rescue local media

How Bloomington “Citizen Sovereigns” can rescue local media

When I moved to Bloomington late last year, I was glad to find the place still had a daily newspaper. Some towns – like Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I made my home for 22 years – haven’t been as lucky. Granted, I’ve heard that the Bloomington Herald-Times is a shadow

Has Indiana lost some Bloomington hate crime numbers?

Has Indiana lost some Bloomington hate crime numbers?

At the end of January, local leaders in Bloomington were talking publicly about hate crime reporting. Their talk took place in at least two places on Jan. 30: during a Facebook broadcast from city hall; and during a city council meeting. A common thread across both discussions was this idea: