Dave Askins

Dirge for democracy: Bloomington protesters stage mock funeral at Switchyard Park A mock funeral procession at Bloomington’s Switchyard Park on Saturday served as a protest against the Trump administration. The demonstration featured a casket labeled “Rule of Law,” mourners in blac...

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Little 500 fall series: Riders trade oval for off-road cyclocross fun This year’s edition of the Little 500 fall series cyclocross event took place on Saturday. Riders pedaled standard Little 500 machines around a cyclocross course laid out on the tailgate grounds south...

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Monroe County council unanimously rejects North Park jail site funding after marathon meeting At a marathon Monroe County Council meeting on Tuesday, the appropriation ordinance to pay for the purchase of the North Park property for a new jail was met with unified resistance from both the coun...

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Indiana Daily Student adviser’s firing sparks legal fight, faculty rebuke, new IU task force Former Indiana University (IU) Media School director of student media Jim Rodenbush says he plans to sue the university for wrongful termination, after being fired Oct. 14 for refusing what he describ...

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Demonstrators at IU homecoming parade chant support for student newspaper: ‘Free press! Free press! We support the I-D-S!’ Indiana University’s homecoming parade followed its usual route Friday evening, heading south along Woodlawn Avenue. As parade entries rounded the corner onto 7th Street, they could see and hear about...

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Editor’s Notebook: Standing with the Indiana Daily Student by sharing the load Yesterday, the Indiana Daily Student broke the news that the student media director had been fired. What can The B Square do to help? We have set up guidelines that can allow outlets like the IDS to u...

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This made my day, thanks! The Redhead ducks came back the following year, but I have not seen them in that park since. Ever hopeful though. I am sad that the best photos for that piece were casualties of the migration to a new publishing platform.

Red-tailed hawks, a mother and fledgling in a nest. The fledgling has its wings spread. The sky is cloudless blue.

Red-tailed hawks, a mother and fledgling in a nest. The fledgling has its wings spread. The sky is cloudless blue.

Sunday Funnies: Hawk v. Fish As part of its relaunch, the B Square Bulletin aspires to offer to readers what the "local paper" used to offer in days gone by, in towns all across the country. Where I grew up, in Columbus, Indiana,...

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Today's big Bloomington news: The Court of Appeals rules against Bloomington on constitutional question in annexation case, affirming the trial court's grant of partial summary judgment. thebloomingtonchronicle.org/index.php/Bl...

A peek into my spam folder reveals a lot of people who allege that they are dissatisfied with the available selections of breakfast food at my bed and breakfast. I have revised my life goals to include actually disappointing people with a subpar breakfast menu. Step 1: Buy a bed and breakfast.

Took my bicycle for a spin down SR 446 to the causeway and back into town. Seemed like a shame to waste a day like today in early February. ( 70 F degrees and sunny. )

Red-shouldered hawk taking flight from a lamppost light fixture in a public park. The sky background is blue. The hawk is flying from right to left.

Miller-Showers Park, Bloomington, Indiana (Feb. 2, 2025)

American coot (chicken-like water bird, black with red eyes and white bill) swimming on the surface of a pond.

Miller-Showers Park, Bloomington, Indiana (Feb. 1, 2025)

This bird and a duck were going after the same morsel of pondweed when their bills collided. They giggled about it, then fell in love.

It is where the expression "meet coot" comes from.

Red-tailed hawk launching from a branch flying from right to left. Sky background is gray.

Monroe county courthouse grounds, Bloomington, Indiana (Jan. 31, 2025)

Red-tailed hawk flying off the roof of a building against a cloudless blue sky. There is a fish-shaped weathervane in the background. The bird is flying from left to right.

Monroe County courthouse, Bloomington, Indiana (Jan. 29, 2025)

A pair of red-tailed hawks sitting on top of a building under a fish-shaped weathervane. Cloudless blue sky in the background.

A pair of red-tailed hawks sitting on top of a building under a fish-shaped weathervane. Cloudless blue sky in the background.

Monroe County courthouse, Bloomington, Indiana. (Jan. 27, 2025)

"Lovebirds"

Great blue heron standing on frozen lake surface. Neck is stretched vertically. It is looking from left to right.

Great blue heron standing on frozen lake surface. Neck is tucked down close to body. It is looking from left to right.

Lake Monroe, south of Bloomington, Indiana Jan. 25, 2025.

Journo tradecraft tip: Always use an all-metal body Parker Jotter pen. BlueSky doesn't seem to want to indicate it clearly, but this is a music video, and you will need to enable sound to hear about the wonders of these pens, which I have immortalized in song.

Red-tailed hawk sitting on top of the Monroe County courthouse in Bloomington, Indiana. The sky is cloudless, blue. The bird is sitting under the fish-shaped weathervane.

Monroe County courthouse, Bloomington, Indiana. (Jan. 25, 2025)

Red-tailed hawk sitting on top of a fish-shaped metal weather vane, against a clear blue sky. The hawk and the fish are boh pointing with their noses into the wind, to the right of the frame.

Monroe County courthouse, Bloomington, Indiana. Jan. 17, 2025 around 4 p.m.

Red-tailed hawk sitting on top of a building against a cloudless blue sky with the head of a metal fish from the weathervane poking into the frame from the top left corner.

Monroe County courthouse, Bloomington, Indiana, Jan. 15, 2025. 6 F degrees.

Five years, one final B Square Bulletin: Thank you! The B Square Bulletin, Dave Askins, Bloomington, Indiana, local government, news report, publication, July 2019, dysfunctional government, financial contributions, complex topic, long history, news ti...

Five years, one final B Square Bulletin: Thank you!

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Commissioners OK Monroe County zoning overhaul, 13 possible remaining topics to be tackled in 2025 Monroe County, Bloomington, Indiana, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Christopher Emge, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, BEDC, Jen Pearl, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, We...

Commissioners OK Monroe County zoning overhaul, 13 possible remaining topics to be tackled in 2025

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Repair not demolish: Bloomington looks to add 1 to affordable housing inventory Bloomington, West 3rd Street, Rogers Remodeling, 2541 W. 3rd Street, Anna Killion-Hanson, The B Square, housing and neighborhood development (HAND), Adam Wason, JD Boruff, Kyla Cox Deckard, unified De...

Repair not demolish: Bloomington looks to add 1 to affordable housing inventory

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3-judge panel hears arguments in Bloomington annexation appeal, ruling expected in a few months Indiana, Bloomington, Melissa May, Elizabeth Tavitas, Mary DeBoer, Andrew McNeil, Bose McKinney, James Barta, Cathy Smith, Frank O’Bannon, Eric Holcomb, Nathan Nikirk, Indiana solicitor general, India...

3-judge panel hears arguments in Bloomington annexation appeal, ruling expected in a few months

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Dec. 18: Monroe County development ordinance (CDO) teed up for final vote by commissioners Monroe County, Monroe County plan commission, Monroe County board of commissioners, Julie Thomas, Penny Githens, Lee Jones, Dee Owens, Geoff Morris, Scott Faris, Margaret Clements, Edward Oehlman, Tro...

Dec. 18: Monroe County development ordinance (CDO) teed up for final vote by commissioners

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Bloomington Transit board to consider new advertising policy at Tuesday meeting Bloomington Transit, Doug Horn, Ken Nunn, Shelley Strimaitis, Indiana University, BT Access, Umo, Grimes Lane, Campus Shuttle, IU Campus, Campus Corner, bus advertising, public buses, advertising poli...

Bloomington Transit board to consider new advertising policy at Tuesday meeting

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Election board set to meet on Dec. 26, but chance for vote centers in Monroe County appears to be fading Ilana Stonebraker, John Fernandez, Nicole Browne, Judith Benckart, William Ellis, John Arnold, Steve Volan, Monroe County, Monroe County Democratic Party, Monroe County Republican Party, Indiana, Dec....

Election board set to meet on Dec. 26, but chance for vote centers in Monroe County appears to be fading

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Convention center expansion notebook: Site plan, variances, bond issuance cued up for 2025 Jay Baer, Joyce Poling, Jim Silberstein, Jessica McClellan, John Whikehart, Doug Bruce, Bill Riggert, Schmidt Associates, Adam Thies, Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Monroe County, Bloomington, Monroe County b...

Convention center expansion notebook: Site plan, variances, bond issuance cued up for 2025

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