The Bulldogs went into the second round of Division IV sectional tournament play as the underdog against the Southeastern Trojans on Friday, March 6, and put up a fight worthy of their toothy mascot. But the Trojans’ insurmountable height won them a 61–58 victory ticket to the sectional championship game against Fort Loramie this week at the University of Dayton.

James “Jim” Marion Richardson died at Friends Care Center on March 1. He was 78 years old. The son of Marion Webster Richardson and Dorothy Wolfe Richardson, he was born March 23, 1930, in Highland Park, Ill.

Rebecca A. Bridgett of Xenia passed away Wednesday, Feb. 18. She was 49. She was born in Springfield, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her parents, James L. and Martha E. (Miller) Bridgett; two brothers, Jack and Scott Bridgett; and a brother-in-law, John Harrison.

Michael J. Peirano of Springfield died Friday, March 6, in Springfield Regional Medical Center, East High Street, surrounded by his loving family and friends. He was 54.

Jana R. Banks, M.D., of Springfield, passed away in her home surrounded by family on Thursday, March 5. She was 47. The daughter of Robert I. and Julia A. (Wald) Banks, she was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

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The professional effort to dry out Main Building following a flood last month is almost finished, according to Antioch University Chief Financial Officer Tom Faecke in an interview last week. While university leaders had hoped that the effort would take only two weeks, it is ending up taking three, Faecke said.

In response to concerns that Yellow Springs district officials have reached for controversial measures such as drug dogs in lieu of networked student support services, a group of dedicated personnel would like the community to know that there are eyes and ears on the ground to help troubled students in the Yellow Springs schools.

In a village that has seen five retail shops close in the last six months, it is no small feat to keep a business thriving, especially during a recession. A sampling of business owners interviewed last week agreed for the most part that trade has been slow this whole past year, and some have been hit by 10 to 25 percent losses over the past few months.

At their third and last budget workshop last Saturday, Feb. 28, Village Council members approved motions requesting that Village staff include in the 2009 budget $100,000 for green space and $50,000 to upgrade Village-owned facilities for energy conservation.