Antioch College received a state grant this month to support the creation of internships and cooperative work experiences for its students with Ohio’s food producers.

Village Council discussed the Village public arts policy once again at their meeting on Monday, Dec. 3. Council veered toward the draft recommended by Village Manager Laura Curliss, that included a two-phase approval process for all art installations in public spaces.

After seven years as the face of all things related to public planning and development in the village, Ed Amrhein is leaving his position as assistant Village planner. His last day will be Friday, Dec. 14.

When Pat Murphy came to Yellow Springs in 2003, he said he could build a house that operated with 50 percent less fossil fuels than a conventional home, but his partner, Faith Morgan, didn’t believe him. Now, 10 years later, the couple is wrapping up a new film about homes built in Yellow Springs and around the country that use 90 percent less energy to heat and cool than conventional dwellings.

Village Council returned to the discussion on drafting a policy for art in public spaces at Council’s regular meeting Monday, Dec. 3. The local Public Spaces Resource Group came up with a very different proposal than the one the Village had in mind.

The Holiday Extravaganza will feature musical performances, wine and refreshments.

Village Council convened one last budget workshop last week before the first official public hearing on the budget takes place on Monday, Dec. 3, at the Bryan Center in Council chambers. Council plans to approve the budget in early January, much earlier than it has done in the recent past.

Antioch University Midwest has hit difficult financial times, and the reality is affecting the local campus in several ways. This month Midwest leaders told the school community that they planned to cut $208,000 in personnel costs by the end of this year. Midwest did not specify where the cuts would come from, but indicated that the campus needed to find ways to stem a rising deficit caused by low enrollment over the last several years.

By design of the evaluation tool, the Yellow Springs school district fell this year from “excellent with distinction” to just “excellent” in its quality designation on the State of Ohio report card. But the apparent reduction in status was merely a technical result of the State’s metrics, as the district received exactly the same student-wide achievement score as last year, when it was labeled “excellent with distinction” for the second consecutive year.

A small village with an active citizenry and lots of public services makes for a busy Village Council. To alleviate some of the burden and engage the expertise of a talented populace, Council has historically relied on commissions to vet ideas and research policies before making an official decision on a given issue.

The fourth-grade class at Mills Lawn school proudly presented a check to the Yellow Springs Food Bank this week for $182.92. (Photo by Lauren Heaton)