The Yellow Springs News • An Independent source of community news in Yellow Springs, Ohio since 1880

This stretch of trail has tripled in width due to hikers on muddy days. (Photo courtesy of Glen Helen)

Glen Helen trails will be closed on Sunday, March 1, to allow the ground to thaw and avoid widening the trails. This stretch of trail has tripled in width due to hikers on muddy days. (Photo courtesy of Glen Helen)

Seasonal trail closures begin Thursday in Glen Helen

On Thursday, February 25, at 7 p.m., the Glen Helen trail system will close to protect the nature preserve during the freeze/thaw cycle. The trails are scheduled to reopen Monday, March 1.

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Web Features

Village Council— A plan for the ‘Little Park’

Beatty Hughes Park, located between Kieth’s Alley and Corry Street, may someday host live music concerts, outdoor movies, family picnics and art exhibits.
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Wrecking Racism— Staying informed, only to mourn

“One may question the movement in the forward direction, one may try to understand the experience of another, but how will there be a mending of relationships when the disconnect seems so severe?”
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Village Council— New rules aimed at civility

Council members are now more limited in what they can say. According to Council President Brian Housh, the goal of the new measures is to improve civility and respect in discourse.
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Latest COVID-19 News

DeWine outlines vaccine distribution plan

Ohio is about 10 days away from receiving its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines. Frontline health care workers, emergency medical personnel and residents and staff at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other congregate living settings will be the first recipients of the vaccine.

Local COVID-19 response— Village steps up enforcement

As the third wave of the coronavirus rages through the state and county, the Village of Yellow Springs is cracking down on behaviors that could further spread COVID-19 in town.

Protest held outside Gov. DeWine home

On Friday, Nov. 20, nearly 200 demonstrators gathered outside Gov. Mike DeWine’s home in Cedarville Township to protest his and the Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19-related mandates, including the statewide mask order and the 10 p.m. curfew.

COVID-19 contact tracing— More cases, more contacts

The local health department’s contact tracing team now includes nine people, including employees from the Ohio Department of Health, part of the state’s scaled-up contact tracing workforce.

New state order: businesses must enforce mask wearing

The governor on Nov. 11 issued a revised mask order for businesses in Ohio with a penalty for non-compliance, as well as indicating that the state would shut down restaurants, bars and fitness centers if COVID-19 spread doesn’t improve by the end of next week.

Arts (archives)

Bognar, Reichert film— The 9to5 movement
“9to5” premiered nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens program on Feb. 1. It will air on Dayton’s ThinkTV16 on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 10 p.m., and on ThinkTV14 on Friday, Feb. 5, at 10:30 p.m. Viewers can also stream “9to5: The Story of a Movement” through pbs.org for free this month.
Coming soon to a street near you— YSKP’s traveling puppet show
The Traveling Tabletop Theater, or TTT, is a mobile puppet theater complete with a stage, a sound system and even seating for a few dozen spectators, which will be touring the streets of Yellow Springs later this year.
‘small ohio town’— See filmmaker work-in-progress
Filmmaker Steve Bognar wasn’t initially intending to document the life of a small town when he set out — but for over 12 years, that’s just what he’s done as he’s continued to film the cycles of Yellow Springs life.

Village Schools (archives)

Schools facilities planning— District hones in on 4 options
The effort to develop a master plan for addressing identified building needs in Yellow Springs schools is moving along quickly, with four project scenarios emerging as the district’s leading options.
Mental health considered in students’ return
Local data shows that an increased number of young people are struggling, and mental health care providers report that the severity of struggle is more pronounced amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
YS Speech & Debate— Students find their voice
Whether sharing their own thoughts, presenting the words of another or arguing both sides of an issue, members of the Yellow Springs Speech & Debate team say they are finding power in their personal voices.

Economy (archives)

New small business incubator— Coactive YS offer room to grow
The newly opened Coactive Yellow Springs, a collaborative working space, is the first small business incubator of its kind in the village.
Millworks update— EnviroFlight to leave after 2022
A sustainable feed company founded in Yellow Springs will likely depart the village for good two years from now. When that happens, Yellow Springs will lose 20 jobs and hundreds of thousands of dollars in utility payments and payroll taxes.
Millworks back on the market
The local industrial park was listed last year after plans by its owners, Jessica Yamamoto and Antonio Molina, failed to come to fruition. The then-couple bought the four-acre property in late 2018 and the following year had it successfully rezoned to accommodate renovation and new construction.

Village Life (archives)

Coming down with COVID— Villagers share virus battles
One year into the global coronavirus pandemic, 245 residents of the 45387 area code, which includes Yellow Springs and the surrounding rural area, have contracted the virus. That equates to one out of every 22 people living here.
The Briar Patch— A dilemma with good reason
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already catastrophic healthcare crisis in Black communities across the United States. The conversation around vaccinations must extend beyond forced mandates or anti-vaxxer tropes.
A win for quarry opponents
In December 2020, Citizens Against Mining celebrated another win — a private lawsuit settled in favor of five neighbors of the mine who successfully argued that Enon Sand and Gravel's mining could damage their property values and private wells.

Government (archives)

Miami Township Trustees Update — January 2021
The Miami Township Trustees meet the first and third Monday of each month beginning at 5 p.m. Meetings in January took place Monday, Jan. 4, and Wednesday, Jan. 20.
Yellow Springs Development Corporation— ‘Lessons learned’ in firehouse sale
“Lessons learned” is how YSDC President Abel framed the conversation, particularly in terms of the group’s biggest project, the sale of the former firehouse on Corry Street.
Village Council— More inclusive, equitable Yellow Springs
At Village Council’s regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 19, members of Inclusive and Resilient Yellow Springs told the community how they plan to help Yellow Springs live its values of diversity and inclusion.

Obituaries (archives)

Alan G. Jackson
Alan Jackson died Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. He was 74. A memorial service will be planned at a later time.
James P. Rose
On Feb. 6, 2021, James P. Rose left this world for what he called his next “Great Adventure.” “Jim,” as he was known to friends and family, led a wonderful life and is missed by everyone who knew him.
William C. Scott
Bill (William Cathcart) Scott died at home at 2 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021.

Higher Education (archives)

2020 Year in Review: Higher Education
2020 was a challenging year for most academic institutions, not least of all Yellow Springs' own Antioch College and Antioch University Midwest.
Antioch College— Manley to leave in December
Antioch College President Tom Manley is leaving the presidency earlier than planned due to health issues. Manley will become “president emeritus” as of Dec. 1, he announced in an email to the college community on Friday, Oct. 30.
Tom Manley to step down from Antioch College presidency Dec. 1
Antioch College President Tom Manley will step down from the presidency on Dec. 1, ahead of a previously announced departure. Interim leadership of the college will be shared by three trustees.