From the Print Edition, 2014

This page contains links to previous years of articles published in the 2014 print edition of the Yellow Springs News. Click on the link below to jump to a specific year.
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Kindness and caring in Yellow Springs, 2014

For this holiday edition of the News, staffers asked readers to respond to the question, “What acts of kindness and caring have you witnessed in the village during 2014?” I am grateful for the kind acts of love and kindness shown to me from a very cool villager named Nick Cunningham. My family is sort […]

Yellow Springs Police Chief candidate finalists respond

The two finalists for Yellow Springs police chief met their last rounds of interviews last week, including a public interview with each candidate.

Yellow Springs Police Officer Penrod disciplined for event

Last week the Village disciplined Yellow Springs Police Sergeant Naomi Penrod for misconduct she displayed during a peace officer call in the village in November.

Walmart protest draws Yellow Springs villagers

Organizers of last Saturday’s protest against the police shooting of John Crawford expected people to show up, just not quite so many.

Kwanzaa marks African heritage in Yellow Springs

Basim Blunt wanted to make sure that the Kwanzaa celebration that the African American Cross-Cultural Works has sponsored in the village for nearly 10 years continues.

Zumba! for health of school and self

December 18, 2014

New director at Coretta Scott King Center— Focus on diversity, social justice

Mila Cooper has spent the past 25 years serving as diversity and community outreach director at over half a dozen colleges and universities around the country, but never has she felt responsible for as much as she does as the director of the Coretta Scott King Center for Intellectual Freedom at Antioch College.
Schools discuss longer levies

One of the school district’s operating levies will expire this year, and the school board considered several options for renewing the levy, at the current tax rate, at their meeting Dec. 11.
Friends Music Camp fundraiser— Making music for a unique camp

Last year’s winter benefit concert for Friends Music Camp drew such a large audience, the Senior Center’s Great Room was bursting at the seams with people sitting on the floor in the front and standing several deep against the back and side walls.
Children’s Center forges a new plan

The Yellow Springs Children’s Center has been under severe duress this past year, with unprecedentedly low enrollment, 18 consecutive months of deficit spending, and the prospect of depleting its cash reserves sometime in 2015.
Villagers hope to let solar shine for all

Villagers who want to go solar but whose roof is shaded or who don’t own their home might soon be able to participate in a community solar project.
Village Council— Deficit spending raises concerns

At Village Council’s Dec. 15 meeting, leaders expressed concern over the amount of deficit spending in the 2015 Village general fund budget. However, due to the need to move ahead, Council approved the final reading of the budget.
Working on a ‘network of peace’

The world may seem full of turmoil, disharmony and injustice, but peace worker and longtime village resident Fred Arment is hopeful about the future. In fact, he sees “an epic shift” already under way. The founder and director of International Cities of Peace and a founder of the Dayton International Peace Museum, Arment has met […]

Bulldog sports round-up

Re-setting the stage

December 11, 2014

First college production at new theater— ‘Softcops’ is timely, provocative

The purpose of theater being to hold “the mirror up to nature,” in Hamlet’s dictum, the choice for the first faculty-directed play in Antioch College’s renovated Foundry Theater is fitting.
Group demands justice for Crawford

At 4:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, just as most workers were heading home for the day, a group of about 100 people, mostly from Yellow Springs, were just arriving for an evening protest at the Xenia courthouse.
Local docs expand to Dayton Street

Community Physicians of Yellow Springs will move across town and double in size next year.
The local primary care practice is relocating to 888 Dayton St., the former Creative Memories building, where it hopes to expand its services as a rural health clinic.
Brookey leaves the college

Tom Brookey has served Antioch College since before it became operational in its most recent reincarnation. Brookey was the college’s business, operations, finance, information and HR director before those positions were officially created.

Bulldog sports round-up

December 4, 2014

Local teacher expands yoga space

Local resident Jen Ater has always been drawn to wellness — be it of the environment or the body. Starting out in the environmental studies field 15 years ago, she later moved into massage, then yoga, then counseling before opening her own center, Inner Light Yoga & Wellness, last year in Beavercreek.
Food Pantry has holiday needs

Some things have changed in the 11 years since Patty McAllister began running the Yellow Springs Food Pantry out of the basement of the United Methodist Church. There are more young people with families coming to the pantry now compared to a decade ago, McAllister said.
Village chock full of holiday events

The downtown is decorated, the village Christmas trees have been lighted, and the holiday season has kicked into high gear. There seems to be something festive to see or do in the community each day through New Year’s.
Village Council— New AVM on the job soon

At their Dec. 1 meeting, Village Council members unanimously approved a contract with John Yung of Cincinnati as the new assistant Village manager. Yung, 31, currently works as zoning administrator for the City of Bellevue, Ky. He’ll start his new position on Jan. 5.
Nonprofit wants new home

This month the owners of a home on Phillips Street asked Village Planning Commission for permission to use the property as the professional offices of the Morgan Family Foundation. The conditional use permit is needed to operate a business in the residential neighborhood behind Mills Lawn and just south of the Catholic Church.
Water quality event

High levels of nitrates and E. coli were found in several area springs, surface waters and a private well during a study of water quality in and around Glen Helen Nature Preserve this fall.
Protest against mountaintop mining

Mining for coal by mountaintop removal has long been known as an environmental and health hazard for the Appalachian communities surrounding the mines in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and eastern Tennessee.
Cultural enrichment for both exchange students and hosts

Yellow Springs High School French teacher and guidance counselor Dave Smith doesn’t know how long the school has been welcoming foreign exchange students into its senior class, but he says the program was “a well-established tradition” when he joined the teaching staff 20 years ago.
Local kits help girls. Period.

It may be true that poverty does not discriminate, but there is at least one major difference between the way that males and females experience lack of wealth in poor countries around the world. Though it’s largely invisible, menstruation plays a major role in keeping adolescent girls and women at the very bottom socioeconomic rung in their communities.
Sinkholes cause concern

Morris Bean & Company is working with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to address recurring sinkholes at its Hyde Road plant. The sinkholes have raised concerns about potential contamination to the source of Yellow Springs’ drinking water, while the company maintains that the situation is under control.

Dec. 4, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

November 27, 2014

Interim chief urges Task Force

At a special budget session preceding Village Council’s Nov. 17 meeting, Council received a memo from Interim Police Chief Dave Hale in which he considered various cost-cutting measures for the police department, including whether to maintain membership in the Greene County ACE Task Force or to contract dispatch services with Xenia police.
New officers in second careers

Jessica Frazier had a good idea of the things law enforcement officers could do when police helped her family on several occasions as she was growing up in Florida. Originally from Montgomery County, she moved back to the Dayton area as a teenager and took some criminal justice courses at a local career center, thinking she might like being a police officer.
Conference at AUMidwest— A day of disability awareness

Dara Cosby doesn’t want a life that revolves around her disability.

But the 33-year-old Centerville woman with cerebral palsy encounters a new challenge every day, whether it’s pulling herself out of bed, maneuvering around an unreliable public transportation system or navigating the dating scene.
Excise tax on new hotel debated

At their Nov. 17 meeting Village Council members considered whether to impose a 3 percent excise tax on customers at the Mills Park Hotel when it opens in mid-2015. This was a continuation of an earlier discussion of the tax, and Council recently received word from Mills Park owner Jim Hammond that if the tax is imposed, he could stop construction on his hotel.
New Elements has some ‘Soul’

While Constantina Clark never opened the store she dreamed up for King’s Yard — with its capes, fountains and crystal fireplaces — a bath and body shop in its place is fulfilling her vision, she said this week.
Assistant manager selected

On Thursday about 25 people attended a meet and greet at the Bryan Center for the two finalists for the position of assistant Village manager. Though Village Manager Patti Bates could not confirm the decision by press time on Wednesday, Village Council’s agenda for Monday, Dec. 1, includes the approval of a contract for John Yung as assistant manager.

Elsie K. Baker

Home for the holidays

November 20, 2014

Finalists named for Yellow Springs police chief

One week before closing the application deadline on Nov. 24, the Village narrowed its search for police chief significantly, naming two finalists out of the current pool of 18 applicants.
Balance of beaver, human needs

A detention basin along King Street has become an accidental wetland at the paws of furry, semi-aquatic rodents that recently moved into the village.
Yellow Springs Schools’ open enrollment acts as a stabilizer

This year Yellow Springs schools currently have the highest enrollment the local district has seen since 1984. However, 23 percent of the students are commuting to Yellow Springs from their homes in other districts. That number of open enrollment students is also the highest it has been in the district’s history. The Yellow Springs school […]
YSHS and McKinney Middle School Winter Sports Program

YSN_112714_P12_Sched
Village Council— A focus on police issues

Community concerns around the local police department, an alleged incident of police misconduct and the current police chief search were a focus at Village Council’s Nov. 17 meeting.
Scientist finds new ash borer host

A local white fringe tree planted along the bike path is now famous as the second documented host of an invasive beetle that was thought to only prey upon ash trees.
Yellow Springs Police find internal misconduct

An internal Yellow Springs Police investigation last week found that one of its officers exhibited two counts of improper conduct during an encounter with a villager on Nov. 5.

Wind up white

November 13, 2014

Resident records police action

Yellow Springs Police acknowledged last week that the local department had made some errors when one of its officers allegedly used physical force against a citizen.
Local authors at Blue Jacket

In the mid-1990s, Keith Doubt, then living and teaching in Missouri, became increasingly troubled by the war between Bosnians and Serbians. The New York Times was always a day or two late in the rural area where he lived, but regardless, he remembers being consumed by the paper’s coverage of the conflict.
2015 enterprise funds in red

Immediate needs in the water department will require the Village to significantly dip into the Village general fund surplus in 2015 to pay for two urgent projects, Village Manager Patti Bates said last week.
Art & Soul: Art both high-quality and affordable

Those who can embrace the idea of a high-caliber art fair in an elementary school gym will be treated this Saturday to some of the finest and most striking pieces of local and regional art.
Rise against the green Glen invaders

If weeding the flower garden out back sounds bad, imagine weeding a forest. Then imagine that forest encircled by an army of invasive species.
Police chief search continues— Village still seeks applicants

Among the 18 candidates who have so far applied for the position of Yellow Springs police chief are three internal candidates, one former Village police chief and one finalist candidate from the previous chief search process.
Street work messy but promising

Although they were invasive and well past their expected lifespan, the eight Callery pear trees that were lifted from the downtown last week will be missed.
Website a clearinghouse for help

Locals who need help will soon have a “digital case manager” to connect them with the right resources.

Aaron’s Lens – The Bike Path

November 6, 2014

Artists under lock and key

Put a Yellow Springs muralist, a Kettering city planner and a Columbus trash artist in a gallery. Add two boxes of random art materials. Allow them three tools apiece. Hire a videographer to record them.
Then don’t let them out for three days.
Antioch University moves to Midwest

The hallways at Antioch University Midwest rumbled with the sounds of moving furniture, artwork and people this week as the 40 Antioch University administrators formerly located across the street moved into the Midwest building.
Returns: CBE fails; library, fire levy win

Public funding for the Center for Business and Education, or CBE, went down with a resounding “No” on Election Day, with 64 percent of villagers voting against the public funding, and 36 percent voting in favor. The vote brings to a halt Village Council’s decision to move ahead with the business park, which has been in the making for more than 10 years.
18 apply for chief

When the Village stopped taking applications for the position of Yellow Springs police chief on Oct. 31, the municipality had 18 candidates from both inside the department and as far as Rhode Island, according to Village Manager Patti Bates, who will hire the next chief. So far, the hiring process is on schedule, and the Village is set to name the next chief in mid-December, Bates said this week.
Village Council chooses top firm— Water plant process begins

At their Nov. 3 meeting, Village Council members took a significant step toward constructing a new water plant. Council selected its top choice out of three preliminary design firms for the project, and if negotiations on cost are successful, the firm could begin the design process soon, according to Village Manager Patti Bates this week. The entire building process is expected to take two years.
YS lonely liberal loyalists

Though Yellow Springs voters came out in greater numbers per capita than citizens in Greene County or statewide, they were largely voting for the losing teams. Across the state, despite villagers’ protest at the ballot, Republican incumbents held their seats for governor, attorney general, auditor and secretary and treasurer.

Aaron’s Lens – Autumn Leaves

October 30, 2014

New practitioner joins local docs

Need a splinter removed, or a sprained ankle assessed or another medical issue dealt with? Instead of rushing off to see the doctor, you can first see new local nurse practitioner Cliff Fawcett, who can probably take care of what ails you.
Council eyes Village commissions

At their Oct. 20 meeting, Village Council members began a discussion on whether and how best to standardize practices for Village boards and commissions.
Clifton man takes on Perales

A Clifton Democrat running for state representative is out to fight “the powers that be” in the Ohio State House who are, he says, too responsive to powerful lobbies at the expense of the needs of local communities.
Forum on community policing— Safety over force is favored

There was remarkable similarity between what the 70 villagers who attended a local policing forum last week said and what 50 anonymous respondents said about policing in the weeks preceding the forum.
Community Solutions conference soon— Focus is on climate change tools

A group of villagers and Antioch College students who attended a climate change march in New York City last month returned home even more inspired to help Yellow Springs cut its carbon footprint.
A peek at the mind’s universe

Popular scientist Michio Kaku likes to tell the story of how as a teenager in the 1960s, he built an atom smasher in his parents’ garage. He bought 22 miles of copper wire, wrapped it many times around a football field, connected it to 400 pounds of transformer steel and plugged it in. It blew out every fuse in his parents’ house and probably those of everyone in the neighborhood, he said in a recent PBS documentary science video.

Oct. 30. 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

Merit-making

October 23, 2014

New way to empower, protect

“Knee him in the nuts and poke him in the eye.”
Self-defense training often begins and ends with that blanket statement.
Lloyd Kennedy on his 100th— A cheerful guy who gets things done

The gathering following the Sunday morning Oct. 19 worship service at First Presbyterian Church was nothing but joyous as more than 100 family, friends and admirers of parishioner Lloyd Kennedy celebrated his 100th birthday at his spiritual home for the past 64 years.
Policing forum is tonight

Villagers have strong opinions about what they want their police force to be. According to recent anonymous input from Village Human Relations Commission surveys, many residents want police to be out of their patrol cars and visibly engaged with the community.
Lenders address risk at CBE

When Champaign Bank was evaluating the $33 million Water Street mixed-use project in downtown Dayton this year, developers already had 50 percent of the office space pre-leased with solid anchor tenant PNC Bank and two independent studies that showed the apartment space would be fully leased in 13 months.
Chief severance approved

At their Oct. 20 meeting, Village Council members approved a severance agreement for former Yellow Springs Police Chief Anthony Pettiford, who resigned his position for medical reasons on Sept. 19.

Bulldog sports round-up

Kenneth R. Dillon

Water draw

October 16, 2014

Wrights raise the haunts of Kyoto

Once a year, near the time of the autumn equinox, Harold and Jonatha Wright put on black clothes, and tell gruesome stories that drew people in, curdle their blood, and chill them to the bone.
Issue 2 seeks library stability

On Nov. 4, voters will find on the ballot Issue 2, the library levy.
Yellow Springs High School students to try alternative tests

Yellow Springs High School students are scheduled to try out the first of a bevy of alternative standardized tests that the school district is considering for next year.
Antioch College ‘needs more’

Antioch College President Mark Roosevelt summarized the significant challenges involved in remaking the college, now at the start of its fourth year of operation: “You can see it from here, but it’s still just slightly out of reach.”
Yellow Springs spends over income

On Oct. 6 Village Council began its annual series of budget planning workshops with a sober look at the second year of deficit spending in the general fund.

October 16, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

October 9, 2014

Children get a choice at Montessori school

It’s a school without teachers, a place where the children teach themselves. What sounds radical is a concept developed by Dr. Maria Montessori more than 100 years ago and now in use in more than 7,000 schools around the world.
Artists tell their own stories on Yellow Springs Artist Studio Tour

Want to hear how stained glass is assembled, what a soda kiln is, or how a screenprinting machine makes T-shirts? The annual Yellow Springs Artist Studio Tour and Sale is one way to learn about the art-making process from local artists themselves.
Crime author ferrets out her plots

While Cynthia Pauuwel’s new crime mystery “Forty & Out” is based around a morbid concept, it’s really the story of the female detective out to find the killer while balancing police politics, a clingy almost-ex-husband and a family rift.
Interim Yellow Springs police chief a former major

After just a few days on the job, Yellow Springs Interim Police Chief Dave Hale can see that the YSPD is an “established, well-run department,” he said in an interview last week. During the two months or so he expects to be here, he intends to keep it that way.
Last Antioch College class enters on Horace’s tab

The incoming class at Antioch College may be more diverse, more international and more committed to saving the world than the three classes above them.
Rally for marriage equality

The World House Choir is hosting a Pep Rally for Marriage Equality on Friday, Oct. 10, intentionally set on the eve of National Coming Out Day.

October 9, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

October 2, 2014

Antioch College Farm sprouts power

A one-megawatt solar farm recently popped up at Antioch College along Corry Street as part of the college’s plan to become carbon neutral.
Shoegazing’s out, rock’s back

If you’re wondering where rock ‘n’ roll went, you’re not alone. Fortunately, local four piece Stark Folk Band is unapologetically rock ‘n’ roll and definitively high energy.
Carrying on college Antioch College activist legacy

This year, seven current Antioch students participated in the Antioch activist tradition by traveling to Mississippi during their most recent break to attend a conference on the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer.
Calling on dance to fight Parkinson’s

Every Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m., Jill Becker, a local dance instructor, meets with a small group of people at the Yellow Springs Senior Center to lead a dance class intended to help participants manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Mayor’s Court being used less

over the past five years, the use of the local Mayor’s Court has declined to less than half the cases it was handling five years ago.

October 2, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

September 25, 2014

Street musician agreement to continue

At their Sept. 15 meeting, Village Council members agreed that the new Street Musician Agreement appears to have solved recent problems between downtown musicians and business owners, and that its use should continue.

September 25, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

Patricia Allen Davis

September 18, 2014

Cemex seeks expansion

Cemex is determined to expand its limestone mining operation into Xenia Township southwest of Yellow Springs.
Wastewater plant honored for safety

There’s a lot that people don’t know about the local wastewater treatment plant. For instance, most don’t know that working there can be dangerous.
Police Chief Pettiford resigns

Yellow Springs Police Chief Anthony Pettiford resigned for medical reasons on Monday of this week, Village Manager Patti Bates announced at the end of a Village Council meeting Monday night, following an executive session.
Opening night for both play and playhouse— ‘Trifles’ is no small debut

Two students in Geneva Gano’s “Introduction to Drama” literature class at Antioch College will be the first to perform in the recently renovated Foundry Theater this Thursday, Sept. 18. Hannah Craig, a first year, and Parker Phelan, a second year, will perform an adapted version of Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles,” which they have modified to work for a two-actor production.
‘Last Reel’ premiered at Telluride

The thought of losing the more than 100-year tradition of celluloid motion picture film is the sad result of the economic advantage of digital film. But the experience of that subtle mechanical change is one that most audiences won’t ever perceive as they continue to go to the movies.
Students can bowl this winter

Bowling is back. At its meeting Sept. 11, the Yellow Springs School Board approved a proposal to make bowling the newest official sport at Yellow Springs High School.

Bulldog Sports Round-Up

September 11, 2014

CBE one of many business parks here

The city of Springfield’s first research and technology park, Nextedge, is a beautiful integration of modern buildings with marshes, prairie fields and a fiberoptic grid designed to bring new jobs to the Champion City.
Villagers join Hall of Fame

Late this September two Yellow Springs women, Aïda Merhemic and Susan Stiles, will be inducted into the Greene County Women’s Hall of Fame to honor their many accomplishments and recognize the hard work they have done in support of the Yellow Springs and greater Greene County communities.
A multi-lens look at water needs

The Water Crisis in Turkey. Women and Water: Personal Explorations of Impact. Compost Toilet Construction: a Feasibility Report. The Weaponization of Water.
YSCCC head is reinstated

After some tense discussion at last week’s special meeting of the Community Children’s Center Board of Trustees, almost half of the members of the board announced their intention to resign.
Villagers to walk for weather

This week in climate change news, record rains pounded the desert southwest, a new study reported that half of the birds of North America could go extinct by the end of the century and a new documentary exposed the corporate interests and citizen apathy hampering efforts to address climate change, asking:
Eye on handmade crafts at Cyclops

A fête of funky wares named after a primordial one-eyed giant returns this year promising even better handmade crafts, tastier food and more fun.

Bulldog Sports Round-Up

September 4, 2014

Farm seeds new ways to grow food

At the perennially radical Antioch College, a new crop of students is learning about radical perennials.
Council waives college fees

At their Sept. 2 regular meeting, Village Council members took two actions in support of the revived Antioch College.
Mental health training offered

A Mental Health First Aid training event for front-line workers is being brought to Yellow Springs next month in order to help villagers effectively interact with those who have mental health issues. The eight-hour training will take place Friday, Oct. 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fee is $25 and deadline for registration […]
‘Roosevelts’ screening at Little Art

According to their biographers, the three most famous Roosevelts in American history — two presidents and one first lady — stood for an ideology of public good, including things such as public health and welfare, land conservation, women’s rights, civil rights and workers’ rights.

Bulldog Sports Round-up

Well spring

August 28, 2014

Art House Hop opens homes

After last year’s success, the Yellow Springs Arts Council will reprise its Art House Hop event, a self-guided tour of homes of art collectors in town. Gallery coordinator Nancy Mellon said she’s excited to again hold the event, which she believes serves to recognize those in town who have contributed to local arts even though they aren’t necessarily artists themselves.
Children’s Center in fiscal crisis

Enrollment at the Yellow Springs Community Children’s Center took a dive at the beginning of 2013 that has sent the preschool into a tailspin of deficit spending over the past 20 months.
Council re-ups environmental group

At their Aug. 18 meeting, Village Council members agreed to re-activate the Village Environmental Commission in order to advise Council on a host of upcoming environmental issues.
Mondays begin with bluegrass

Monday mornings at the Emporium’s Underdog Café start off slightly subdued, a little slow and sleepy as the work week begins. Locals stop in for a coffee and maybe a croissant to go, while others find a table to read a newspaper, boot up a laptop computer or linger over breakfast from the kitchen.
Yes, ageism exists in Yellow Springs

Yellow Springs is a rapidly aging community — according to the 2010 Census, 20 percent of villagers are 65 and older, and more than half are over 45. While the country and state are aging as well, Yellow Springs is doing so faster, with our median age of 48.5 years a full 10 years older […]
MVECA can help us get wired

Just as the Village of Yellow Springs has its own water, sewer and electric systems, someday it could also sell broadband Internet as a municipal service.

Eugene Philip Diehl

August 21, 2014

Mills Lawn on the move to innovate

When Mills Lawn School opens its doors this Friday, it will serve more students than last year, a growth trend that Principal Matt Housh sees as steady.
Taking a stand

About 120 members of the Antioch College and village community joined a Hands Up Walk Out on Monday to commemorate the funeral of Michael Brown, who was killed by police in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9.
Psychologist Gary Klein— Fascinated by good decisions

“I just knew what to do.”
That’s the response many people give after making a quick decision in a stressful situation. But what does it mean? How do we really make decisions? And how can we make better ones?
New streetscape to proceed

Village government will soon move ahead to complete the streetscape changes on the east side of Xenia Avenue, from Dino’s Cappuccinos on the north end to Glen Street in the south, according to Village Manager Patti Bates at the Aug. 18 Council meeting.
Children’s Center head let go

A teacher at the Yellow Springs Community Children’s Center said this week that YSCC Director Marlin Newell was fired by the board of trustees on Monday, Aug. 18. Newell had been on vacation, teacher EJ Waskiewicz said, when two board members asked her to sign a termination letter. Newell asked that Waskiewicz act as a witness to the event.

August 14, 2014

Groundbreaking this Friday— Village/Home, Inc. project begins

A cozy cabin on Cemetery Street nestled near woods along a creek.
To Erica and Caleab Wyant, their future home sounds straight out of a children’s fantasy story. But soon the local couple will realize their dream of owning a home in Yellow Springs, thanks to the Village’s first public affordable housing project.
Village owed $200,000 in past-due bills

Village government is owed almost $200,000 in past-due utility bills and the finance director is looking for ways to capture that revenue.
Local welfare more than food?

Armed with canned soup, dried beans, boxes of pasta and soft packages of bathroom tissue, Patty McAllister has worked for the past eight years to keep area residents fed through the Yellow Springs Area Food Pantry.
Get ready for brown(er) water

Many villagers are, unfortunately, already familiar with brown water occasionally coming out of their taps. But next week they should expect to see water that’s darker than ever.
“This has the potential to be the worst we’ve seen in a long time,” Village Water and Wastewater Plant Superintendent Joe Bates said in an interview last week.
Enough signatures

The Greene County Board of Elections has verified that a sufficient number of signatures were collected to put on the November ballot a referendum on public funding of the Center for Business and Education, or CBE, according to Board of Elections Deputy Director Nancy Johannes on Tuesday.

Amazing moms and dads of T-ball

August 7, 2014

Council talks pesticides

At their Aug. 4 meeting, Village Council members began a dialogue on how to address pest and weed control on Village property in light of the temporary moratorium on herbicide and pesticide use that Council put into place last year after an overuse of an herbicide at the Gaunt Park pool.
Village Manager Patti Bates— She likes getting things done

New Village Manager Patti Bates read with interest recent news stories about a water main break on the UCLA campus that flooded campus parking lots.
“Aging infrastructure — these problems are facing everyone, especially small towns,” she said in an interview last week. “And when things go wrong, you have to fix it.”
Art on Lawn features Glen painter

This year’s Art on the Lawn festival — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, August 9, on the grounds of Mills Lawn School — has the happy problem of trying to find enough room for all the participating art vendors and activities.
Hip-hop in the street this week

Village Fam may be Yellow Springs’ first hip-hop group, but they hope not to be its last.
The group of born-and-raised villagers, now in their 20s, didn’t have access to local hip-hop shows when they grew up.
Fired up on voting rights

A local community action group says that Ohio Rep. Rick Perales, in his first term representing western Greene County, has avoided scheduled meetings with them since he joined in approving changes in Ohio voting laws which some critics see as unfairly affecting African-American and low-income voters and making it easier for Perales and his fellow Republicans to defeat election opponents.

Friendly fishing

July 31, 2014

Township to float levy renewal

Miami Township Trustees voted at their meeting this month to place a Township Fire-Rescue levy renewal on the ballot in November. The trustees chose a renewal, which does not increase taxes, for several reasons, including the possibility that they may ask voters for a new levy next year to build a new fire station.
MTFR still seeks property

Miami Township has been looking for a new home for its Fire-Rescue team for over three years, and this summer the land option they had banked on since 2011 fell through.
New business offers Body Wisdom

When Julie Pies and Patti Mielziner returned to Ohio to be closer to their immediate family, they hoped that their newly opened bodywork practice in Yellow Springs, Body Wisdom, would help them to create some new family as well. Through their work together over time with their clients and patients, Julie said, they come to be like family.
Yellow Springs village revenues higher than expected

A mid-year budget review at Village Council’s July 21 meeting offered good news regarding Village general fund revenues.
A birthday wish for the manatees

Mackenzie Horton was ecstatic when she turned 9 years old in May and didn’t receive any birthday presents.

Instead Mackenzie received exactly what she wanted for her birthday — to help save an animal she loves, the Florida manatee.

Charles Murray Closz

July 24, 2014

She led with her heart and her spirit

Becky Teilhet was beloved by many in the Yellow Springs community, known by family and friends for her unusually kind and generous nature.
A balance of buskers and business in the village

A staple of downtown Yellow Springs, the local street music scene may soon change with a new, self-regulating policy approved Monday by Village Council.
New Herndon Gallery director— An artist of ‘scrappy resourcefulness’

After leaving the art world behind for two decades to pursue a career as a registered nurse, Jennifer Wenker, the new creative director of the Herndon Gallery at Antioch College, has returned to art with an enthusiasm that can be seen reflected in her involvement in a wide range of art organizations in Dayton and […]
Village Council denies appeal to stop solar array

At its July 21 meeting, Village Council voted unanimously to deny an appeal of Planning Commission’s June 23 decision to allow a solar array at Antioch College. The decision means that the college solar project is allowed to go forward.

Flower child

July 17, 2014

Architectural bike tour— Builder Kline left mark on village

Perched on a cliff side in the woods on Old Mill Road sits a house made almost entirely of glass and so close to the trees that its designer and original owner, John L. (Jack) Kline, had only to reach out his window to touch the birds.
Spotlight on mental health

Formed in the wake of last summer’s tragic shooting event, the Yellow Springs affiliate of the National Association of Mental Illness, or NAMI, runs support groups for those with mental illness and their family members and friends.

July 10, 2014

Charges pending against two adults— Concern over youth, drugs

On Sunday, May 11, police were called to a home on Fairfield Pike, where a weekend party had taken place involving local middle school and high school aged youth, as well as at least two adults.
SIDEBAR—Referendum effort begins

A group of villagers is launching a campaign to put on the November ballot the question of whether the Village should fund the CBE infrastructure
Council gives CBE final approval

At Monday’s meeting, Village Council in a 3–2 vote gave final approval to funding the Center for Business and Education infrastructure. Karen Wintrow, Gerry Simms and Brian Housh voted for the CBE funding and Lori Askeland and Marianne MacQueen voted against.
Council examines ‘busking’

At their July 7 meeting, Village Council members continued an earlier discussion on how best to balance the needs of buskers and business owners in a way that doesn’t put a damper on what many villagers see as a source of downtown uniqueness.
YSKP leadership changes

As this summer’s Yellow Springs Kids Playhouse original musical, “Superhuman Happiness” explores the gods and goddesses of ancient myth, a titan of local children’s theater, YSKP artistic director John Fleming, makes his dramatic exit from the nonprofit youth theater company he founded in 1995.
Wellness Center launches fund drive

As an Antioch College student in the 1960s, Malte von Matthiessen played basketball pick-up games in Curl Gymnasium with Yellow Springs High School students. Back then, the facility was “just a gym” but still gave Antioch students a chance to play intramural sports and meet locals

Dragons, Pirates tie in nail-biter

July 3, 2014

Striking workers air grievances

A small group of employees at the Spirited Goat Coffee House went on strike in mid-June, asking for a host of rights including legal pay, workers’ compensation benefits and a higher wage: $15 an hour.
‘Superhuman Happiness’ at YSKP

Everything changes, nothing perishes.

So writes Roman poet Ovid in his magnum opus “Metamorphoses,” from which the new Yellow Springs Kids Playhouse original musical “Superhuman Happiness” is adapted.
Village vampire taps a wicked vein

He is a blood-sucking renegade vampire resurrected into a revenge-mad ghost villian after his heart is ripped out.

While this character of Enzo on the CW television network’s “Vampire Diaries” may be macabre, it’s one that actor Michael Malarkey has been dying to play.
Yellow Springs Summer Strings winds down— Come one, come all to Grand Finale

Two weeks ago, the Yellow Springs Summer Strings and Band Program had its Grande Finale concert outside at Mills Lawn. The youth played their violas and clarinets to the tune of “Cherokee Chief,” “Slavic Air,” and an all-camp sing to “The Power of One.”

John Owen Hevelin

June 26, 2014

Antioch College gets OK on solar array

Antioch College cleared a major hurdle this week in its plan to build a 1-megawatt solar array on campus.
Yellow Springs schools aim to opt out of tests

The Ohio legislature recently approved an education bill that gives Yellow Springs schools a chance to apply for a waiver from any and all state and federally mandated standardized tests.
Water plant decision moves ahead

A decision on how to deal with the ailing Village water plant needs to take place soon, Village Council members were told at their June 16 meeting. “Joe believes the project can’t wait,” Council President Karen Wintrow said to Council, referring to Village Water and Wastewater Plant Superintendent Joe Bates. In recent weeks, one of […]
Local roots show at Summer Music Bash

Blues riffs, DJ scratches, hip-hop beats and R&B harmonies will mingle in the hot July air in downtown Yellow Springs at an upcoming celebration of local music.
Community Solutions evolves— New director for nonprofit

Global warming. Climate change. Peak Oil.

News about environmental concerns is frequently grim and overwhelming. What can a single person do?
Village ends appeals process — Courts side with Struewings

A panel of three Ohio appeals court judges last month sided unanimously with Ken and Betheen Struewing in their case against the Village over rights to Village water and sewer services.

June 19, 2014

Sports budget at 10-year low

On any given day during the school year, dozens of students from McKinney and Yellow Springs High School can be seen releasing their energy on the soccer field, sprinting for a lay up on the basketball court, diving for a run on the baseball field, or participating in the many other sports the school has traditionally offered.
Council gives first nod to CBE

In its first vote on the Center for Business and Education since bringing the issue back to the table, Village Council on Monday night narrowly approved spending $1 million to fund CBE infrastructure. Karen Wintrow, Gerry Simms and Brian Housh voted to fund the CBE, while Marianne MacQueen and Lori Askeland voted against.
Villagers collaborate on public space

A cruise around the village skate park is what local youth Charles Keller and Justin Nash might call their daily constitutional. Keller, a STEM School student, is usually there by 4:30 p.m. — earlier in the summer — using the mini ramp to practice rock to fakey and tail stalls, while Nash, who attends Mills Lawn, comes out to master the basics of dropping in and pumping on the half pipe.
Pianist Sam Reich— Loving to practice as much as play

Yellow Springs-based pianist Sam Reich is at a place in his life and career where he’s often asked about his plans. Having completed a master’s degree in 2012 from the prestigious Eastman School of Music, where he also earned a bachelor’s in piano performance, Reich says a typical path would involve next pursuing a doctorate, as many of his former classmates are doing.
College wins victory on path to accreditation

Antioch College recently achieved a significant victory on its path to accreditation, President Mark Roosevelt told a cheering audience of alumni and community members on Saturday evening.

June 12, 2014

YS Boy Scouts celebrate 75th year

Former Yellow Springs Boy Scout Will McCuddy likes to tell the story of a camping trip at Sloan’s Cave in Cumberland, Ky., when he had to hike through water neck deep to get out alive.
Solar array charges opinions

Discussion about the Antioch College farm waged on this week at a public hearing before Village Planning Commission, which considered the conditional use of a solar power array in the northeast corner of the college “golf course.” Over 50 villagers attended the meeting on Monday, June 9, which was something of a continuation of last month’s community forum on the wider topic of the farm.
Eclectic items both dirty, fabulous

Where else in town can you buy a handmade fedora, a set of fairy wings, a 1920s men’s tie, a women’s disco-era vintage blouse and a puffy ’80s jean jacket?
Council to vote on CBE

What’s the best way for Village Council to proceed with deciding whether to spend $1 million to fund the Center for Business and Education infrastructure? After a hiatus of several months on the locally controversial issue, Council discussed CBE funding again at its June 2 meeting, with some Council members wanting to move ahead quickly and one urging a slowing down of the process.
New brewery, food truck approved

Village Planning Commission approved two conditional use applications this week for a tasting room for Vitruvian Brewery Company and a food truck at Antioch University Midwest. Plan board members approved both requests in line with staff recommendations at their meeting on Monday, June 9.
Chlorine gas plant risk is worrisome

When two freight trains collided on the track near Graniteville, S.C. in 2005, one of the derailed train cars filled with 90 tons of chlorine gas ruptured. A yellowish-green noxious cloud containing 120,000 pounds of the poisonous gas spread quickly along the ground, causing those nearby to cough, choke and wheeze while burning their eyes, skin and throats.

T-ball, a place for healing

June 5, 2014

More shifts at Village police

Changes in personnel at the Yellow Springs Police Department are becoming the norm this year. Two more full-time officers either resigned or requested reduced hours last month, following the resignation of two full-time officers in February and March.
Bulldogs Walking, 2014

57 Yellow Springs High School seniors who graduated last Thursday, May 29. As usual the high school gym was steaming, but that didn’t bother the many parents, family members and friends who cheered the graduates on. Also pictured here are valedictorian Rachel Meyer and salutatorian Zoey McKinley.
Patti Bates is hired as new Village manager

Patti Bates is excited to have been hired as the new Yellow Springs Village manager.

“I’m really looking forward to coming to Yellow Springs, digging in and seeing what I can do to help out,” she said in an interview on Tuesday.
New restaurant at Oten Gallery— Twist on sandwiches at Aleta’s

Owners of the village’s newest restaurant say the beautiful hand-built brick Oten Gallery will attract diners, but it’s the fresh, delicious food that will bring them back.
Marlin Newell of the Children’s Center— 25 years of hugs from our children

Marlin Newell has been at the Yellow Springs Community Children’s Center for long enough that the toddlers she potty-trained and taught to walk are now returning to enroll their own children.
A new force for engaged democracy

Crowdsourcing has been used for everything from tracking the path of meteors to coming up with new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors.

A new local political party now sees promise in using online tools to ask villagers to solve community problems. Eventually citizens could help run the town from their computers and smartphones.
YSAC grapples with funding loss

It’s been a year since the Morgan Foundation announced its suspension of about $1 million in annual grants to local and regional agencies. While the funding loss cut a swath through local nonprofits, the Yellow Springs Arts Council, or YSAC, was hit hardest, as the organization in recent years relied on the foundation for most of its operating costs.

May 29, 2014

Parent help in digital world

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube.

Social media — digital formats that promote virtual interactions — have become a ubiquitous part of our children’s lives
A risky, comic ‘Joan D’Arc’

Starving in a prison cell in France awaiting trial for heresy, the 15th century teenage heroine Joan of Arc had little to laugh about.

But add comedic banter between the saints in her visions, a puppet show reenacting the entire 100 Years War between France and England, and the high drama of a modern cable television talk show, “Saint Chat,” and suddenly a story that ends with a burning at the stake may seem funny.
Village tackles water system

One of the filters at the Village drinking water plant failed last month. The malfunction is being repaired at a minor cost to the Village. And while the Village asks that residents continue to conserve water where possible (minimizing lawn watering), the facility’s two other filters are keeping up with demand.
Village manager candidates come to Yellow Springs

The value of effective communication emerged as a theme during last Thursday evening’s community forum for the Village manager finalists.
SIDEBAR: Candidate Patti Bates rose to top

While Village Council has not yet made an official decision regarding who will be the new Village manager, the people’s choice was Patti Bates, according to Council member Brian Housh on Tuesday.

Peace piece

May 22, 2014

Villagers rate ED strategies

As an adjunct English professor at Clark State Community College, Cyndi Pauwels is among the one-third of Yellow Springs residents who work in the field of education and four-fifths of working villagers who commute.
District Exhibition Nights— Students to demonstrate PBL

Second graders Isaiah Search, Zeke Naziri and Isaac Grushon held their clipboards and North American tree guides as they looked up at one of the biggest trees on the Mills Lawn campus this week.
Support for those with mental illness

Medically related circumstances in a family’s life — from welcoming a new baby to undergoing chemotherapy treatments — often elicit helping hands from friends and neighbors. But when the circumstances involve mental health issues, the affected families can feel isolated and alone.
The Passive House solution

Keeping up on the latest climate change projections can be downright depressing. But a local nonprofit offers a dose of hope with its new film on how to build homes that emit 80 percent less carbon dioxide.
’14 YSHS award recipients

Yellow Springs High School recognized many of its students, especially its seniors, at the annual scholarship awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 20.

Tennis standout goes to district

Throwing things at school

May 15, 2014

Teacher opposes nonrenewal

The Yellow Springs School Board approved a recommendation at their meeting Thursday, May 8, to nonrenew the contract of McKinney physical education and health teacher Angela Bussey. During the board meeting, Bussey and her attorney Mark Landers held a public hearing to defend her right to maintain her job.
How locals see our economy

Local jobs don’t pay enough for people to afford to live here.
That’s how many villagers summed up the problem with the Yellow Springs economy in a recent online survey.
A total of 299 residents of Yellow Springs and Miami Township participated in the 20-question survey, which ran from April 25–May 11.
Economic development strategies eyed

At their May 5 meeting, Village Council members heard a presentation from a Greene County official regarding the county Port Authority, a potential new tool for economic development. “There’s a lot of excitement about what can be done with the Port now that it’s revamped,” Greene County Director of Economic Development Pete Williams said regarding […]
Wellness for body, mind, community

Nearing the end of its $8 million, yearlong renovation, the new Antioch College Wellness Center will have an abundance of light. And that light serves many purposes, according to project lead Dorothy Roosevelt.

May 15, 2014 Bulldog Sport Round Up

Adult entertainment

May 8, 2014

Small towns use creativity to grow

The story of Ponca City, Okla., recently named one of the top 10 best small towns for business in the U.S. , is a case study for how to rebuild a flagging small town economy.
New bridge honors builder Richard Eastman

Richard Eastman is to have the county’s newest covered bridge named in his honor. A ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication at 10 a.m. Friday, May 9, will open the newly constructed Richard P. Eastman Hyde Road Covered Bridge, which crosses a segment of the Little Miami Bike Trail.
Blue Moon Soup at Clifton— A musical melange of bluegrass, Celtic and ’60s rock riffs

If the wizard Gandalf was a fan of the Grateful Dead, he would probably also listen to the Blue Moon Soup string band.
Sidebar: Monica Hasek At Antioch College Wellness Center

Local yoga studio owner Monica Hasek has been named the new director of the Antioch College Wellness Center, the college announced on Tuesday.
Leadership shifts at Antioch College

SIDEBAR: Monica Hasek hire as interim Wellness Center director. Recent shifts in Antioch College leadership aim to build on the college’s strengths and distinctiveness, as well as pivot to a new stage of growth, according to College President Mark Roosevelt in recent interviews. The changes include a new focus on global studies, the hiring […]
Adult entertainment

This year’s prom queen was Gayle Sampson and the prom king went only by “Risky Business” for the outfit she based upon Tom Cruise’s character in that film. Other creative outfits were the Dude from “The Big Lebowski” and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Yellow Springs Browns Backers, which organized the prom, raised around $2,700 for Yellow […]
Village Council narrows choice to three manager finalists

At their May 5 meeting, Village Council members announced the three finalists for the position of Village manager.
Antioch University Midwest to screen classic political films

Jon Saari doesn’t need to rent the movies he’s showing in a seminar on modern political film — he already owns most of them.

May 8, 2014 Bulldog sports round up

Byron Dann memorial

May 1, 2014

Sidewalks packed in tourist town

Any local resident downtown on a beautiful spring weekend such as we’ve experienced in recent weeks can attest that the sidewalks, shops and restaurants are filled with people who hail from other zip codes. What their presence means to the life of the village is a topic of ongoing discussions.
Council considers safety at Ellis Pond

Council members considered whether Village government should spend substantial funds to build two new bridges at Ellis Pond, in light of a serious accident that occurred at the pond last year.
YSHS One Acts for stunts, funnies

Whatever the One Acts are to local audiences, the one rule of the student-led theater production is there are no rules, and what happens each night depends on the mood of the actors and the alignment of the stars.
Antioch College to present farm vision

Antioch College will lay out its long-term vision for a 36-acre property on the south end of campus known as the “golf course” at a public meeting next week.
Sidebar: Village manager forum set

Villagers will have the opportunity to meet with finalists for the Village manager position at a public forum on Thursday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Bryan Center gym.
May 6, 2014 primary election: Restaurant seeks liquor option

The 2014 primary election will take place on Tuesday, May 6. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The polling location is Antioch University Midwest (formerly McGregor), 900 Dayton St. for village precincts 440, 441, 442, 443 and Miami Township precinct 456 (west). For voters in township precinct 455 (east), polling […]
Village planners approve CBE streets

At their meeting on April 16 Village Planning Commission approved the street dedication for the Center for Business and Education, a request to install a Verizon cellular telephone tower at Bryan Center, and rezoning of the former Creative Memories property.

May 1, 2014 Bulldog sports round up

April 24, 2014

AUM enrollment in decline

Enrollment at Antioch University Midwest has dropped to an all-time low this spring. While many colleges and universities have shown signs of suffering from the recession, Midwest’s decline has been steeper than that of its sister institutions in the region.
Fence gets a coat of many colors

The response to the downtown “fence gallery” has been so positive that organizers are trying to figure out how local artists can do a similar project every year.
Springfield no longer water option

In an unexpected move, Village Council members at their April 21 meeting took sourcing water from Springfield off the table, so that rehabbing the Village water plant or building a new Village plant remain Council’s only choices for how best to source local water.
World House Choir to honor Coretta in song

“Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation.”
365 Project panel— Being young and black in the village

In some ways, it’s harder to be young and black in Yellow Springs today than in the 1970s.
Fixing the fixtures at YSHS

Yellow Springs High School freshman Lorien Chavez happened to be in the girls bathroom at the high school last year when some cheerleaders from another school walked in. Not realizing she was there, they began commenting on how gross and unkempt the school’s main bathroom was.
“When I came out of the stall I looked at them and was like, “oh, I know, we don’t like it either,’” Chavez said. “I was really embarrassed.”
Water sidebar — Reduce water use

The Village’s request that local residents voluntarily cut back on water usage will remain in effect for several weeks and perhaps longer, according to Interim Manager Kent Bristol at the April 21 Council meeting.

Bulldog sport round-up

Oh, hoppy day!

April 17, 2014

Oh, hoppy day!

Warm and sunny spring weather brought out around 40 local toddlers and young children to scramble for eggs at the annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 19, sponsored by Central Chapel AME Church. Click below to see the photos larger.
Chinese food within reach again

When Zhi You Gao and his son-in-law, Ken Yang, worked as chefs in Fujian Province on the southeast coast of China, they cooked in the Min style using ingredients such as crab, abalone, mountain mushrooms and fresh bamboo shoots.
School calendar adds delays

All students who attend Yellow Springs schools next year will start two hours late on 14 Wednesdays to make dedicated time for teacher professional development. The school board approved the 2014–15 calendar, including this pilot late start, at its meeting on Thursday, April 10. Other calendar changes included the addition of three calamity days to the end of the current school year, and fewer waiver day Fridays.
Village Council side bar— Less green space funds

At their April 7 meeting, Village Council members voted 3–2 to add $25,000 for green space to the 2014 capital project budget. Karen Wintrow, Lori Askeland and Brian Housh voted for the funding, and Marianne MacQueen and Gerry Simms voted against. Council will vote on the capital fund legislation at its April 21 meeting.
Barry Heermann’s Deep Currents— Course looks deeply into work, self

If someone is unsatisfied in their job or career, there’s probably an online quiz they can take to find a better fit. But to find one’s true calling, or bring more awareness to one’s work life, a deeper, more introspective process may be called for.
Activism and art at Antioch

When is activism also art?
For example, Women on Waves, a ship that performs medical abortions outside of the territorial waters of countries where it is illegal, or Project Row Houses, a low-income housing development in Houston where the houses are sometimes canvases for artistic expression.
Economic development since 2000— Ideas abound, actions lag behind

Around 1998 local attorney Craig Matthews was representing a Dayton company that worked with that city to boost the economy in depressed neighborhoods. Around the same time, he found, in an old box in his office above Star Bank, a copy of Arthur Morgan’s book, Industries for Small Communities, with Morgan’s philosophy that vibrant small towns need diverse, vibrant businesses.
2014 capital project budget— Village Council sets priorities

In a year of deficit spending, what capital projects are essential? At their April 7 meeting Village Council members considered that question, prioritizing capital needs for the Village. Council will vote on legislation for the 2014 capital budget at its April 21 meeting.

LaRaine (Dewey) McQueen

April fools

April 10, 2014

April fools

After a strong spring warming, Yellow Springs woke up to an all-too familiar winter sight Tuesday morning, as a quick cold front brought a sticky blanket of snow and freezing temperatures to the region.
In 80s, incubator boosted businesses in Yellow Springs

One of Village government’s first attempts at revving up the economy involved hiring villagers Vicki Morgan and Phyllis Schmidt in 1986 as Yellow Springs Associates, in an attempt to improve the image of Yellow Springs to surrounding communities.
Yellow Springs Community Foundation celebrates 40 years cultivating community

The three-heart logo that has stood for the Yellow Springs Community Foundation since 1974 represents its three pillars — the donors, the recipients and the beneficiaries: the people of Yellow Springs.
Wellness doctor hopes to return to Village

Donald Gronbeck, a 2002 Antioch College graduate, hopes to start his first practice, Yellow Springs Primary Care, the first week of May at the former Creative Memories building, fronting on Dayton Street.
Home Inc. offers workshop — Village foreclosure rate high

Losing one’s home to foreclosure is most often traumatic. Foreclosures hurt communities, too. Though Yellow Springs has weathered the housing crisis well with only a small dip in home sale prices, foreclosure rates are relatively high here and may be on the uptick.
Village Mediation mends village fences

The Village Mediation Program was erected in the 1980s to bring interested parties together to talk out their differences.
Presbyterians, Methodists celebrate — Spirit of collaboration for Easter

Only in Yellow Springs will this year’s Holy Week observance include a sing-along to “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

April 3, 2014

Pharmacist fills mentor’s shoes

The new part-time pharmacist at Town Drug is a familiar face -— both in the village and at the pharmacy. Emma Robinow, 28, grew up in Yellow Springs and completed her pharmaceutical residency in town under the mentorship of Tim Rogers, who died in January.
Scouting for food

Mills Lawn fourth-grader C.J. Cooper recently spent time in Xenia “Scouting for food,” an annual Boy Scout-led food drive.
Future farmers faring well

Ohio’s newest chapter of the Future Farmers of America Organization was born at YSHS this school year.
Police personnel still shifting

The personnel situation at the Yellow Springs Police Department continues to be unstable as two of the newest officers on the local force resigned their positions in the last two months, and a third has been on leave since Jan. 1.
A home that takes care of you

A young couple hopes to quit their day jobs, live closer to the land and raise their toddler in nature. The story is straight out of the early 1970s, and so is the passive solar house the couple plans to build out of old tires and tin cans.
Help from a different kind of watchdog

Finn Catalanotto and his twin sister Sophie were very eager to leave the playground next to the Springs Motel, where they have been staying this week away from their home in Cincinnati.
At time, home is where the work is

Like many of today’s college graduates, Emma Woodruff left Antioch College under a mountain of debt and with few job prospects. So she fell into a growing local industry catering to tourists and residents — accommodation and food service — working stints as a Sunrise Café server and in the kitchen of the Emporium Café.
Young’s Dairy robber sentenced

The Springfield man convicted of robbing Young’s Dairy in August 2012 was sentenced in Clark County Common Pleas Court last week to 15 years in prison. Barrett Grable, 26, was sentenced by Judge Richard O’Neill, after a jury found him guilty in February of aggravated robbery and kidnapping charges.

Bulldog sports round-up

June Elaine Conine

March 27, 2014

Village road crew— Parting the frozen waters

In his nine years working for the Village, Superintendent of Streets Jason Hamby says this winter was the worst he’s experienced on the job.
Former Creative Memories space— Investors seek to rezone

At a public hearing on Wednesday, April 16, Village Planning Commission will consider a request to rezone the former Creative Memories building at Dayton Street and East Enon Road from a light industrial district to a planned unit development, or PUD.
Fewer local jobs, more commuting

Heidi Hoover could be considered one of the lucky few. Her dream of living and working in Yellow Springs came true seven years ago when, after returning to her hometown to start a family, she was hired as a second-grade teacher at Mills Lawn Elementary School after substitute teaching there.
Bridge to close year-old gap

The wooden bridge that was taken out early last year at Hyde Road where it meets Corry Street will be replaced this spring by a covered bridge.
Water rate hike approved

At the March 17 Village Council meeting, Council approved in a 4–0 vote a 15 percent hike in local water rates, the largest single year increase in years.
ESC focuses on early intervention

“There’s a rising epidemic of anxiety,” fueled by a culture of fear and the ubiquitous presence of technology, says Timothy Callahan, a clinical psychologist and the director of mental health programming for the Greene County Educational Service Center (GCESC), which is based in Yellow Springs.

A rehab for the rehab

March 20, 2014

Leading the college to wellness

For the past six months there’s been a gaping hole at the back of Antioch College Curl Gym, where the pool used to be. But the renovation of the 85-year old building is closing in on a completion date sometime in July.
Coming home, but not for the jobs

The high point of the Yellow Springs economy, like that of much of the rest of the nation, seems to have been during the post-World War II boom years of the 1950s and 60s. The town’s four small industries — Morris Bean, Vernay, YSI and Antioch Bookplate — employed hundreds of workers each, Antioch College was going strong, and small research firms — the Fels Lab and Kettering Research Institute, among others — fed off the college’s intellectual vitality.
Documentarian asks what makes community

What is it about Yellow Springs that gives the town such a strong sense of community?
That’s the question that local filmmaker Patti Dallas asks more than 30 local people in the first part of a new documentary series on the village, “Yellow Springs — Exploring the Elements of Community.”
Village Council approves deficit budget

The Village of Yellow Springs will spend about $200,000 more than in takes in receipts in 2014, according to an operations budget Council unanimously passed at its meeting on Monday, March 17.
Sheriff’s inquiry faults officer

Seven months after the shooting standoff in Yellow Springs that ended with the death of Paul E. Schenck, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s department released the findings of an investigation of the two Greene County officers who fired weapons during the event.
A rehab for the rehab

The large cages for Glen Helen’s 30 permanent avian residents have served the Raptor Center for over 30 years. But the wire and wood are aging and have not met current regulation for some time.
AUM president at home at Midwest

When Karen Schuster Webb became president of Antioch University Midwest in January, she had been here for less than two months. But she had a pretty good idea what she was getting into.

March 13, 2014

Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Pirates’— It’s the very model of a YSHS musical

For a generation raised on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” action films, the Victorian-era comic opera “Pirates of Penzance” might seem out of date.
With operatic music, jokes that landed before the turn of the 20th century and more dance numbers than sword fights, “Pirates of Penzance” is a different kind of pirate production for these local teens.
Battle comes home, with clarinet

Yellow Springs native and one-time Yellow Springs News paper carrier Mark Battle will return to town with his clarinet in tow next week to perform a house concert with colleague and friend, pianist George Lopez.
Village economy: good, bad news

The Village of Yellow Springs government hasn’t generally involved itself in the local economy, but over the past 10 years, the Village has gotten increasingly active in supporting the local business community.
Concert series celbrates 30 years— CMYS built on Antioch’s shoulders

The local First Presbyterian Church sanctuary is quite lovely, but ever thought of comparing it to, say, Carnegie Hall? The same small string, wind and vocal ensembles that play under the big lights in New York City, Paris and Tokyo, also play in this little Ohio town, the improbable seat of a world-class chamber music series known as Chamber Music Yellow Springs.
Water rate hike approved by Council

At their March 3 meeting, Village Council members unanimously approved a 15 percent rate hike for Village water fees, to be effective April 1. Villagers will feel the hike as an additional $4.20 monthly charge, or $50.40 per year, for an average use of 6,000 gallons.
Manager search elicits robust response

The Village has received a robust response in its search for a new Village manager, according to Council member Brian Housh, who, with Council member Gerry Simms, is overseeing the effort. According to the consulting firm Management Partners, which is conducting the search, 59 applicants responded by the March 7 deadline.
Yellow Springs burglaries affect cars and homes

Toward the end of last week and over the weekend, several home and vehicle burglaries occurred in various locations around the village. Yellow Springs Police this week issued a warning to all villagers to keep their homes and vehicles locked at all times.
Greene County sheriff major relieved of job

Greene County Sheriff Major Eric Spicer was relieved from his position with the department last week, according to Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer this week.

Emily Jane Fleming

March 6, 2014

Yellow Springs music scene gets bigger

For a bumping live music scene, Sixth Street in Austin and the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn had a competitor in downtown Yellow Springs last Saturday night.
Yellow Springs cuts energy use smartly

Yellow Springs shaved 3.7 percent off of its annual electricity use over the last three years, thanks to a communitywide energy-efficiency program.
Village budget with smaller deficit OK’d

Village Council on Monday evening gave initial approval to a 2014 Village budget with a general fund deficit that is considerably lower than the previously projected deficit.
Women’s voices ring, out loud

For an event that has been centered on the free and unhindered expression of women for 35 years, the annual Women’s Voices Out Loud visual art display was not likely to stay behind closed doors.

February 27, 2014

Glen Helen’s pancake breakfast returns

Who can resist the thought of eating a pile of fluffy golden pancakes seated next to friends and neighbors as the spring sun streams through the window at our homey Outdoor Education Center?
Village Council sets goals for 2014

Hiring a new Village manager, completing a water sourcing analysis and physically updating Council chambers head the list of 2014 Village Council strategic goals, according to a prioritized list reviewed by Council members at their Feb. 18 meeting.
Midwest memoir reading— Eileen Cronin writes about being able

Growing up, Eileen Cronin loved sports and writing and had the determination to pursue both. Though others would see it differently, these elements had greater influence on her identity than the fact that she was born without fully developed legs.
Village General fund deficit forecast

At a special budget review before the Feb. 18 Village Council meeting, Finance Director Melissa Vanzant projected that the Village 2014 general fund budget will have a shortfall of about $500,000.
Police story: crime and the village

Earlier this month two vehicles were stolen, 10 more were broken into. Last year nine local residences were burglarized. But more commonly, however, the Yellow Springs Police Department deals with complaints of barking dogs, loud music and stolen bicycles.
Snow Shoo!

Village council member Gerry Simms cleared the sidewalks along West South College Street Monday afternoon to provide safe passage for local students walking to and from school.
A lesson in black and white

Last Friday the Mills Lawn fourth, fifth and sixth grade students performed a varied program of songs, readings, poems and a skit to celebrate the end of Black History Month.

Feb. 27, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

Sweet and sappy

February 20, 2014

Ethics group says no conflict for Wintrow

The Ohio Board of Ethics determined last week that Council President Karen Wintrow does not have a conflict of interest regarding the Center for Business and Education, and is free to discuss and vote on CBE-related issues.
SIDEBAR: Focus on mental health in the community

This spring, the Human Relations Commission, or HRC, will launch a series of programs aimed at educating villagers on mental health issues and finding better ways to help those in the community who deal with these concerns.
SIDEBAR: Yellow Springs Water Rate Hike

Vilage Council members agreed on a 15 percent increase in Village water rates.
Schenck incident prompts concerns— Crisis training for police supported

In recent years, area police officers have noticed a change in their work, as their calls more frequently involve people with mental health issues.
Yellow Springs Utility funds show deficits

At their Feb. 3 meeting, Village Council members heard that, in the projected 2014 Village budget, most of the Village enterprise (or utility) funds — the water fund, sewer fund and solid waste funds — show deficit spending.
Sweet and sappy

Last Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22, the Tecumseh Land Trust sponsored a tour of Flying Mouse Farm for the annual tapping of the sugar maples.
Folksinger Bob Lucas to play at Mills Lawn School

Folk singer Bob Lucas will perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, in the Mills Lawn auditorium for the Mills Lawn PTO Family Fun Night, an annual event to lighten the dreary winter months.
Making the call for calamity days

During this exceptionally cold and snowy winter, Yellow Springs School Superintendent Mario Basora has closed local schools eight times, three more than the state’s maximum of five calamity days per school year without having to make up the days.
Yellow Springs police look into stolen vehicles

Two vehicles were stolen last week from residences in the northeast quandrant of the village, and about 10 more were entered or burglarized in the same general area.
School board— School of rock replaces ‘flex’

An overwhelming majority of Yellow Springs High School students last fall voiced disappointment with part of a new scheduling system that was implemented at the beginning of the school year.

February 13, 2014

Particulate pollution levels monitored— Cause of spike is unknown

A regional air pollution agency is investigating an unprecedented and potentially dangerous spike in air pollution in Yellow Springs in December when an exceedingly high concentration of lung-penetrating particles was recorded.
Yellow Springs downtown business mostly steady

When it comes to surviving as a business in downtown Yellow Springs, not all outfits are the same. The various successes and challenges of each seem to relate more to the practices of the shop owners and the pressures within each merchandising industry, rather than the common location at the hub of the village.
Yellow Springs News wins top state honor

The Yellow Springs News was honored as the best paper in Ohio in its size category at the annual convention of the Ohio Newspaper Association last week.

Feb. 13, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

February 6, 2014

Local Yellow Springs businesses hold steady

While the top five businesses in Yellow Springs generate about a third of the Village’s total income tax revenue, dozens of smaller businesses together contribute a significant portion of the total.
SIDEBAR: Arts book fundraiser

Yellow Springs Arts Council has represented artists in the village for many decades. But who exactly are these artists and how many of them are there?
A new face to tell the Antioch College story

In his first few weeks on the job, new Antioch Director of Communications Dan Doron has been impressed with the quality of students at Antioch, whom he plans to help with media training.
Village Council on water sourcing — Plant upgrade less expensive

Renovating the existing Village water plant is doable and less expensive than the other two options being considered for sourcing local water, according to a presentation at Village Council’s Feb. 3 meeting.
Antioch College’s Miller Fellows boost local nonprofits

The early careers of two Antioch College students were launched by their Miller Fellowships, during which they worked at local nonprofit organizations. In the program’s third year, 16 Antioch students are working 10 hours per week at one of 11 nonprofits.
SIDEBAR: More CBE delay

It will be several months before Council decides whether to fund the CBE infrastructure, according to Interim Manager Kent Bristol at Monday’s Council meeting.
Arthur Morgan House B&B change now off table

This week the potential change in use of a village bed and breakfast to allow an intervention program for those convicted of drunk driving and other offenses, came to a halt when the potential buyer withdrew her conditional use permit application.

Feb. 6, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

All Greek to me: A peek at Project-Based Learning

January 30, 2014

EnviroFlight, Antioch College seek partnership

Antioch College and the local sustainable animal feed business EnviroFlight are poised to collaborate in a way that leaders believe will benefit both entities.
‘Godzilla’ takes to the stage with a comic twist

A 500-foot fire-breathing monster rises from the sea and tromps around with no regard for human life.
That’s the gist the plot of an upcoming local production, only this time, GODZILLA! is a clever comedy with pop music.
Local business rebounding

Local businesses appear to be recovering and returning the Village to pre-2009 tax revenue levels, according to data from the Regional Income Tax Agency, or RITA.
Search for new village manager begins

At Village Council’s Jan. 21 meeting, Council member Brian Housh presented recommendations for the process and timeline for the upcoming Village manager search.
All Greek to me: A peek at Project-Based Learning

The Yellow Springs Schools presented a peek at Project-Based Learning at Mills Lawn School Friday, Jan. 31.

Jan. 30, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

Slippery slope

January 23, 2014

Slippery slope

A heat wave of sorts on Sunday, with a high of 39 degrees, made for a perfect day to enjoy the hill at Gaunt Park. Polly and Carl Cordell’s grandson, Cory, visiting from Westerville, took advantage of the warmer weather and went sledding with his dog, Nala, and father, Cary. See more sledding photos on […]
Larry Campbell retires— Almost five decades in service to YS

After nearly 45 years of service to the village — first as a police officer, then as part of the public works department and finally as an emergency dispatcher — Larry Campbell has retired. His last day was Dec. 31.
Village Council, Jan. 13— Police to teach safety rules

In 2014 the Yellow Springs Police Department will continue to work with Yellow Springs schools, with a focus on “Safety Town,” a safety awareness project aimed at grade schoolers, according to Police Chief Anthony Pettiford at Village Council’s Jan. 13 meeting.
CBE project delayed for now

In an unexpected development, Village Council on Monday night withdrew an ordinance to fund the CBE infrastructure due to procedural errors.
MLK Day event at Antioch College— Panel looks at racism, inequality

Columbus resident Kwensi Kambon urged attendees at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day panel session this week at Antioch College to “deputize themselves” and fight against racial inequality and discrimination.
Antioch School fundraiser gala— SNL’s ‘Pat’ returns for a laugh

It was chance that brought former Saturday Night Live comedian Julia Sweeney to Yellow Springs two years ago to perform for the Antioch School’s fundraiser gala.
Neuhardt in lieutenant governor bid

This year’s Ohio gubernatorial race recently became more interesting for many villagers, as Sharen Neuhardt of Yellow Springs was selected to be the running mate of Democratic candidate Ed FitzGerald, who will challenge Governor John Kasich in November.

Bulldog Sports Round-Up

January 16, 2014

Viability of CBE challenged in meeting

The current landscape of commercial real estate building and lending was the focal point at an informational forum on public funding for the CBE infrastructure last Thursday night, and several professionals in the field urged Council not to put money into the project.
First Council vote OKs CBE funding

Village Council moved ahead with the project by voting 3–1 in favor of the first reading of an ordinance that appoves an almost $1 million bond issuance for the CBE.
Kelley Fox to leave soon— The man who keeps our lights on retires

The impending retirement of public works supervisor Kelley Fox at the end of this month has Yellow Springs administrators wondering how to replace the man in charge of keeping our lights on and our water running.
Yellow Springs schools plan for fundraising

At its meeting on Jan. 9 the Yellow Springs school board heard an update from Superintendent Mario Basora on furthering the goal of financial development for the district.
Antioch College farm talks continue

When Antioch College asked Village Council last spring to allow a limited number of small and large farm animals on the part of its campus known as “the golf course,” many of the college’s neighbors were surprised and upset they had not been informed of the plans earlier.
College, community salutes MLK

If you missed the special one-night screening on March 20, 1970, of the epic film “King: A Filmed Record … From Montgomery to Memphis,” in one of the 600 theaters across the country that showed it, then you probably haven’t seen it since.

January 16, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

January 9, 2014

New First Presbyterian Church pastor preaches ‘radical love’

Take a closer look at the new pastor at the First Presbyterian Church and you’ll see that the man wearing the clerical collar also wears earrings, long hair, tattoos and combat boots.
Epic Books returns to downtown Yellow Springs

In the decades-long saga of Epic Book Shop, an improbable resurrection — 40 years after Gail Lichtenfels first bought it and four years after she shuttered it, Lichtenfels reopened Epic last month as a used bookstore.
CBE funds stable, for now

The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) grant to the Village for the CBE infrastructure is not in immediate jeopardy, but there is some risk that the money could be diverted in an emergency.
A nip of the north in southern Ohio

The main clue that things weren’t right on Monday could be found downtown, where the usual weekday hubbub went missing. Streets and sidewalks were empty and coffee shops, very uncharacteristically, looked deserted.

January 9, 2014 Bulldog sports round-up

January 2, 2014

Angela Wright leaves school board with hope

Having served 20 years as a Yellow Springs school board member over a span of three decades, Angela Wright has seen her share of ebb and flow in the district.
Yellow Springs village peacemakers of 2013

In December, the News, inspired by a suggestion from the Human Relation Commission’s Linda Rudowski, asked villagers to name local residents who had acted as peacemakers or had helped to create harmony in the community in the past year.
Village moves fast on CBE funding

Village Council is poised to move forward quickly on the Center for Business and Education, or CBE, at its Jan. 6 meeting.
Jury rules force appropriate in Paul E. Schenck death

On Monday, Dec. 30, a Greene County Grand Jury found no indictments against the law enforcement officer who was identified as having shot and killed villager Paul E. Schenck.

January 2, 2014 Bulldog sport round-up

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