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At their April 6 meeting, members of Village Council unanimously approved the second, or final, reading of the 2009 Village budget. Council had approved the budget’s first reading on March 16.

The health of the local economy is tied not only to the village’s largest employers, but also to the many smaller ones that together contribute substantially to Village coffers. With the many entrepreneurs educated at Antioch College, Yellow Springs has a rich legacy of fostering start-ups, and that small-business diversity is a critical part of the stability of the local economy, according to Village Manager Mark Cundiff.

The Vernay Foundation, which funded the building of the library, the Community Children’s Center, the Friends Care Community and many other projects in the village, officially dissolved on Dec. 31, 2008. Recalling its roots, the foundation donated the remainder of the fund to its first recipient, the Children’s Center.

Some say starting a garden is an act of faith, a passive act done best when the moon is right. Others, like a new local community gardening group, plan for a good crop by building beds of e-mail list serves and germinating ideas at community potlucks.

This loosely networked bunch of area gardening enthusiasts and hopeful amateurs has scattered seeds of intention across the village and Miami Township that just might sprout up in the form of shared gardens, seed swaps and educational activities near you.

The Yellow Springs High School baseball season kicked off in perfect baseball weather last week with three home games. Opening day was Monday against cross-county rival Cedarville. An extended basketball season kept the Bulldogs from opportunities to practice and they started the season a bit rusty.

Yellow Springs High School finished fifth at the annual Versailles Track & Field Boys Invitational on Saturday, April 4. The Bulldogs scored 66 points. Minster won with 185.

These News photos are available Copies of this and other photographs may be purchased from the News; please contact us via e-mail at ysnews@ysnews.com, or by phone, between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Mon.–Fri.

Due largely to the testimony of a village resident and information from a security tape, on Tuesday, March 31, Yellow Springs police arrested a Springfield man who confessed to having robbed US Bank last week.

On Monday, March 30, Village Council met in a special meeting with ACP, a Columbus firm that is one of two finalists for the job of leading Yellow Springs in a visioning and planning process. About 25 villagers attended the meeting, along with members of the Visioning Task Force, to hear ACP’s presentation and to ask questions.