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Change in any organization can be brought about by a shift in leadership, a shift in demand for service, or a shift in budgetary balance, or, as in the case of the Yellow Springs Exempted School District, it can be induced by all three forces at once. This fall the district will tackle the Class of 2020 Initiative to formulate a strategic plan to guide the schools through the next 10 years.

Tax revenues for the Village of Yellow Springs have continued to drop in the first half of 2010, according to Village Finance Director Sharon Potter, but at a lower rate than in 2009. While Village leaders are hopeful that this smaller drop indicates that the economic downturn is easing up at the local level, they are feeling cautious regarding costly new projects.

At their Aug. 2 meeting, members of Village Council discussed how best to move forward with the Village’s Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund, a fund designed to aid local economic development by enabling the Village to loan money to existing and start-up businesses.

Clinical psychologist Kate LeVesconte knows that support groups encourage positive behavior. So when she became concerned about the dangers of carbon fuel use, LeVesconte co-created an energy conservation support group, where people help each other live more sustainably.

Village commissions, staffed by appointed citizens and elected officials, are fundamental to the functioning of Village government. While the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Community Access Panel, and Economic Sustainability Commission are not currently seeking volunteers, they offer opportunity for direct citizen involvement in governmental affairs.

As an Antioch student in the mid-1980s, Mark Greenfield staged theater productions on the college golf course, inside the mail room, and during board of trustees’ meetings. Now Greenfield returns to Yellow Springs to teach a workshop on producing theater in non-traditional and outdoor settings and put on Oedipus Rex in the Antioch amphitheater.

Antioch alum Mark Greenfield returns to Yellow Springs to host a workshop on putting on theater productions in outdoor and non-traditional venues and to stage his rendition of “Oedipus Rex” in the Antioch amphitheater.

Sixty children and their families and friends came out for our season finale to play ball with us, eat a hot dog or two and collect themselves a lovely little Perry League trophy. It was a perfect end to Jason Newsome’s successful first year as the league’s new program coordinator.

Frank Hubert Betcher died peacefully in his home on Saturday, Aug. 7. He was preceded in death by his wife, Louise Oehl Betcher, in 1986. He is survived by his daughter, Maria Cernota, granddaughter Naomi Cernota and son-in-law William Cernota. They currently reside in Yellow Springs in the family home.