Lauren Shows was born to a preacher and a preacher's wife, and spent the majority of her earliest childhood years rollin' 'round the bible belt, to end up in Panama City, Florida. After graduating from Florida State University in Tallahassee, she spent the next several months in existential crisis, making lattes for snowbirds and spring-breakers, before moving to Kentucky to get an MFA in writing from Spalding University. A chance meeting at Spalding landed her in Yellow Springs. She was graciously hired by the News, though her only previous dealing with newspaper publication was in third grade, when she wrote a story about a bunch of skeletons rising from the dead on Halloween, which was printed in the Owenton News-Herald. Lauren enjoys cheese, giant squid, and Michael J. Fox.

• Tonwship Trustees address county millage roll-back

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 17, 2025

  

  “Trustees briefly reviewed correspondence from the Greene County Board of Commissioners announcing that the board had decided to temporarily roll back 0.5 mills of inside, unvoted millage in response to ‘a significant jump in property taxes last year.'”

• First Presbyterian’s Rev. Daria bids village adieu

  By Lauren Shows

  

  After nearly six years leading First Presbyterian Church of Yellow Springs, the Rev. Daria Schaffnit will step down at the end of October to become associate pastor at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton.

• Across the English Channel — and back

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 16, 2025

  

  Earlier this year, villager Amy Wamsley swam 21 miles across the English Channel, in 16 hours and 56 minutes. She had fulfilled a promise she’d made to herself as a child: to swim the Channel the year she turned 50.

• Villagers to recreate Seurat painting

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 10, 2025

  

  Yellow Springs resident Valerie Koshelef plans to bring to life Georges Seurat’s 1884 painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” on Sunday, Oct. 12, as a tableau vivant, or living picture.

• Coverage gains, Medicaid strains at Friends Care Community

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 8, 2025

  

  Though the new contract is cause to celebrate with regard to expanded access for patients, Executive Director Mike Montgomery said that, as an independent, nonprofit facility, Friends Care is always challenged by financial needs.

• Good news for Mills Lawn Elementary

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 7, 2025

  

  On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Bulldog News at Mills Lawn made its first live broadcast since 2020. Now, every school day, a rotating group of four sixth graders — two anchors and two technical crew — go live at 8:05 a.m. in the school’s STEM classroom.

• Miami Township Trustees broach levy, zoning changes

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 3, 2025

  

  Miami Township Trustees discussed an upcoming Miami Township Fire-Rescue levy at their most recent meeting Monday, Sept. 15, with the trustees highlighting the renewal as a major item on the Nov. 4 ballot.

• School board considers new middle school name

  By Lauren ShowsSeptember 25, 2025

  

  At the most recent school board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 11, Superintendent Terri Holden announced plans to recommend that the district change the official name of McKinney Middle School next month.

• Little Art Theatre’s Songwriters Round series continues

  By Lauren ShowsSeptember 23, 2025

  

  Live music will return to the stage at Little Art Theatre Wednesday, Sept. 24, with the second iteration of the Songwriters Round series — this time featuring one of the Little Art’s own.

• Elder Stories | Bruce Grimes’ 64 years of ‘Clayworks’

  By Lauren ShowsSeptember 20, 2025

  

  In the brightly lit 220 Gallery in Cedarville’s Student Center, a small fraction of work representing villager Bruce Grimes’ 64 years as a pottery artist are currently on display as part of a retrospective show, entitled “Clayworks.”