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.

• Donations needed for fireworks display

  By Lauren ShowsJune 20, 2019

  

  The Odd Fellows depend on donations from the community to help cover the roughly $7,700 cost of the event.

• Juneteenth in Yellow Springs — A tribute to emancipation

  By Lauren Shows

  

  The first of the two Juneteenth celebrations will be held Saturday, June 15, 2–5 p.m., at Mills Park Hotel. The celebration is coordinated by villager Carmen Lee through her event planning business, Yokel.

• ‘DOROTHY LANE: a travelogue’— Smith’s artistic alchemy transforms

  By Lauren ShowsMay 23, 2019

  

  Louise Smith, a veteran writer and actor, therapist and Antioch College performance professor, will debut her new piece, “DOROTHY LANE:  a travelogue,” on Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, at 8 p.m. in the Foundry Theater’s Experimental Theater.

• A century of life — Toshiko Asakawa celebrates 100

  By Lauren ShowsMay 9, 2019

  

  On a recent Friday afternoon, Toshiko Asakawa sat at her kitchen table, eating a late breakfast of ham, eggs and toast. She refilled her cup of green tea from a small, cast iron pot. At 99 years old — just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday — Asakawa lifted the teapot with ease.

• Big story fuels ‘Little Village’

  By Lauren ShowsMay 2, 2019

  

  Imagine a village that looks a lot like this one, but it’s entirely self-sustaining, with its own independent infrastructure, economy, governance — and a whole lot of secrets.

• Council passes “all-clapping” resolution

  By Lauren ShowsApril 1, 2019

  

  This week, Village Council reversed its decision to ban clapping in Council meetings. In place of that decision is a new one: beginning Monday, April 1, all attendees of Village Council meetings will be required to clap for everything.

• Abecedary by Mills Lawn first-graders inaugurates Gaunt award

  By Lauren ShowsMarch 7, 2019

  

  For those who don’t know much about the life of Wheeling Gaunt, the Yellow Springs man who bought his own freedom from slavery and for whom Gaunt Park is named, there’s a handy resource out there — and it was written by Mills Lawn’s 2017–18 first-grade class.

• Villager to take plastics for a ride—Recycling program slated

  By Lauren ShowsFebruary 28, 2019

  

  If you’ve ever lamented the amount of recyclable plastics that end up in your trash every week, take heart: One of Yellow Springs’ own is coming to the rescue.

• Dr. John E. Fleming — Dedicated to preserving history

  By Lauren ShowsFebruary 14, 2019

  

  Dr. John E. Fleming’s office at his home on Corry Street is a testament to his decades-long body of work: the walls are decorated with art by celebrated African-American artists, and his bookshelves are packed with books. Numerous plastic bins of papers and photos are neatly stacked against two walls. He sat comfortably in his office discussing his life’s work during a recent interview.

• From ‘Vampire Diaries’ to ‘Blue Book’ — YSHS alum Malarkey’s new role

  By Lauren ShowsJanuary 10, 2019

  

  Within the first few minutes of “Project Blue Book,” a new show premiering next week on the History Channel, villagers watching may recognize two familiar sights: the ubiquitous acronym “WPAFB” emblazoned on an aircraft hangar, and the face of Michael Malarkey.