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.

• School district talks start time, bus changes

  By Lauren ShowsFebruary 13, 2026

  

  At a Jan. 28 work session, the school board continued a discussion of a proposal that was brought forward by district administrators last month: A possible change of start and end times at both campuses, and consolidation of school bussing into one, K–12 route.

• Community forum on Israel and Palestine held at Antioch

  By Lauren ShowsFebruary 12, 2026

  

  “Advocacy for a Just and Sustainable Middle East Peace,” a community forum focused on Israel and Palestine, will be held Feb. 15 from 4–6 p.m. at the Herndon Gallery at Antioch College. The event will feature short presentations from guest speakers followed by audience questions.

• Miami Township— MTFR battles third fire of the year, fiscal officer resigns

  By Lauren Shows

  

  According to an email from Fire Chief James Cannell, firefighters were dispatched to 4710 Snypp Road shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28. Cannell wrote that the Miami Township Fire-Rescue on-duty crew arrived at the scene “within six minutes.”

• Ohio Arts Council award funds new work for Casselli

  By Lauren ShowsFebruary 7, 2026

  

  “Landline” is taking shape to live up to similar descriptions. The core image of the in-progress work is simple: glowing forms hovering in a line outdoors, sized and spaced uniformly so that they reveal the rising and falling shape of the land they cross.

• Yellow Springs High School alumna unearths ‘Yesterday’s YS’

  By Lauren ShowsFebruary 6, 2026

  

  An internship at the YS Chamber of Commerce has turned into an unexpected deep dive into the village’s midcentury streetscape — and, now, a public historical photo project.

• ‘Retrospective’ to be on display at The Winds

  By Lauren Shows

  

  Katherine Kadish’s “Retrospective” — an exhibition of her work from 1960 to 2025 — is now on display at The Winds Café. The show includes etchings, wood block prints, oil paintings, pastels and monotypes.

• Dispose of your meds, safely

  By Lauren ShowsJanuary 30, 2026

  

  The box is the result of a collaboration between the YS Police Department, local resident Emma Robinow and Odd Fellows Lodge #279, and is designed to safely collect prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and even vitamins.

• Good news a’brewin’

  By Lauren Shows

  

  Good news is brewing: On Friday, Jan. 23, members of the YS News staff joined the crew at Yellow Springs Brewery as the local beer-meisters began production of an upcoming new batch.

• School board considers new times for school day

  By Lauren ShowsJanuary 21, 2026

  

  Having settled this first-of-the-year business, Superintendent Terri Holden later opened discussion about another proposed timing change: a later start for Mills Lawn students and an earlier one for YS Middle and High School students beginning next school year.

• Executive Director Montgomery to retire from Friends Care Community

  By Lauren ShowsJanuary 18, 2026

  

  This week, after more than eight years leading the nonprofit Friends Care Community, Executive Director Mike Montgomery is stepping out from behind the desk one last time, officially retiring from the position Friday, Jan. 9.