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.

• 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.

• Commentary — Life finds a way after hurricane

  By Lauren ShowsJanuary 3, 2019

  

  On Oct. 10, Florida’s Gulf Coast was assaulted by Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm with winds sustained at 155 miles per hour — 2 miles per hour shy of being classified as a Category 5.

• Miami Valley events, donation drives to honor Native American Heritage Month

  By Lauren ShowsNovember 14, 2018

  

  Dual supply drives to benefit both the Standing Rock Reservation in the Dakotas and the Dineh on Black Mesa in Arizona are being held, leading up to two events this weekend in honor of Native American Heritage Month.

• YSTC’s scary-funny offering

  By Lauren ShowsNovember 1, 2018

  

  On a Tuesday night at the First Presbyterian Church, Ellen Ballerene held her script in her lap as Kayla Graham and Shekinah Williams rehearsed a scene from “Dirty Laundry,” one of three short plays that the YS Theater Company

• Brothers to present film — Political satire propels ‘Oath’

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 25, 2018

  

  On the day after Thanksgiving — Black Friday — all Americans have been asked to sign a pledge of loyalty to the United States. This is the central conceit of “The Oath,” a dark comedy/horror/political satire film starring Ike and Jon Barinholtz, and written and directed by Ike.

• Incubator sparks food interest

  By Lauren ShowsOctober 4, 2018

  

  If you look at it the right way, a new business is like a seed: it needs a good, fertile place to grow.