December 29
Features
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2023 In Review | The Arts
As ever the case in colorful Yellow Springs, 2023 was abundant in artistic creation and expression.
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2023 In Review | Education
At The Antioch School, Antioch College, Village Schools and Children’s Center, 2023 was an educational year.
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2023 In Review | Business
2023 was a big year for business in Yellow Springs: milestones were reached, doors opened and closed, and many businesses expanded or transitioned.
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2023 In Review | Government
Local, township, county and state legislation and actions were extensive in 2023.
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2023 In Review | Village Life
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. march, magic shows, a baseball diamond dedication, the return of Community Thanksgiving — 2023 was a great year to gather in Yellow Springs.
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2023 In Review | Top Stories
A fire erupted at Hawthorne Apartments, displacing 11 families and single tenants. Village Manager Salmerón resigned. Construction on a 90-home subdivision has begun. All told, 2023 was a big year for Yellow Springs.
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Yellow Springs Kwanzaa celebration planned
The Yellow Springs Kwanzaa Planning Committee has announced that this year’s community event will take place Saturday, Dec. 30, 6–8 p.m., at the John Bryan Community Center gym.
Obituaries
December 22
Features
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My Name Is Iden | What’s in a dead name?
“What would it be like to watch yourself die? To be at the bedside, holding your own hand for your final breath?”
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The Briar Patch | Remembering Nancy Green
“In many ways, art is one of the last bastions of propaganda that pushes racist and imperialist ideology through our visual engagement in society.”
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School facilities improvement process begins
At its Dec. 14 regular meeting, the Yellow Springs Board of Education took its first step toward realizing the district school facilities improvements that were approved by voters last month.
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Building Community | 25 years of home, for all
This year, affordable housing nonprofit YS Home, Inc. reached two major milestones: The first phase of its upcoming 32-unit combined senior rental and all-ages, for-sale townhome development, The Cascades, was fully funded — and the nonprofit celebrated its 25th anniversary.
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Local realtor Allison Moody to list Center for Business and Education
Approximately 20 acres on the CBE — which adjoin marijuana producer Cresco Labs and Antioch University Midwest, and which have been for sale for over 10 years — will be listed for $75,000-$125,000 per acre beginning mid-January, with Allison Moody as the listing agent.
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Planning Commission broaches changes to Airbnb rules
At the group’s most recent meeting on Thursday, Dec. 14, the Village Planning Commission considered the possibility of loosening regulations on the 42 registered — and future — Airbnbs in Yellow Springs.
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YS Federal Credit Union members approve merger
On Thursday, Dec. 14, the YS Federal Credit Union, or YSCU, tallied final votes from member-owners that would determine if the longtime local credit union would merge with central-Ohio-based Bridge Credit Union — and member-owners overwhelmingly voted “yes.”
Village Council
December 15
Features
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Local schools need bus drivers
Though the Yellow Springs School District hasn’t seen interruptions in providing bus services to students, the local district is not immune to the nationwide shortage.
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Tin Can Economy | Can we forego the propaganda?
“All throughout downtown Yellow Springs, in a surprising number of shop windows, are those cerulean posters promoting Shen Yun Performing Arts Company’s upcoming performances in the area.”
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New utility-scale solar project proposed for Greene County
The proposed project, tentatively called the Aviation Energy Center, comes after the December 2022 Ohio Power Siting Board, or OPSB, denial of Vesper’s previously planned 1,500-acre, 175 MW utility-scale Kingwood solar project, which was also slated to be located in Greene County.
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Senior Center buys land from Antioch College, new building planned
On Monday, Dec. 11, the last of the paperwork was signed to purchase a half-acre parcel of land from Antioch College, where the center aims to build and open a new facility.
Village Council
December 8
Features
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Tecumseh Land Trust receives $100,000 grant
Locally based Tecumseh Land Trust, or TLT, was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the American Farmland Trust, or AFT, to help farmers and landowners in the area in transferring their land to a new generation of producers.
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Zoning Inspector Richard Zopf terminated from position
During the most recent regular meeting of the Miami Township Board of Trustees on Monday, Dec. 4, longtime Zoning Inspector Richard Zopf was terminated from his position, which he’s held for 24 years.
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | A record of note, for some
Writing a diary can be extremely helpful to putting your thoughts in order. As things go down on the page you begin to realize what is important and what isn’t.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
December 1
Features
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Monarch Wellness Solutions offers ketamine-assisted therapy
Through the practice, Dansby offers traditional therapy services and wellness coaching, in addition to ketamine-assisted therapy.
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Yellow Springs sculptor Jon Barlow Hudson installs newest work
A major stainless steel sculpture by Yellow Springs-based sculptor Jon Barlow Hudson has been installed outside Ohio University’s Clippinger Chemistry Lab, which is being renovated. Entitled “EIDOLON:NATURE,” the work is 27 feet high by 16 feet in diameter.
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Extracurriculars get kids cooking
On Monday, Nov. 27, a group of Mills Lawn students donned their aprons and worked together to make bags of trail mix as part of their weekly “Let’s Eat” after-school program.
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Schools present ‘Bridge to Terabithia,’ a bittersweet musical
This weekend, the young thespians of McKinney Middle and Yellow Springs High schools will bring “Bridge to Terabithia” to life in a musical production at the Foundry Theater.
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Concerns over bar noise grow louder
At the most recent Village Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 20, members of the Dayton-Walnut Streets Neighborhood Action Group — knowingly and facetiously abbreviated to NAG — called for greater oversight from the Village of the downtown noise.
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Isidore Quartet to perform in Yellow Springs
The Isidore Quartet, a young award-winning ensemble based in New York City, will perform in concert Sunday, Dec. 3, at First Presbyterian Church, as part of the 2023–2024 season of Chamber Music in Yellow Springs.
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Mark Lomax Trio brings expansive jazz to the Foundry Theater
The Mark Lomax Trio will headline the Foundry Theater at Antioch College Saturday, Dec. 2, as the theater continues its inaugural season of programming.
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School Forest celebrates 75 years
The annual School Forest Festival will be held Saturday, Dec. 2, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., at the School Forest on Bryan Park Road. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the beloved event, wherein community members are invited to cut their own Christmas trees, aided by YSHS School Forest Club members.
Village Council
Obituaries
November 24
Features
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Mad River Theater Works to stage March on Washington play
On Jan. 13, 2024, the Mad River Theater Works will debut “Keep Marching: The Road to the March on Washington.”
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Antioch College awarded $100,000 grant
To address what U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called “the defining public health crisis of our time,” 13 small liberal arts colleges, including Antioch, have each been awarded $100,000 this year and $75,000 next year to address campus wellness — particularly mental health.
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A Myriad of handmade art and clothing
Myriad, located at 108 Dayton St., is one of downtown Yellow Springs’ newest shops. Owned by local resident Colette Palamar, Myriad sells eclectic art, clothing, jewelry and more.
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Annual Solstice Poetry Reading set
Now in its 12th year, the Solstice Poetry Reading, presented by Tecumseh Land Trust, or TLT, and Glen Helen, will be Friday, Dec. 8, 7–9 p.m., at the Glen’s Vernet Ecology Center, 405 Corry St.
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Art Jumble brightens season
Welcome to the Yellow Springs Arts Council’s annual Art Jumble, running now through Dec. 31 at the council’s building, 111 Corry St.
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New prairie to protect Ellis Pond
On Thursday, Nov. 16, a small team of local residents and members of the Village Environmental Commission went to the northern reaches of the 17-acre Ellis Park to install a 4,500-square-foot prairie.
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Little Art Theatre receives $100,000 grant
Just before the lights went down for a screening of “The Wizard of Oz” last Thursday, Nov. 16, Little Art Theatre Development and Community Impact Director Katherine Eckstrand walked into the auditorium to cheers from a full house crowd.
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Catering to a village for 40 years at Current Cuisine
This year marks a dual anniversary for Current Cuisine: 40 years of catering and 35 years selling prepared foods, meals and international groceries at 237 Xenia Ave.
Village Council
Featured Photos
November 17
Features
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Senior Center offers Medicare open enrollment consultations
This is more than the holiday season — it’s the season for Medicare open enrollment. And while that doesn’t have the same allure as Thanksgiving or Christmas, it carries a healthy significance for people aged 65 and older.
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The Briar Patch | Banging on pots
“My mom — or was it my aunt Annie? — told me that my Grandma Ira used to cry while banging on pots and singing hymns when she was in despair. I always wondered what hymns she sang; no one could recall.”
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Operations levy renewal expected for March
At its most recent meeting on Thursday, Nov. 9, the Yellow Springs school board voted unanimously to approve a resolution of necessity that will place a substitute operations levy on the March 19, 2024, ballot.
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Villagers build prairie nursery
As the weather grows colder and Yellow Springs moves through fall and toward winter, one hope for future spring and summer is already planted and waiting in the Thistle Creek development, on the edge of the Glass Farm Wetland and Conservation Area.
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Fiber artists to unveil newest installation in Glen Helen
On Sunday, Nov. 19, local multimedia artists Kathi Seidl and Beth Holyoke will unveil their newest installation: a kaleidoscopic fairy ring of felted and crocheted mushrooms clustered up and around the central pillar in the atrium of the Vernet Ecological Center.
Obituaries
November 10
Features
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My Name Is Iden | Sometimes, it’s enough
“Years of telling myself, every day, that I was a failure. That what I’d given of myself had made no difference. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed those words: ‘Baby, it was enough.'”
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‘Sources of Strength’ | New school program encourages wellbeing
The new program, “Sources of Strength,” is sponsored by the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and PreventionFirst and is designed to reduce the risk of suicide, bullying and substance abuse.
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Experimental sounds coming to the Foundry Theater
The performance will feature duo Zoh Amba and Chris Corsano and local resident and musician Evan Miller in an evening of music that defies traditional musical boundaries and — due to the musicians’ improvisational styles — precludes expectation.
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New Greene County Jail construction underway
On Friday, Oct. 27, state and county leaders gathered at the Greene County Adult Detention Center in Xenia to break ground on a $76 million facility that will house a new county jail as well as county law enforcement administration offices.
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Credit union merger on the table
Beginning early next year, the village’s 75-year-old YS Federal Credit Union, or YSCU, could merge with central-Ohio-based Bridge Credit Union.
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Yellow Springs Community Thanksgiving to return
The Yellow Springs Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be 2–4 p.m. Nov. 23 — yes, Thanksgiving day — at First Presbyterian Church, 314 Xenia Ave. The event will feature turkeys, traditional sides and vegan and vegetarian dishes, and is open to all.
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Annual flour, sugar delivery announced
The Village of Yellow Springs Public Works Department crew will begin its annual delivery of flour and sugar to local widows and widowers on Monday, Nov. 20, and should complete deliveries by Wednesday, Nov. 22.
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Nov. 7, 2023 General Election Results
At the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7, Ohioans passed two state issues: Issue 1, which will legalize access to abortion and reproductive care and protect that access in the State Constitution; and Issue 2, a statute to legalize the sale and possession of cannabis products for Ohioans ages 21 and older.
Village Council
Obituaries
November 3
Features
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Honoring the dead on Día de los Muertos
Los Días de los Muertos take place Nov. 1–2 each year. On those days, homage is paid to our loved ones who have passed away, and offerings are made for a deeper communion between the living and the dead.
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Barbara Fleming’s ‘African American Mothers’ nudges policymakers
Local resident Barbara Fleming, Ph.D., recently released her new book, “African American Mothers: Their Children and Their Poverty in America in the First Quarter of the Twenty-First Century.”
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Yellow Springs school board discusses high rate of student absences
Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% of instruction during a school year. That percentage is calculated via the ratio of absent hours — both excused or unexcused — to total possible hours of instruction during a school year.
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Black Civil War veterans of Yellow Springs focus of upcoming talk
The genealogy of Black Civil War veterans of Yellow Springs will be the focus of a community workshop presented by Antioch College and hosted by the Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom on two consecutive Saturdays in December.
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2023 Village Inspiration and Design Award celebration set
The YS Public Arts & Culture Commission will honor its 2023 VIDA recipients in a celebration Friday, Nov. 3, 6–8 p.m., at Herndon Gallery on the Antioch College campus.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
October 27
Features
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‘Restrained roots’ coming to the Foundry Theater at Antioch College
The Foundry Theater at Antioch College will continue its first season of programming with a performance from musicians Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert on Wednesday, Nov. 8, beginning at 7 p.m.
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Poke Island under new ownership
Jessica Alt, a 1987 graduate of Yellow Springs High School whose family lives in the village, completed the purchase of the restaurant, renamed Jessica’s Poke Island, at 135 Dayton St. last month.
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Antioch College | Exhibition honors grunge legend Mia Zapata
The exhibition is the first-ever retrospective centering Zapata’s visual art and the first time many of these pieces have been shown publicly since their creation in the late 1980s. Zapata is best known for being the lead singer and frontwoman of The Gits.
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A beloved return
After being put on pause at the start of the pandemic, the local Beloved Community Project resumed its monthly free community meals at First Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Oct. 21.
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2023 General Election | Candidates sound off at local forum
On Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 18 and 19, the James A. McKee Association held its traditional Candidates Night Forum events in the Mills Lawn gym in anticipation of the upcoming Nov. 7 election.
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Students celebrate Hispanic and Latino heritage
On Thursday, Oct. 12, McKinney Middle and Yellow Springs High School students celebrated National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month — which is observed Sept. 15–Oct. 15 — with a cultural fair and assembly.
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Magic shows to benefit The Riding Centre
In October and November, local resident David Williamson — a world-renowned magician and sleight-of-hand artist — is holding pop-up magic shows in venues around town.
Obituaries
October 27
Features
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My Name Is Iden | One inch at a time
Ask yourself, “Where is the fight?” It isn’t at the finish line. It is one step past the last.
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HB 187 could lower taxes and school revenues
Last week, Ohio legislators passed House Bill 187 — a bill that could ease the tax burden for property owners in the short term, but could also spell delays in tax funding for municipalities and reduced revenues for school districts.
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News from the Past: October 2023
75 years ago, Antioch enrollment was up to 1,140; 50 years ago, federal narcotics agents seized drugs valued at $100,000, and Village Council debated bicycle safety to little avail; 25 years ago, contaminants were found in local wells near Vernay Labs.
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Educational sessions on archives, preservation set
Three local archivists will hold two educational sessions on Thursdays, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, beginning at 7 p.m., in the Coretta Scott King Center on the Antioch College campus.
Village Council
October 13
Features
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Building Community | Vibrancy and visibility in Yellow Springs
Angie Hsu has taken a variety of routes to understand and build community — as an artist, an advocate, a translator, a cook, a business owner, a board member, even a goat farmer.
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Yellow Springs Schools receive five-star rating
Superintendent Terri Holden announced that YS Schools received an overall five-star rating — the highest rating possible — on its 2022–23 state report card, which was released by the Ohio Department of Education in September.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
October 6
Features
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Unsolicited Opinions | Sometimes accountability is love
“When it comes to our own, we need to do better. We need to love and hold each other accountable in a way that makes us all free.”
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Antioch College hosts Fireside Chat on intergenerational feminism
The panel, moderated by Xavier Portis, included Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Ph.D., an American anthropologist, educator, the first woman to serve as president of historically Black institution Spelman College, and former president of Bennett College.
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Kay Reimers writes Yellow Springs history in ‘How It Happened’
In order to understand the identity and character of Yellow Springs, it helps to know something about its history. That’s the guiding principle of local author Kay Reimers’ recently released historical book, “How It Happened: The Creation of Yellow Springs, Ohio.
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Yellow Springs goes to the Ohio Renaissance Festival
Just 22 miles apart, Yellow Springs and the Renaissance Festival’s 30-acre fairground in Harveysburg are loci of artistry and an unending cast of characters beyond imagination.
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Yellow Springs Fall Street Fair to return Oct. 14
The Yellow Springs Fall Street Fair is quickly approaching. The annual event takes place Saturday, Oct. 14, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., downtown.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
September 29
Features
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | On hats and sticks
We are teetering on the brink of fall. It is absolutely my favorite season in Ohio. Last year I discovered delicata squash, which changed my life. Goodness, they are delicious. This year, however, we haven’t planted any: they are exploding everywhere, and I reckon we have about 20, ranging from almost a foot long to about three inches.
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Black Farming Conference returns
The Black Farming Conference will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29 and 30, at the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center and the neighboring campus of Central State University, both in Wilberforce.
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | Tempus fugit
“As a professor I am on a nine-month academic salary, and while this means I don’t have a lot of money, it does mean I can spend May, June and July pottering about at the Hall.”
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Antioch College ranked in ‘Top 100 Liberal Arts Schools’
Antioch College announced last week that for the first time since its reopening in 2011, the college has been listed in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 National Liberal Arts Schools ranking.
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Yellow Springs property values, taxes to rise
As a result of surging home values in Greene County, Yellow Springs residential property owners will see their property taxes go up in 2024, according to newly released data from the Greene County Auditor’s office.
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Free Narcan, no questions asked
In partnership with Greene County Public Health, or GCPH, Yellow Springs Pharmacy is now offering free doses of naloxone.
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Wheeling Gaunt Day set for Oct. 7
Wheeling Gaunt Day 2023 will be celebrated Saturday, Oct. 7, beginning at 10 a.m., at the Wheeling Gaunt sculpture plaza, adjacent to the train station at the intersections of Dayton Street and Xenia Avenue.
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Free event to promote women’s health
The locally based Feminist Health Fund will host Women’s Health & Wellness Day on Saturday, Sept. 30, 1–4 p.m., at the Wellness Center, 240 E. South College St., on the Antioch College campus.
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Action, laughs and heart in ‘She Kills Monsters’
In the upcoming Yellow Springs High School production of “She Kills Monsters,” comedy and drama come together to examine loss through a unique — and for its main character, unexpected — lens: the tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons.
Obituaries
Featured Photos
September 22
Features
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Sunflower field in full bloom
Flower lovers delight: The Yellow Springs sunflower field just north of the village, at 4627 U.S. 68, is in full bloom.
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Basim Blunt named Eichelberger Center executive director
Basim Blunt — the host of WYSO’s weekly funk program “Behind the Groove” and a longtime radio producer at the station — was recently named the new executive director of the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.
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Villagers Beth Rubin, Catherine Roma to be inducted into Greene County Women’s Hall of Fame
Two local residents, Beth Rubin and Catherine Roma, have been named to this year’s roster of inductees to the Greene County Women’s Hall of Fame, or GCWHF. Since its establishment in 1981, the GCWHF has aimed to honor women living and working in Greene County.
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School board resumes facilities, levy talks
As the Nov. 7 election day approaches, the Board of Education last week resumed discussing an upcoming levy to address district school facilities.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
September 15
Features
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Building Community | ‘Encoded’ meaning, identity in Migiwa Orimo’s work
Perhaps you’ve seen Yellow Springs-based artist Migiwa Orimo’s banners, created in collaboration with community activists: Visual representations of various social justice movements, screen printed in her studio through the Peoples Banner Project.
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Planning Commission | Lumber Co. Market & Eatery project advances
The future business sited for that land, dubbed the Lumber Co. Market & Eatery, owned by Massies Creek Ventures, LLC, aims to have approximately 10 vendors selling prepared foods and goods in a newly renovated facility where a 1940s-era lumber yard once stood.
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World House Choir to celebrate a decade of song, social justice
The World House Choir — a multicultural and intergenerational musical group whose decade-long repertoire has embraced songs that put forward messages of unity, solidarity and social justice — will perform its 10-year anniversary concerts Thursday–Saturday, Sept. 21–23, at the Foundry Theater.
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New Little Art Theatre manager is old hand
Next time you go to the movies, you can join the longtime Yellow Springs resident Caleab Wyant in celebrating his new position at the Little Art if you greet him by his new title: Theater Manager.
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40 years of Chamber Music in Yellow Springs
Chamber Music in Yellow Springs, or CMYS, will mark its 40th anniversary this season, which opens Sunday, Sept. 24. Established in 1983, CMYS was founded by a handful of devoted classical music lovers.
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Sunflower field to bloom next week
The Yellow Springs sunflower field planted each year by Sharon and David Neuhardt just north of the village, at 4627 U.S. 68, is anticipated to be in full bloom beginning Friday, Sept. 22, and lasting through at least the next weekend.
September 8
Features
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Miami Township Trustees | Zoning hearing set, letter discussed
The BZA will consider a temporary-use permit to allow the Chamber of Commerce to sell bottled water and T-shirts at the sunflower field owned by local residents David and Sharen Neuhardt.
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My Name Is Iden | Put aside your judgement
“Ignorance must be met with teaching, not preaching. Your right may be different from my right.”
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Film director Michael Schultz’s Yellow Springs connection
Renowned film director Michael Schultz, known for iconic 1970s movies “Cooley High” and “Car Wash” and 1980s classics “Krush Groove” and “The Last Dragon,” once directed at the Antioch Area Theater’s summer festival in the ’60s. Arthur Lithgow offered Schultz the job.
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Yellow Springs school board appoints Scott Fife
On Friday, Sept. 1, the Yellow Springs Board of Education unanimously voted to appoint local resident Scott Fife as a member of the board.
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Lights up at the Antioch College Foundry Theater
This fall, the Foundry will again be the home to not just one group of artists-in-residence, but three. At the same time, the Foundry is gearing up to launch a full season of programming.
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West Nile Virus detected in area
Greene County Public Health has received notice from the Ohio Department of Health that West Nile Virus was detected in mosquito samples recently trapped in Beavercreek and Bellbrook, according to a press release from health officials.
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Two Antioch College buildings go up for sale
Antioch College announced last week that it has listed for sale two of its prominent campus buildings — the Sontag-Fels Building, located at 800 Livermore St., and the Charles F. Kettering Building, at 150 E. South College St.
Village Council
Obituaries
September 1
Features
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | Mice and moles and shrews, oh my!
“One lasting memory of my time at Oxford was watching a cricket match between the Bodleian librarians and some local captains of industry.”
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‘The Wrecking Crew’ reflects on 2020 protests
On Aug. 21, Bomani Moyenda and several members of the Wrecking Crew gathered in Antioch College’s MacGregor Hall to discuss the 25 weeks of non-stop organizing and protests.
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Channel 5 goes live online
During his first several months at the station’s helm, Station Manager Ben Guenther’s guiding mission has been to make Channel 5 accessible to as many of those creative people as possible.
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Building Community | An ecology for all in Glen Helen
“There may be no better place to witness that confluence of differing goals and interconnectedness than the 1,147 acres that compose the Glen Helen Nature Preserve.”
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Multi-modal pathway construction, intersection narrowing work to begin
Villagers will soon have an easier and safer time walking down some of Yellow Springs’ most trafficked throughways.
Obituaries
August 25
Features
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Yellow Springs Board of Education to pursue phone plan
The Board of Education returned to a discussion of phones in schools at its Aug. 10 regular meeting; the board originally discussed the issue at a July 6 meeting after receiving a letter from 16 district parents concerned about how phones affect school environments.
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The Briar Patch | Crying in the weeds
“Something in the denseness of the brush sounded like the words, ‘We missed you.’ Maybe not words, maybe emotion, maybe vibration, I can’t quite describe it.”
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Community, tea at CommuniTEA
For local mother-daughter team Amy and Modjeska Chavez of CommuniTEA Love, the making and drinking of tea is itself the grand affair.
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Township trustees support Polecat Road speed change
Village Planning Commission member Scott Osterholm spoke before the trustees on a plan to request that Greene County change the speed limit on Polecat Road to 35 mph outside Village limits near Ellis Park, on a stretch of road located within Miami Township.
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Fine lines at Studio Uncommon
True to its name, Studio Uncommon, Yellow Springs’ newest tattoo parlor, specializes in a unique and infrequent style. It’s located in Suite L at 305 N. Walnut St., in the Millworks business park.
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Yellow Springs Home, Inc. awarded $1.5 million for senior housing
Yellow Springs Home, Inc. announced that the Ohio Housing Finance Agency has reserved approximately $1.5 million to fund a 32-unit senior rental housing unit slated to be built on 1.8 acres along Marshall and Herman streets.
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | Weathering a bomb cyclone
“The winds hit about 11 p.m. just as I went to bed, and the temperature dropped from 40º F to -9º F, or -24º C, in the space of two hours.”
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Antioch College to sell, lease properties
On Tuesday, Aug. 22, Antioch College announced in a press release that it will list some of its land and buildings for lease or sale.
Village Council
Obituaries
August 18
Features
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Post-affirmative action
Why these rulings matter, the history of affirmative action and its effect on a societal level, were points of discussion during a recent News interview with Kenneth Durgans, associate provost for diversity and inclusion at Kansas City University in Missouri.
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School Board President TJ Turner resigns
Just before the adjournment of the most recent regular meeting of the Board of Education on Thursday, Aug. 10, Board President TJ Turner announced to those present that the meeting would be his last.
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Yellow Springs Brewery to open Columbus taproom
Ohio’s capital is about to get a taste of the village: Last week, Yellow Springs Brewery announced plans to open a second taproom in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus in October.
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Agraria reopens, moves forward
In the six months since operations were suspended at the Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice, the 138-acre educational farm has been quieter than it had been previously — but not silent.
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EXTENDED COVERAGE | Fire at Hawthorne Place Apartments
Fire Chief Denny Powell said that although the fire remains under investigation by the fire marshal, the eventual designation of the cause will likely be “undetermined” owing to the extent of the damage to the unit where the fire originated as well as a lack of state resources.
August 11
Features
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My Name Is Iden | The limits of metaphor
“We are not books, but we do have stories, and nothing ruins a story like certainty. I hope I am writing a good one.”
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Emergent Verse | Private matters
Readers may remember Audrey Hackett as not only a former reporter for the Yellow Springs News, but also the writer of “First Lines,” a poetry column she penned for a couple of years.
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Trustees bid Chief Altman farewell
Following an executive session, the trustees later voted to appoint current Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Powell to the position of interim fire chief, effective Friday, Aug. 11, beginning at 5 p.m.
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Yellow Springs Film Festival to debut this fall
The Yellow Springs Film Festival will debut Oct. 6–8, with film screenings at the Little Art Theatre and special events at the Foundry Theater and Crome Architecture.
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Shakespeare goes drag in ‘SHREW!’
On Friday and Saturday, Aug. 18 and 19, in the John Bryan Community Center, the Yellow Springs Theater Company will debut a flamboyant rendition of William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.”
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COVID vaccine supply changing distribution
In a recent press release from the Ohio Department of Health, or ODH, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the department’s director, offered assurances that the COVID-19 vaccine will continue to be readily available to Ohioans, including the uninsured, as the vaccine supply moves to a more traditional healthcare distribution model in the next month.
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Ohio Special Election Results | Issue 1 defeated
According to unofficial election results posted on the website of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose Wednesday morning, Aug. 9, the ballot initiative was defeated 1,744,094 votes (57.01%) to 1,315,346 (42.99%) votes.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
August 4
Features
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Yellow Springs Development Co. awarded $100,00 energy grant
Last month, the Yellow Springs Development Corporation, or YSDC, was awarded a $100,000 rural energy grant on behalf of Yellow Springs and Miami Township from the U.S. Department of Energy.
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | The heart of the house
“Our stove is an extra-large, catalytic, woodburning Dutchwest stove made by Vermont Castings. It has a checkered past and people either love them or hate them.”
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August public works projects planned, underway
At Gaunt Park, crews entered their second month of working on the Village’s 63-foot-tall, 900,000-gallon water tower.
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Perry League creates lasting joy
“The memories and feelings from this summer will warm our hearts during those cold dark days of winter. Our spirits will be lifted by the hope and promise of the upcoming 2024 season, for we know joy will always prevail.”
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Yellow Springs a home for purple martins, too
On the 61-acre property of Larry and Robin Weinstein are eight tall poles that hold a few dozen white, gourd-shaped containers that offer a spring and summer home to more than 600 purple martin birds.
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Local boxing class pulls no punches
Every Tuesday and Thursday since last February, Anthony Erfe has led intensive boxing classes at the Posterior Chain gym, open to those of all ages and abilities — people looking to stay in shape or those wanting to learn self-defense.
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‘Oppenheimer’ panel talk slated at Little Art
Local resident Dr. Tanya Maus, director of the Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College, will lead a panel discussion at the Little Art Theatre Sunday, Aug. 6, following the 6 p.m. screening of “Oppenheimer,” beginning at approximately 9 p.m.
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Salmerón appointed Greenbelt, Maryland city manager
Outgoing Yellow Springs Village Manager Josué Salmerón, who announced his resignation on Friday, July 21, has officially accepted the position of city manager of Greenbelt, Maryland, population 25,000.
July 28
Features
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Village Council and Yellow Springs Development Corporation talk local economy
This is the second article of two, the first of which appeared in the July 7 issue of the News and featured edited excerpts of a discussion by members of Village Council and YSDC at a June 29 joint meeting held in Council chambers.
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Beauty abounds on T-ball field
Walking to the diamond adjoining the T-ball diamond Friday, July 21, to begin the field preparation process, we noticed a doe and two fawns frolicking in the open field.
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Fire Chief Colin Altman to retire after 29 years
Chief Colin Altman is hanging up his turnout coat for good. After 29 years at the helm of Miami Township Fire-Rescue, Altman retires later this month.
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Omnibus: collectibles on the corner
Since opening her eclectic knickknack store on May 5, new village resident Jessica McGee said this year’s tourist season has really helped the new business.
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Miami Township Trustees to change BZA procedures
The changes come following a June 5 meeting of the trustees in which local resident Steve Wirrig, owner of the Wirrig family pavilion between U.S. 68 North and Meredith Road, laid out concerns regarding the transparency of the BZA and the actions of Zoning Inspector Richard Zopf.
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Two ‘Barbie’ Reviews | ‘Plastic politics’ and ‘A doll’s duality’
On Friday, July 21, the Little Art Theatre debuted “Barbie” to a capacity crowd. News writers Reilly Dixon and Lauren “Chuck” Shows reviewed the film.
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Yellow Springs Village Manager Josué Salmerón resigns
After four years as Yellow Springs village manager, Josué Salmerón has resigned. His last day is Sept. 3.
Obituaries
July 21
Features
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Heat can’t dampen Perry League joy
Before the game even started, a trio of girls were observed in the infield tossing the fine dirt above their heads and making clouds while belting out “Let it Go.”
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Building Community | McGruder brings expertise, experience to local orgs
Kevin McGruder, who has lived in Yellow Springs for 11 years, has spent his time in the village finding space for himself, and in turn, creating space for others.
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News from the Past: July 2023
In 1973, 50 years ago, Antioch College welcomes 243 new students to campus. 25 years ago, the Yellow Springs Women’s Park was officially opened and dedicated. Ten years ago, a firefight and all-night standoff took place in the village.
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School board broaches phone concerns
The discussion was prompted by a letter written to the board by a group of 16 parents of local students; the letter lauded “the merits of phone-free learning environments.”
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2023 General Election | Candidacy filing deadline looms
The filing period for the November municipal election is nearing its deadline. Those seeking candidacy have until Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 4 p.m., to file their petitions for election with the Greene County Board of Elections.
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Art on the Lawn set for Aug. 12
More than 100 artists from Ohio and beyond will gather under the shade trees outside Mills Lawn to show and sell their original fine art and crafts at this year’s Art on the Lawn on Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., rain or shine.
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Yellow Springs Tree Committee to host webinar on longhorned beetle
The Yellow Springs Tree Committee will host a webinar titled “Asian Longhorned Beetle: The Threat in Black and White,” on Monday, July 24, at 6 p.m.
Village Council
Featured Photos
July 14
Features
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My Name Is Iden | Happy Iden-pendence Day
This past July 5 was my three-year “traniversary,” the anniversary of my coming out as transgender and beginning my transition. A day I’ve dubbed “Iden’s Day.”
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Perry League | T-ballers shine in the ‘dog days’
Friday night’s T-ball contest was like those preceding this season, having in common a field overflowing with sunshine! And each one of the Perry League players in attendance projected that light.
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YS Development Company, Village Council talk economic development
At a June 29 joint meeting with YSDC and Village Council, participants grappled with the complexities of economic growth and development and its implications for both village residents and businesses.
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MJ Werthman White debuts bittersweet novel
“An Invitation to the Party,” by local resident MJ Werthman White, was released by Regal House Publishing on July 18 — a book launch event is set for Epic Books, Friday, July 28, 6–8 p.m.
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Miami Township Fire-Rescue to increase event staffing, permit costs
The cost of a festival permit, which is required by the Ohio Fire Code, or OFC, increased from a flat rate of $25 to $.08 per anticipated event attendee.
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Antioch alumnus debuts Little Art-inspired work at Japanese art festival
Antioch alumnus John Wells’ contribution to Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale was an art installation that included the construction of a miniature movie theater called “Cinema Kamigo.”
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Yellow Springs muralist unveils newest downtown work
Last week, Yellow Springs-based muralist Pierre Nagley put the final strokes on his latest downtown work: a delicate sunset cascading over a Japanese beach.
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Greene County Beekeepers Association to host Honey Harvest Festival
The Greene County Beekeepers Association will present its annual Honey Harvest Festival on Saturday, July 15, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., at Glen Helen’s Camp Greene.
Village Council
Obituaries
July 7
Features
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Perry League’s ‘Midsummer Classic’ draws local sluggers
Many of those who arrived at Gaunt Park for the Perry League “Midsummer Classic” event were greeted by the unmistakable smell of french fries.
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30 years on the air with Vick Mickunas
Since 1993, he has built a career out of sharing those same passions with listeners and readers in the Miami Valley and beyond: June marked Mickunas’ 30th anniversary with WYSO 91.3 FM.
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John Gudgel creates community through listening, learning
A stalwart face in the Yellow Springs district, Gudgel has served as a teacher, coach, principal and guidance counselor in his nearly 40-year career with the district beginning in 1979.
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Yellow Springs water towers to be rehabbed, painted
On Wednesday, July 5, crews kicked off the two-year long process of rehabbing and painting the two Village water towers at Gaunt Park.
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‘Springs to Freedom’ to discuss, dramatize Conway Colony story
On Sunday, July 9, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Yellow Springs will present “Springs to Freedom,” an informational and theatrical gathering concerning the history of the Conway-Gwinn Colony.
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2023 Fourth of July festivities
The annual Fourth of July festivities went according to patriotic plan on Tuesday. By noon, crowds were assembled along sidewalks up and down Xenia Avenue to enjoy the parade as it made its way towards the north end of town.
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Ohio Special Election | State Republicans push Issue 1
In a special statewide election on Tuesday, Aug. 8, Ohio voters will approve or reject a proposed ballot initiative that will make it harder to amend the Ohio state constitution.
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Local teen killed in crash
On Tuesday, July 4, local resident Isaac Powers was struck by a vehicle while biking near Ellis Park. Powers, 15, was fatally injured in the crash.
Obituaries
June 30
Features
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | Start chopping
“We need dry wood, multiple cuts. Tinder, kindling and overnighter logs. We have all these, but the fact that they need to be there every day is exciting.”
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Yellow Springs Development Corporation prioritizes housing
At the May YSDC meeting, the group discussed ways in which the Village could help meet the housing needs of employees of a planned Honda EV battery plant coming to the area.
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Perry League T-ball represents best of community
Friday night Perry League games contain all of the elements one would witness in sandlots around the world. It is a sport embraced on a global level.
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African culture, history at Gyamerah Imports
From a Dayton Street storefront, local resident Gyamfi Gyamerah hopes to do more than sell West African art — he wants to make cultural connections.
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Celebrating a local horn player
Yellow Springs resident Danny Sauers has spent nearly six decades blowing his horn all around the country, sharing stages and audiences with blues legends, friends and even his small-town neighbors.
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Yellow Springs’ Fourth of July parade and fireworks set
The parade through downtown Yellow Springs is scheduled to kick off at noon July 4; the fireworks display at Gaunt Park will begin after sundown, about 9 or 9:30 p.m.
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World House Choir plans for 10th anniversary concerts
The World House Choir invites new singers to join the choir as it prepares for its 10th anniversary concert program, “Standing on the Side of Love and Justice,” to be performed Sept. 21–23.
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Trace Lysette talks humanity, joy in ‘Monica’
Earlier this month, the Little Art Theatre premiered “Monica,” a film starring Trace Lysette, who grew up in Yellow Springs and the wider Miami Valley. Lysette spoke briefly with the News via phone after the film’s local debut.
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Ohio tick numbers on the rise
According to the Ohio Department of Health, or ODH, website, blacklegged (deer) tick populations are expanding in the state.
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18 students graduate from Antioch College
Eighteen Antioch College students became the college’s newest alumni following commencement ceremonies Saturday, June 24.
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2023 Yellow Springs Pride Festival
On Saturday, June 24, thousands of kaleidoscopic revelers — villagers and visitors alike — attended the 2023 Yellow Springs Pride Festival.
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Air quality plummets in Midwest, haze returns to Yellow Springs
On Wednesday morning, June 28, the air quality index, or AQI, for Yellow Springs hit 211, classified as “very unhealthy conditions” — the highest it’s been all month.
Village Council
Obituaries
June 23
Features
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Emergent Verse | Young poet crafts mature verse
Sometimes imagery, structure, rhythm, language and theme come together in a perfectly delightful combination, making a poem seem not so much composed as received.
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My Name Is Iden | Everyone is a winner (or else)
“There will always be outstanding players, leaders in every field, and they are vital, but they are not so worthy of praise that we should devalue the contributions of the other team members.”
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Perry League’s noteworthy legacy
Three years after Donald Perry’s death in 1967, the baseball league he founded was renamed Perry League in his honor. His legacy has been going strong for more than half a century.
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Planning and Zoning Administrator Swinger signs off
Eight years and innumerable planning and zoning projects later, Swinger said her time has come to step down as a public servant. She is retiring later this month.
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Building Community | Baseball fields renamed after Davenport sisters
Jackie, who died in March 2023 and Yvonne, who died in February 2021, were integral in creating a space for women in Yellow Springs’ recreational baseball league and were fierce advocates for athletic programs throughout the village.
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Review | To interiority and beyond in ‘Asteroid City’
“‘Asteroid City’ is a meta film that spends 104 minutes scaffolding layers upon layers of tweedy, postmodern artifice. And I, for one, loved it.”
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Free lunch program feeds local youth
The event marked the second Friday during which volunteers from the local Pleasant Grove Missionary Church set up on the porch of the library to hand out sandwiches, chips, fruit and water to kids at no cost.
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Yellow Springs garden tour to benefit Children’s Center
The 2023 Yellow Springs Bloom and Bounty Garden Tour will be Sunday, June 25, 1–5 p.m., rain or shine.
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Yellow Springs to celebrate Pride
The festivities kick off at 11 a.m. on the downtown block near Mills Lawn Elementary School and Jackson Lytle and Lewis with vendors, food trucks, community resources and more.
Obituaries
June 16
Features
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Activist to deliver Antioch College commencement address
Eighteen Antioch College students will become the college’s newest alumni following commencement ceremonies Saturday, June 24.
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Perry League | T-ball nights full of surprises
The local T-ball league has now encompassed more than five decades and endeared itself to the hearts of many children and families in the village.
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Mad River Theater Works youth residency debuts
The inaugural Mad River Theater Works summer theater residency for youth will debut a public performance on Friday, June 23, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Foundry Theater.
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Unsolicited Opinions | Keep racist items out of stores
“If Yellow Springs is to be a welcoming village, we have to work together to reject stereotypes of BIPOC and other minority groups.”
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90-home subdivision underway in Yellow Springs
Infrastructure construction is officially underway at 402 N. Wright St. — the site of a future 90-home subdivision in Yellow Springs.
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Yellow Springs Board of Education approves facilities levy resolution
At its most recent regular meeting Thursday, June 8, the Yellow Springs Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution of necessity to place a combined bond issue and income tax levy for upgrading local school facilities before voters on Nov. 7.
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Spring Street Fair 2023
In usual fashion, hundreds of knickknack vendors lined the streets as succulent aromas from food trucks wafted through the crowds, and all day long, music filled the air.
Obituaries
June 9
Features
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The Briar Patch | Mothering motherwort
“This spring, the inspiration to grow motherwort came through a dear herbalist friend — at a time in which I am cajoling myself through a life phase that feels far less pristine than anticipated.”
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Perry League | Magical T-ball season starts anew
About five dozen children responded to the 6 p.m. whistle. You could sense the magic in the children’s faces as they anticipated play. I remembered just how fun and worthwhile these games can be in those first few moments while children line up and wait.
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Building Community | ‘Deep connections’ at Forest Village Farm
Whether it be educating residents on the signs of a water leak, delivering eggs or showing people the difference between invasive and native plants on her farm, Rose Pelzl has spent the last few years working for and in her community.
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Solve puzzles for Parkinson’s
Imagine a Saturday morning spent roaming downtown with friends solving crosswords, decoding ciphers, spotting hidden differences and unlocking keywords — as if Yellow Springs had been turned into the brain teasers page of a newspaper.
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30 years of promoting peace at the Dharma Center
On Saturday June 3, members of the YS Dharma Center gathered among the bounty of flowers and plants to celebrate 30 years at the center.
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Haze hangs over Ohio Valley
Air quality in the Ohio Valley has plummeted in recent days as smoke from widespread Canadian wildfires continues to drift into the U.S.
Village Council
June 2
Features
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Down to Earth | Foster ‘bee-luscious’ habitat
Since 1950, native bee populations have dropped by about 50%, mostly due to the loss of habitat and floral variety. The effect has been that now we harvest fewer fruits and vegetables in our orchards and gardens.
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News from the Past: May & June 2023
In 1948, 75 years ago, Yellow Springs Instruments Incorporated was founded; 50 years ago, a strike of Antioch College students this week continued to prevent use of all buildings on the campus except dormitories.
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Antioch College to offer permaculture certification courses
Led by the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute, or CPI, the course is scheduled over three weekends July 14–30 at the Antioch farm.
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | Getting busy, getting happy
“I have to work just as hard, but I’m doing something I love, and on top of that, I have stuff to do. I’m getting busy. It’s a wonderful thing.”
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Yellow Springs News hosts South African journalists
Andile Nomabhunga, of Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape Province, and Dunisani Ntsanwisi, of Giyani, in Limpopo Province, spent the week working with the News as part of a three-week fact-finding project investigating ways to boost the sustainability of South Africa’s community media.
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Choreography in color
In celebration of National Senior Health and Fitness Day, the YS Senior Center held its annual flash mob dance Wednesday, May 31, on Short Street.
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Senior Malcolm Blunt heads to state track meet
Malcolm Blunt, a senior member of the YS track team, will be competing in two events — the 200 meter dash and the long jump — at the 2023 OHSAA state track meet at Jesse Owens Stadium on Friday, June 2.
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Yellow Springs High School 2023 Graduation
The 61 graduates of the Class of 2023 officially said “farewell” to Yellow Springs High School on Thursday, May 25, as they graduated in the school’s gym.
Village Council
Obituaries
May 26
Features
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Yellow Springs Development Corporation gains traction
Since its establishment in 2020, the Yellow Springs Development Corporation, or YSDC, has had a clear mission: “Support, incentivize and attract economic development in Yellow Springs and Miami Township.”
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Village electric crew gets the ‘gold’
Reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement — those are the four areas in which the Yellow Springs Electric Department was evaluated in order to receive an RP3 “Gold” designation from the American Public Power Association, or APPA.
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Yellow Springs Board of Education to adopt ‘C7’ plan
The regular meeting of the Board of Education on Monday, May 22, ended in applause from community members who were present: After more than a year of work and discussion, the board voted unanimously to select a plan for facilities upgrades to place on the ballot this fall.
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10-Minute plays staged for this weekend
Showcasing 10 plays by local and international playwrights, and produced by the YS Theater Company, the festival will be staged on Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3, starting at 7 p.m., on the south lawn at Yellow Springs High School.
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News loses, staffers awarded
Despite the loss, the News was happy to accept a handful of individual awards, including first place for news coverage for the entire staff.
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Editorial | A loss for the News, a win for news
“It can be difficult to maintain the distance required for reporting when the things you cover affect you just as deeply as they might affect your readers — your neighbors, really.”
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Last, and first, steps
YSHS Seniors got the traditional clap out on Friday, May 19, as they filed by family and fellow students, faculty and staff lining the halls.
Featured Photos
May 19
Features
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Emergent Verse | Song of Herself
I wonder whether Walt Whitman’s timeless lines above from “Song of Myself” were stewing in Nancy Mellon’s mind, or unconscious, when she composed her poem.
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Retiring educators sign off
The News spoke with all three educators — Paul Comstock, Iyabo Eguaroje and Dave Smith, all of whom are retiring this year — in April about how they came to the district, their years of work here and what they intend to do next.
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Yellow Springs wins ‘best’ water
At the Monday, May 15, Village Council meeting, Public Works Director Johnnie Burns opened the meeting with a celebration — Yellow Springs had won the Ohio Rural Water Association’s 2023 water tasting competition.
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COVID-19 emergency ends
The COVID-19 emergency is over, but the pandemic continues. That was the overarching message from Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health during an online press conference Thursday, May 11.
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2023 Yellow Springs Juneteenth celebration set
Activities will begin at 10:30 a.m., with a gathering outside Yellow Springs High School, for a walk that will begin at 11 a.m. and proceed through the village past several sites of significance in the Black history of Yellow Springs.
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Perry League T-ball season nears
As the school year winds down, and the summer months near, Perry League T-Ball is preparing for its 53rd season. The beloved local program remains an all-volunteer undertaking, with play taking place this year every Friday evening in June and July, 6–7:30 p.m., at Gaunt Park.
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Renowned cellist comes home
Homegrown classically trained cellist Karen Patterson will return to the area on Sunday, May 21, for a performance at High Street United Methodist Church in Springfield. Patterson will give the final concert of the church’s Sanctuary Concert series.
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Students inducted into National Honor Society
In early May, 14 Yellow Springs High School students were inducted as new members into the National Honor Society, an academic program centered on scholarship, community service and leadership.
Village Council
Obituaries
May 12
Features
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Unsolicited Opinions | How do we get in formation?
“A teacher of young geese offers lessons in how to navigate interpersonal conflicts, and practice being a whole ear of corn instead of a kernel.”
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Rain Brothers moves to Yellow Springs
Rain Brothers, focused on harvesting rainwater for both residential and commercial enterprises for 17 years, relocated to Yellow Springs in 2022 and is housed in the former Sound Space building on Dayton Street.
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Yellow Springs school board divided on facilities upgrade plans
A special meeting of the Yellow Springs school board on Friday, April 28, became tense as board members and district administrators discussed the four potential facilities upgrade plans being considered for a November levy vote.
Obituaries
Featured Photos
May 5
Features
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My Name Is Iden | Select all that are applicable
“Allowing people the freedom to fully self-identify in the ways that are most genuine and true to their lives and experience is the first step toward truly celebrating diversity.”
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Letting babies lead at Open Air Studio
At Open Air Studio, a downtown education center that opened last summer, it’s all about letting babies safely learn about how to live in the world, and about who they are within it.
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Yellow Springs Food Pantry finds a new home
The pantry, which has been hosted by the Yellow Springs United Methodist Church for nearly two decades, will now be located at Central Chapel AME Church, 411 S. High St. Just as before, the pantry will be open 2–4 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.
Village Council
Featured Photos
April 28
Features
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YS Schools facilities | Two new options, four total considered
By meeting’s end, school board members had pared the potential facilities plans to four — two fewer than at the board’s regular meeting the previous week.
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Local poets published in anthology
The Glen Helen Association and Tecumseh Land Trust recently released “Sun and Shadow, Wood and Stone,” an anthology of poems by 61 local and regional wordsmiths who’ve read at the annual Solstice Poetry Reading over the past decade.
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Agraria Update | Executive Director Jennings, Board Treasurer Sidwell resign
On Monday, April 24, the Board of Trustees of the Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice released a media statement updating the public on the status of the nonprofit’s temporary closure.
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Local man dies from motorcycle crash
On Tuesday, April 18, around 8:23 p.m., longtime village resident Marco Solomon Comegys, 56, was critically injured in a motorcycle accident, leading to his death three days later on Friday, April 21.
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2023 Earth Day Celebration
On Sunday, April 23, around 100 villagers and visitors gathered at the John Bryan Community Center to celebrate Earth Day.
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Community survey to center school facilities
A community survey is being planned to gather feedback from local residents on how best to address upgrading YS Schools facilities.
Village Council
Obituaries
April 21
Features
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Board of Education | Treasurer talks taxes, facilities
At the April 13 regular meeting of the YS Board of Education, district Treasurer Jacob McGrath presented a detailed overview of the tax implications associated with updating the district’s school facilities.
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | Far from the madding crowd
“Bit by bit I would like to lay out the make-up of Patterdale Hall, dwell on aspects of the property and maybe even meditate, or more likely ruminate, on what manner of fresh hell has befallen us each day.”
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Chamber Music in Yellow Springs to present annual competition
Chamber Music in Yellow Springs will welcome the Canone Quartet and Trio Ondata as this year’s finalists in its 38th Annual Competition for Emerging Ensembles, 4 p.m. April 30, at First Presbyterian Church of Yellow Springs.
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Checking in with the new Little Art Theatre director
Despite the uncharted landscape that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought on public entertainment venues, the Little Art wants the community to know: Your hometown theater is still here.
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‘Sister Trillium’ group to recycle art supplies
Sister Trillium, a recently formed nonprofit started by local creators Zoe Bryant, Allison Paul and Marie Hertzler, seeks to extend the life of art supplies through collecting unused supplies and selling them at a discounted rate at the Yellow Springs Farmers’ Market.
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Rental e-scooters roll into Yellow Springs
This summer, Yellow Springs visitors and villagers will see more than just bikes and cars cruising down local roads. With the recent opening of YS Scooter, LLC, a fleet of 20 electric scooters have landed in town and are ready to be rented.
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Yellow Springs Habitat Community and Earth Day celebration set
The annual Yellow Springs Habitat Community and Earth Day celebration will be Sunday, April 23, 1:30–4:30 p.m., at the John Bryan Community Center.
Village Council
April 14
Features
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Down to Earth | Celebrate the earth
“Celebrate the earth as the flowers and trees burst with color, abundance and the promise of fall harvest. Take a moment to admire nature’s beauty and be thankful for the gifts of nature.”
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Yellow Springs Masonic Lodge to host open house
The Yellow Springs Masonic Lodge will host a public open house Saturday, April 22, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.; the Lodge is located at 242 Xenia Ave.
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‘Hidden in Plain Site’ exhibition opens at former Baptist church
A painting, created by Bronx-based artist Rafaela Santos — with a simple color palette of reds, blues, whites and blacks — draws the eyes immediately when walking into the newly completed architecture studio, Crome Yellow Springs, formerly the church home of the predominately African American First Baptist Church.
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Yellow Springs Board of Education | Facilities options narrow to six
At a Wednesday, March 29 work session of the YS Board of Education, board members winnowed the number of plans for potential facilities upgrades under consideration from eight options to six.
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100 native wildlife habitats in Yellow Springs
Over 100 properties throughout the village have been certified with the National Wildlife Federation, or NWF, as official native wildlife habitats. Each of these properties — 108, to be exact — have met the NWF’s criteria of providing local fauna with sources of food, water and shelter, while abiding by stringent sustainable practices.
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‘The Insatiable Volt Sisters’ | Rachel Eve Moulton debuts novel
Rachel Eve Moulton will read from “The Insatiable Volt Sisters” Sunday, April 16, 3–5 p.m., at Emporium Wines and Underdog Cafe, with an introduction by author Katrina Kittle.
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Cheers to 10 years at Yellow Springs Brewery
On Saturday, April 15, Yellow Springs Brewery is throwing a day-long 10th anniversary party at its Millworks location to mark a decade of “crafting truth to power” right here in Yellow Springs.
Obituaries
April 7
Features
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My Name Is Iden | The path of the fearless
“It is a frightening time to be transgender or nonbinary in America. It’s a frightening time to love someone who is trans or nonbinary.”
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Half a century of local pottery
The March 31 issue of the News featured an article about Yellow Springs Pottery’s 50-year anniversary as a cooperatively owned business. This follow-up article spotlights five local members of the co-op. The co-op membership currently stands at nine.
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Local servers, bartenders take ‘Safe Bars’ training
Last month, about a dozen Yellow Springs bartenders and servers gathered to learn how to recognize and curtail sexual harassment and assault in their establishments.
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Guy Davis to headline Antioch School Scholarship Gala
The Antioch School will hold its Scholarship Gala fundraising event at the Foundry Theater on Friday, April 21. Headlining this year’s gala event is Grammy-nominated blues musician Guy Davis.
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Architect Max Crome holds open house at former church
On Thursday, March 30, Crome Yellow Springs — owned by village resident Max Crome — held an open house at the business’ newly completed architecture studio in the former site of the predominately African American First Baptist Church and more recently, a private residence.
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News from the Past: April 2023
From an April 1948 issue of the News: “New strain of chestnut trees planted in Glen. The United States Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, has chosen Antioch College’s Glen Helen as a test site for a new blight-resistant strain of 78 chestnuts which it has been developing.”
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‘Five Scripts’ to return to the stage
On Monday and Tuesday, April 10 and 11, the young thespians of McKinney Middle School and Yellow Springs High School will present two reprise performances of their fall show, “Five Scripts Toward an Anti-Racist Tomorrow,” at the Foundry Theater at Antioch College. Each show begins at 7 p.m.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
March 31
Features
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50 years of cooperative pottery
Emerging as a collective of potters in 1973, the Yellow Springs Pottery cooperative, currently numbering around nine members, was founded by a group of four women coming together through a mutual love of pottery.
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Building Community | Dispatches from the Antioch archives
For nearly three decades, Antioch College Archivist Scott Sanders has welcomed scores of students, researchers, amateur historians, nostalgic villagers and even small-town journalists to join him on the second floor of the Olive Kettering Library.
Village Council
Obituaries
March 24
Features
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Mad River Theater Works debuts summer youth program
The workshop, which is supported by the Yellow Springs Community Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council, will be open to 25 young people ages 10–17, and will take place at the Foundry Theater, Monday–Friday during the weeks of June 12 and 19, with a culminating performance on Friday, June 23, at 7 p.m.
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Down to Earth | Pandemic pastimes: Do they last?
“Now is the time to get on the move to find your seeds for this year’s planting season. But there are other means of getting your seeds. Watch for local seed and plant swaps and sales.”
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | Welcome to orientation
“How do I heat the house, maintain stability in the Yellow Springs house and teach four classes in the spring? It’s not all me of course. It’s us.”
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Planning Commission | Zoning amendments, senior housing move forward
The plan for the proposed senior housing development includes 22 affordable duplex and triplex rental units earmarked for seniors and 10 two-story townhomes to be sold at low cost to qualifying buyers of varying age demographics.
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Global flavors at MAZU restaurant
Officially opening Friday, March 24, at 11 a.m., MAZU features a menu without borders, a menu influenced by Taiwanese, Israeli and South Indian culture, reflecting the cultural backgrounds of the three owners
Village Council
Obituaries
March 17
Features
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School Board talks facilities upgrade cost estimates
After presenting eight potential options for school facilities upgrades to the community at a February listening session, the Board of Education discussed preliminary budget figures for each of those options at its regular meeting on Thursday, March 9.
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‘Getting to the Root’ returns to the Coretta Scott King Center
The two-day “Getting to the Root” workshop will be held April 26 and 27, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., at the Coretta Scott King Center on the Antioch College campus.
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The Patterdale Hall Diaries | How it all began
“When we bought this place, we bought more than 1.8 acres of woodland and vegetable beds — we discovered a place that had been loved. Really, really loved. You cannot ignore that. It resonates. It thrums.”
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Local duo to debut aerial classes
On March 27, villagers Maya Trujillo and Kayla Graham will begin offering aerial movement classes at the Wellness Center, where folks can learn to hoist themselves high via aerial fabrics.
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Donate to relocation fund for East Palestine family
Following a Feb. 3 freight train derailment that was carrying hazardous materials, and a resulting chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, village resident Jenny Johnson established a fundraiser to help relocate a family who lived a quarter mile away from the wreckage.
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Yellow Springs business owners denounce plastic ban
The message from a number of local business owners at a recent town hall was clear: The proposed legislation to restrict commercial single-use plastics is too hasty.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
March 10
Features
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Building Community | A lifetime at the movies
Jenny Cowperthwaite Ruka’s longevity at the the Little Art Theatre— her “continuity of experience,” as she called it — helped make it a welcoming place for community members over the years, no matter the changes to policy, practice or even the theater’s physical space.
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ESports program debuts at Yellow Springs High School
There’s a new sports team at Yellow Springs High School — but you won’t find its members on a court, field or pitch. Several days a week, the ESports team is in the media center, competing against other schools in their league via computer.
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New cannabis store opens in downtown Yellow Springs
After years of learning about CBD, its medicinal effects and the business side of the industry, Shane Ayrsman and his wife Sarah DeVore recently opened Tweedle D’s on Xenia Avenue, in the heart of downtown Yellow Springs.
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Police chief introduces therapy dog
At the regular Council meeting on Monday, March 6, a new Village staffer was sworn in: two-year old Shazam, the front-running candidate for the Village’s new therapy dog program.
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Layoffs, restructuring at Antioch College
Antioch College President Jane Fernandes publicly announced in a Feb. 21 statement that the college had eliminated nine staff and faculty positions and has plans to “restructure” an additional eight positions with title changes and salary reductions.
Village Council
Obituaries
March 3
Features
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Emergent Verse | A poetry workshop
“Poet and Yellow Springs resident Maggie Dean has kindly let me use her wonderful poem “Mental Math” to demonstrate some aspects of poetic craft I’ve learned over the years.”
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Community opines on facilities options
The second listening session was held on Feb. 21 to gather feedback and suggestions from community members on the future of the school district’s infrastructure as the board works to place a facilities levy on this November’s ballot.
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East Palestine train derailment | Village water safe, experts say
In the five weeks since a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, concerns about water and air safety have come home to Yellow Springs.
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Yellow Springs Schools to debut ‘Mamma Mia!’
McKinney Middle School and Yellow Springs High School will present “Mamma Mia!,” the jukebox musical based on the songs of Abba, at the John Legend Theater in Springfield on Thursday and Friday, March 9 and 10, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, March 11, at 2 and 7 p.m.
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Trans rights focus of Xenia protest
On Saturday, Feb. 25, over 100 demonstrators assembled on opposite sides of the street outside the Xenia YMCA to express their views on the fitness center’s policy that allows transgender people to use the locker room that aligns with their identified gender.
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YS News secures new printer; publication day now Friday
The News is happy to announce that our new printers — Eagle Print in Delphos, Ohio — have worked with us to retain our large-format newspaper size, for now.
February 23
Features
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Sankofa Talk | More intensive antiracism work needed
“Despite our touted reputation for social justice, and interracial harmony, has Yellow Springs secretly, silently, begun surfing the waves of racism and white supremacy that have been cascading across the county in recent years?”
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Schools debut ‘Bulldog Blitz’ podcast
The community can look forward to the second round of Exhibition Nights for this school year in May — but until then, if you want to know what the Bulldogs are up to, just put on a pair of headphones and tune into the district’s new podcast, “Bulldog Blitz.”
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Planning Commission | Residential zoning changes proposed
At their most recent meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14, the members of YS Planning Commission voted to initiate the process of amending some text of the Village Zoning Code.
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Village seeks tenants for 201 Walnut Street
An open house last week provided nearly two dozen inquiring villagers the opportunity to survey the 88-year-old building and ask Village Manager Josué Salmerón questions about his administration’s intent to lease the structure.
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Longtime printer to close, YS News publication day to change
The AIM Media Midwest production plant in Miamisburg — where the YS News has been printed for nearly 20 years — will cease operations Friday, Feb. 24.
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Yellow Springs nonprofit Agraria announces furloughs, hiatus
Yellow Springs nonprofit and educational farm Agraria Center for Regenerative Practice has announced a hiatus of its operations and programs effective Thursday, Feb. 16., and all employees — about 30 — have been put on a three-month furlough.
Village Council
Obituaries
February 16
Features
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The Briar Patch | Why I left ‘higher’ education
“I was also exploited, through the insidious drum beat of indoctrination that many of us believe — you know, that I chose this profession not to make money, but out of some higher noble purpose.”
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Building Community | Meet your mayor
That Mayor Pam Conine sees the village as one giant classroom should come as little surprise, considering that she was an educator for over four decades.
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School board considers additional facilities options
At the school board’s regular meeting, held Thursday, Feb. 9, architect Mike Ruetschle presented a preliminary fact sheet briefly detailing eight potential facilities plans for both the school board and community members to consider as the next facilities listening session approaches on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Village Council
Obituaries
February 9
Features
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Building Community | Sharing a lifetime of soaring
During a recent interview with the News, village residents and co-founders of The Jael Group, or TJG, Steven and Jalyn Roe, often mentioned a spiritual concept related to “the way”: an opening, path, direction, even a process that at times means finding “a way out of no way.”
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Miami Township Board of Trustees | Monday, Feb. 6 Meeting
Chief Colin Altman reported that Miami Township Fire-Rescue has responded to 35 EMS calls and eight fire calls since the last regular meeting of the trustees.
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‘Miller Knew’ | Geisel pens ‘Appalachian noir’ novel
Villager Scott Geisel’s newest book, “Miller Knew,” published at the end of 2022, takes a turn outside of the village, however, heading due east into the hills of Appalachian Virginia.
Village Council
February 2
Features
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My Name Is Iden | How to say I love you
“Love is the center point from which we chart all other human emotion. We owe it to each other, and to ourselves, to recapture and appreciate anew the great gift it is to be able to give and receive love.”
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Unsolicited Opinions | ‘The fierce urgency of now’
“How quickly can we reimagine what accountability looks like? How many more hashtags do we need before a true reckoning happens?”
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Anchoring the Coretta Scott King Center in Black history
This month, the Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom, or CSKC, will host programming in honor of Black History Month, including the A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Memorial Lecture on Feb. 24, 6–8:30 p.m.
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Facilities listening sessions begin
The purpose of the event was to present to community members potential plans for upgrading the district’s schools that have already been discussed over the last several months by the Facilities Committee — as well as plans that have not yet been discussed — and listen to community feedback on those plans.
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A tale of two pilgrims
For longtime Yellow Springs residents Diana Glawe and Emily Foubert, the famed Camino de Santiago — Europe’s longest and most storied pilgrimage route — offered lessons in love, loss and letting go.
Obituaries
January 26
Features
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Turner steps into director role at YSCCC
A Columbus native now living in Springfield, Turner has been part of the staff of the Children’s Center since 2018, and replaces former director Dana Zackey after serving as Zackey’s assistant director since last summer.
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YSHS senior brings back cheer camp
Senior Sophie Clouse-Taylor and the Yellow Springs High School cheer team hosted 37 Mills Lawn Elementary students for a three-day mini cheer camp. Clouse-Taylor organized the event for her senior capstone project.
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Miami Township trustees | Kingwood opposition continues
The Miami Township Board of Trustees continued to discuss the recent decision by the Ohio Power Siting Board, or OPSB, against Texas-based Vesper Energy’s proposed 175-megawatt, utility-scale Kingwood solar project at the trustees’ most recent meeting Wednesday, Jan. 18.
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Review | Of whales and love’s conditions
Darren Aronofsky’s 2022 film, “The Whale,” is an exercise in discomfort. Audiences are spurred to shift in their seats as they watch the protagonist of undeniable size — played by the almost universally beloved Brendan Fraser — struggle to help himself time and again.
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Down to Earth | Fall webworms, friend or foe?
There is a spectacle that occurs in summer each year around Yellow Springs that generates both amazement and concern among citizens and visitors of this town. No, it’s not Street Fair; it’s the return of fall webworms to their local perches.
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Greene County to build new jail
After two failed attempts to levy funds for a new jail through sales tax, and nearly a year of decisions about finance, design and size, the Greene County Commissioners and sheriff’s office will break ground on a $61 million, 250-bed jail this spring.
January 19
Features
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My Name Is Iden | ‘Best self’ over being ‘the best’
The new year is upon us. A time for reflection and, for many of us, resolution. This is the time for getting to work on being our “best selves.”
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Anthrotech takes expertise to courtroom
Last year, Anthrotech collected data and provided expert testimony for a criminal trial, in which the events detailed spanned thousands of miles, from the United States to Zambia and back again.
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Millworks gains more tenants
As of the beginning of the year, Local affordable housing program Yellow Springs Home, Inc., villager-owned landscape company Fox Trot Services and a new tattoo parlor called Studio Uncommon all have a new home at Millworks.
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School board broaches levy restrictions
With a levy to address shoring up village school facilities expected from the school district this fall, the Yellow Springs Board of Education considered how it will present that levy to the community at its first meeting of the year on Jan. 12.
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2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Day | ‘The fierce urgency of now’
Around 200 villagers assembled on Jan. 16, to contemplate Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to action through the “fierce urgency of now,” in observation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Village Council
Obituaries
Featured Photos
January 12
Features
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News from the Past: January 2023
From the Jan. 12, 1966 issue of the News: “Leo Hamilton, one of eight winners of $25 each at last Saturday’s Appreciation Day drawing, displays his winnings, while others nearby are happy for him.”
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T.R.I.B.E pilot program to support health workers
“Trauma and Resiliency Informed Birth Education,” or T.R.I.B.E., recently launched a nine-month pilot program geared toward bolstering the health and wellbeing of healthcare practitioners — particularly doulas — through a “trauma-informed strategy.”
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Facilities Committee split on renovation
The YS Schools Facilities Committee continued to discuss potential options for renovation of the district’s public school buildings at its most recent meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5.
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Housing, education at the former Greene County Career Center
Once completed, the 290,000-square-foot Emerge Trade and Recovery facility will offer live-in recovery services, provide job training and provide a place for those recently emancipated from the foster system.
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Trustees settle first-of-year business
At their first meeting of the new year, the Miami Township trustees handled their first-of-year business, mapping the three-person board’s foundation for 2023.
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2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Day events set in Yellow Springs
“The Fierce Urgency of Now” is the theme of the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities scheduled Monday, Jan. 16, in the village.
Obituaries
Featured Photos
January 5
Features
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What does tradition mean to you?
This year, we asked our readers to share some of their most-loved traditions with us — old, new, lost and missed — and what tradition means to them. Below are the responses we received — as well as a few submissions from News staff.
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Village ends lease with Lawson Place tenants
At the last Council meeting of 2022, Council members heard from several Lawson Place residents voicing their concern for two long-term residents whose lease had been terminated by Village Manager Josué Salmerón, who is acting as property manager for the apartments.
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‘Freedom Flight’ play to debut
“Freedom Flight,” a play for young audiences detailing the historical tale of Addison White, who escaped from enslavement in Kentucky and stood against pursuing federal marshals in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, will be performed Friday, Jan. 13, at the Foundry Theater.
Village Council
Featured Photos
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