The Yellow Springs News • An Independent source of community news in Yellow Springs, Ohio since 1880

Andile Nomabhunga, left, and Dunisani Ntsanwisi, journalists visiting the News from South Africa, met Mayor Pam Conine after watching her and dozens of other villagers perform in the Senior Center’s flash mob on Wednesday, May 31. The South African journalists spent a week working alongside the staff of the Yellow Springs News. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)

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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Web Features

Village Council talks numbers

On Monday, May 15, Council members heard reports from Finance Director Amy Kemper and Treasurer Judy Kintner. The main takeaway was this: money is coming in, and expenses have come in under budget, but the year has just begun.
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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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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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Arts (archives)

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.
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.
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.

Village Schools (archives)

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.
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.
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.

Economy (archives)

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.
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.
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.

Village Life (archives)

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.
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.
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.

Government (archives)

Village of Yellow Springs adopts pesticide policy
The policy was created to provide guidance for the Public Works Department after years of deliberation on the appropriate use of chemicals on Village properties.
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.
Village Council contributes $40,000 to YS Home, Inc., $5,000 to YS Pride
At the most recent Village Council meeting on Monday, May 1, Council members voted to financially contribute $40,000 in support to local affordable housing developer Home, Inc. and $5,000 to local nonprofit YS Pride.

Obituaries (archives)

Dwain J. “DJ” Banion
Dwain J. “DJ” Banion, of Yellow Springs, passed away May 17, 2023, in the Soin Medical Center following an accident at home. He was 71.
Helen Gail Altman Klein
Long-time Yellow Springs resident Helen Gail Altman Klein passed away on May 16, 2023, at the age of 80 in Belmont, Massachusetts.
Jeff Hubschman
Jeff Hubschman lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on May 4 — three days shy of his 64th birthday.
Lewis ‘Lew’ Michael Bonadies Sr.
Lew Bonadies, age 74, passed away on May 10, 2023, at home in Yellow Springs, Ohio, with his wife, Sharon, and daughter Emily at his side.
Lew Bonadies
A memorial service for Lew Bonadies will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Yellow Springs, located at 2884 U.S. 68, Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Higher Education (archives)

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.
‘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.
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.

Sports (archives)

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.
Bulldog Sports Round-Up | May 26, 2023
The varsity baseball team wrapped up the 2022–23 season with an exciting match-up against Franklin Monroe on May 15, which ultimately ended in a 3–4 loss for the Bulldogs.
Bulldog Sports Round-Up | May 19, 2023
Sophomore Tiger Collins achieved all-league honors with a first-place leap in the high jump (4'6) while also jumping to runner-up effort in the long jump (15’0).