Arrest in Yellow Springs bank robbery

YSPD officers arrested arrested a Springfield man today for last Thursday's robbery of the Yellow Springs branch of US Bank.

WHIO-TV: Suspect arrested in Yellow Springs bank robbery

Dayton Daily News: Suspect in Yellow Springs bank robbbery arrested in Springfield

Springfield News-Sun: Yellow Springs bank heist suspect arrested

Police following new lead in US Bank robbery

According to sources, a man who was earlier questioned in connection with Thursday's robbery of the Yellow Springs branch of US Bank has been released and police are following a new lead.

Following...

In the kitchen at Chen's

Chef Jenny Chen works her culinary magic on a busy Saturday afternoon at Chen's Asian Bistro on Dayton Street.

Antioch Writers' Workshop run-up events

The antioch Writers' Workshop has announced a schedule of pre-workshop informational events as follows:

• Tuesday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. at Books & Co. (Town & Country location)
  
• Tuesday, April 14, 7:00 p.m. at Books & Co. (The Greene location)
  
• Saturday, April 18, 10:00-11:30 a.m. at Dayton & Montgomery County Library (Wilmington Stroop branch)

Past attendees and board members will share details about faculty, program, lodging opportunities, registration and more. There will be time for a question and answer session following each presentation.

This year the Workshop will be held from July 11 - 17.

More information can be had by contacting Director Sharon Short:
Email: info@antiochwritersworkshop.com
Web: www.antiochwritersworkshop.com
Blog: www.antiochwritersworkshop.blogspot.com

Suspect in custody in YS bank robbery..? Updated!

I had earlier posted an uncomfirmed report that officers from YSPD went to Dayton to pick up a man who was suspected of committing the robbery of the Yellow Springs Branch of US Bank Thursday afternoon.

I have just learned that that man was released from custody and police are following another lead. (posted 3/30/09 - 4:30 p.m.)

Breaking news: Local bank robbed (updated)

The Yellow Springs branch of US Bank was robbed this afternoon around 1:00 o'clock, by a man who told one of the tellers "this is a robbery." An undisclosed amount of cash was taken. No one was hurt. The perpetrator, who is described as a tall light-skinned black male, left the bank and escaped in a car that was parked across Xenia Avenue. In making his getaway, he struck another vehicle. According to one source, police were given detailed descriptions of the robber, there is excellent video both from bank cameras and from a local business security cam, and a witness was able to provide a partial license plate number.

YSPD was on the job interviewing witnesses and viewing security camera tapes.

The branch was closed for several hours during the afternoon.

Customers were directed to the Xenia and Fairborn Five Points branches.

This cameraman from WHIO-TV was taking footage for the evening news.

WYSO and The Living History Theatre to Present an Original Radio Drama

WYSO will air an encore presentation of an original radio drama "The End of Emerald Street" on April 2nd, 2009 from 8:00 to 10:00pm.

Nearly a hundred years before hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, the citizens of another American city watched in disbelief as collapsing levees allowed flood waters to submerge their community in a matter of moments. That city was Dayton, Ohio. The year was 1913.

WYSO Public Radio and The Living History Theatre will air an encore presentation of an original radio drama "The End of Emerald Street" on April 2nd, 2009 from 8:00 to 10:00pm.

Set during the Great Dayton Flood, the story combines fictional characters with historical figures like John H. Patterson, Arthur Morgan, John Barringer and C.W. Sloan.

WYSO staff member Jerry Kenney had long been interested in producing a radio drama and presented the "Flood Project" to Yellow Springs playwright, Kay Reimers. "It was the easiest thing I've ever written. The facts were so dramatic themselves, there was no need to embellish anything." admitted Mrs. Reimers. "When doing the research, what struck me was the denial of the looming disaster. People went to work, went shopping, even took their children to school as the Great Miami river crept over the levees."

Creating the drama was a community effort with more than twenty actors, from ages eight to eighty, playing various roles. The actors crowded into a small recording studio at the public radio station to do the recording. It was accomplished by performing different scenes with only a few actors at a time, a logistical challenge for Kenney who recorded the actors, integrating sound effects and then edited them all together. Kenney says he's proud of this "flagship" effort. "I always loved radio theater as a kid and I think we managed to recreate some of that magic here." The play features a host of local actors including Howard Shook, Dan Davis, Flo Lorenz, Tony Dallas and Miriam Eckenrode. Rounding out the audio performance in 'Emerald' is original music composed by WYSO volunteer Justin Vanderburg, co-host of WYSO's ambient music program, "Alpha Rhythms". Vanderburg released a CD of his own music last year on the Hypnos record label. WYSO 91.3 FM is a broadcast service of Antioch University, and the premiere public radio station in Ohio's Dayton region with approximately 60,000 weekly listeners.

The Yellow Springs-based Living History Theatre takes psychological and sociological approaches to history, using artistic expression to illuminate modern experience echoed by the past. For More info, please contact:Jerry Kenney jerry@wyso.org937-769-1385

Jacki Mayer

WYSO Public Radio

The unimagineable for Yellow Springers

What happens when a town loses its newspaper? - Time article

Chances are the effects of such a development in this town would be far more severe.

McKee Assn. to offer personal money management workshops

The James A. Mckee Association is planning to embark on a new project to help community members to share their experiences to cope with both current and long term economic pressures by offering public information/education workshops in personal money management. We call these Financial Freedom Now and they are described more fully on our website at www.45387.org/ffn and in brochures and flyers which will soon be available.

Long-term economic factors have been aggravated by a current global economic crisis and people everywhere are being affected by reduced circumstances and growing financial pressure. It seems likely that things will get worse before they get better so the McKee Association members have resolved to try to offer assistance locally by providing one or a series of workshops to help local residents but especially young adults to develop their money management skills through dialogue with each other and with expert leaders.

The first workshop will be offered on consecutive Thursday evenings starting April 9. Sessions will be held in a very comfortable setting at the Antioch University McGregor building at East Enon Road and Dayton Street. There will be five sessions, each lasting from 6:30 to 8:30 and food, other refreshments and all materials will be provided. This workshop will deal with basic money management skills like cash management, credit card management, debt management, real costs, cost-conscious shopping, etc in a general overview with simple but effective tips and rules for guidance. Others to be offered later, will provide greater depth techniques for income maximization, expense control and effective budgeting.

Planning and execution of the project is being done entirely by community volunteer personnel including many from the McKee Association. Funding for the project is being provided by local contributions so there will be no cost to the participants. We have also arranged for the donation of appropriate materials and professional time by experts in various related professional fields to assist with the planning and implementation of the workshops. Altogether we expect a total of 20-25 people will be involved in the planning and delivery of the workshops.

Each workshop will be limited to 20 participants in order to provide the best atmosphere for interactive communication. Depending upon the success of the initial effort we will offer either another basic workshop or one or more advanced ones probably in June or, perhaps later this year. Limited attendance will require registration so interested villagers should register as soon as they can.

More information, including the registration form, is available from the website or by calling Rick Kristensen (767-9900), Kent Bristol (767-7773) or Sam Jackson (767-1112) or by sending an e-mail inquiry to ffn@45387.org.

James A. Mckee Association news release, March 5, 2009

YSPD busts grow operation on Southgate

From Channel 7 Eyewitness News: Police discover marijuana plants in home

Borchers, PSU distance medley relay team 9th in NCAAs

Sam Borchers ran the 1600-meter anchor leg in 4:02.62, to lead Penn State to a fourth-place finish in their heat in the distance medley relay in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend. The DMR team finished 9th overall. He did not compete in the 800 meters.

"I couldn't be more proud of our men's distance medley," said Coach Beth Alford Sullivan, according to the Go PSU Website. "We came in ranked 17th, and the guys gave it a tremendous effort. While its heart breaking to be ninth, it was inspiring to be represented by such a fine group of young men."

Housing crisis solved

(Before)

I was prompted to take action after I witnessed a hawk pluck a small bird from one of these compartments.

(After)

A temporary fix to substandard housing saw the residents flock back to their old home.




They waited patiently on nearby tree limbs and wires while I nailed the face piece back on and tacked a shingle in place for a new roof. By the time I put my ladder away and got back into the house, they were moving in again. It was really gratifying. I hope to do a better job when I have more time after the nesting season. Hopefully, this will hold up until then.

Antioch College Library in NY Times

College Awaits Rebirth as Its Library Labors On

You better do something

You look in the mirror. You tell yourself you've got to do something. You already know the answer from ages ago in Miss Storch's 5^th grade class. The food pyramid – a balanced diet. Eat three meals a day, sampling from each of the food groups. When Dr. Phil says take smaller portions, he is making sense. Moderate exercise. It's all there. All that remains is for you to do something. But in winter it is too cold for exercise. Summer is too hot. As for the other two seasons, what's the use? The balanced diet and smaller portions can wait till later. There's all that food in the refrigerator. You can't let it go to waste. So you let it go to waist.

The problem is in the refrigerator. The problem sleeps next to you every night. The problem is in your lack of resolve. The problem has been identified. You better do something.

"If you don't buy ice cream," you tell her, "I won't eat it."

She buys it anyway. It lures you as you watch Survivor. The next ad, you head for the freezer. A small portion should be okay, you tell yourself. You deliberately take the littlest cup, then fill it to overflowing.

She calls from the couch, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

I'll make up for this tomorrow, you tell yourself. You'll pay for this tomorrow, you know. But you push that thought to the far reaches of your consciousness as the show comes back on and you start shoveling in the black raspberry chocolate chunk, while on the tube starving contestants are eating bugs and worms in their never-ending quest for food.

The new extra large undershirts she bought you are kind of tight. She remarks on it. You tell her they were on sale for a reason. You get what you pay for. They skimped on the cotton. But the jeans that fit just right last week (up two sizes from the rest of your wardrobe) require a bit of a tug to get button into hole at the waist. Darn, they must have shrunk.

Is that pain in your chest on the surface or somewhere deeper? What is that tingling in your fingers, your toes? Is that something, or nothing? It's probably nothing.

"Could I be in denial?" you finally ask yourself, but the thought fades as you turn your focus to Subway and a five-dollar foot-long for lunch.

On springing forward: Be careful

I have read somewhere (more than once) that on the Monday morning after we set our clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time, the rate of automobile accidents shoots up. No surprise there. Out here in the far western end of the Eastern Time Zone, it is still dark at 7:00 a.m. on that first day after the change. But the darkness is obviously not the reason. We are simply tired.

I can tell if I am exhausted when I arise, because I get out of my routine – making coffee, brushing teeth, showering, shaving, all occur in the wrong order. When I got up this morning, I did last night's dishes and started a load of laundry, before I made the coffee.

Fortunately, I am not commuting to a job. To those of you who are: be careful. This from a guy who slammed his ring finger in a door yesterday and receives a sharp reminder every time he hits the "S" key as he is typing this.

Borchers, Penn State distance medley team qualify for NCAA's

Penn State Men's Distance Medley Betters Auto Qualifier; Sets School Record at Notre Dame .

***

Borchers gets one last chance to qualify in the mile today.

Deleting the Drudge Report

I am a news junkie - an internet news junkie. And for almost a decade, the "Drudge Report" has been my portal to news on the World-Wide Web. It has been my first stop after booting up my computer for what seems like forever. It was the place where I first learned that an airplane had been flown into one of the World Trade Center's twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001. It has often been my last stop on the Internet before going to bed.

Sure, I realized that Matt Drudge had a conservative bent, but I figured I was smart enough to separate the wheat from the chaff. Offsetting the annoyance of his right-leaning headlines and relentless self-promotion were his occasional attempts at balanced reporting. I found his links to news organizations and articles from all over the world to be invaluable.

But now it is time for Mr. Drudge to go. Throughout the two-year-long primary and election campaign, it became more and more evident that he had a thing for Barack Obama, even to the extent that he appeared at times to be colluding with the Clinton campaign, something that no one could have imagined. Now that Obama has been elected, the "Drudge Report" has become nothing more than another tool of right-wing talk radio. Every headline is an attack on the President personally as well as on his policies. They range from the silly to the vicious and they are counterproductive. They are calculated to frighten the American public.

One aspect of the Obama campaign that Drudge and his conservative radio pals continue to ridicule is his message of hope. The "hope" that Obama offered me was that of a bipartisan administration. And he appeared to be living up to his promise by reaching out to Republicans immediately after being elected. What he got in return was a bite on the hand. The Republicans, having been so soundly defeated in the recent election, have apparently decided that the only way they can make any gains in the next round of congressional elections is to fight Obama tooth-and-nail. To that end they have loosed the talk radio dogs on the President, spreading fears of nationalization, socialism and communism, the buzzwords they know they can always fall back on. Instead of working with the President to get some of their agenda into his policies, they are resisting his every effort to bring this country out of its recession. They have chosen to drag the country down, so they can be perceived to be its rescuers in the future. What they are doing is unethical, amoral and dangerous. It is weakening the U. S. to the point where our enemies are rejoicing. Shame on them!

With the internet rapidly taking over from the print news media, Drudge has become a key player not in news, but in right wing politics. What he chooses to present and how he presents it on his Website is a powerful weapon. Lately, the way he has skewed the news has annoyed me to the point where I can't take it anymore. For example, after the President's recent speech to Congress, the Republicans were represented by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in their rebuttal. Jindal, who has received good reviews for eloquence in the past, simply bombed both in style and substance. It happens. Accounts in the press the next day confirmed my impression that Jindal's performance was actually rather bizarre. But there was not a word about it in the "Drudge Report," save for a link to a short piece about how a TV Network reporter had muttered the words "Oh God" as Jindal made his appearance. Oh God, indeed. Instead, Obama's speech was attacked as sparking another decline in the stock market.

It isn't Obama who is spreading the fear that has caused the Dow Jones to dip to new levels, it is you, Mr. Drudge, you and your fear-mongering talk radio attack-dog buddies. So it is time for you to go. Immediately after posting this entry, I will be deleting your Website from my favorite places in my browser. For the time being, my entry to Internet news will be the AP Headlines and Breaking News. I am sure that there is another Website that will serve my purposes. I am off to find it.

Antioch McGregor has a new President

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio – Antioch University is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Fishbein has accepted the position as President of Antioch University McGregor (AUM) in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Chancellor Toni Murdock said, “I am very excited to have Michael Fishbein join Antioch University. He brings a wealth of talent, knowledge, and energy that will benefit McGregor.”

Dr. Fishbein comes to Antioch from Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire, where he has served as the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs for the past 5 years. Before Daniel Webster, Dr. Fishbein served as Chief Academic Officer at Lyndon State College and Chief Academic Officer of Cazenovia College. He has held other academic, administrative and faculty positions at the College of Saint Rose, The Sage Colleges, and Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Dr. Fishbein chose Antioch because he feels there is unity in values. “The values Antioch stands by and what I live by are exactly the same.” Said Dr. Fishbein. “I am pleased to come to Antioch McGregor because it matters – they contribute something that is unique.”

Dr. Fishbein holds a B.A. Cum Laude in Psychology from Bernard M. Baruch College and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has written and presented on such topics as information control, the science of inhumanity, academic computing, and academic leadership. He is an active member in the Association of Governing Boards, Council of Independent Colleges and Universities, the National Academic Advising Association and chairs the Academic Affairs Committee of the New Hampshire College and University Council. He has also served on numerous accreditation teams for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Zak Sharif, Provost at AU McGregor said, “We look forward to welcoming Dr. Fishbein to McGregor and appreciate the valuable academic and administrative leadership he will bring to our campus.”

The AUM president search committee selected Dr. Fishbein from a group of 10 finalists. These finalists underwent two separate interviews by the search committee in addition to a two-day visit on campus with community interviews. The final interview with members of the search committee took place in Columbus the last week in February.

Dr. Fishbein will begin his position on July 1, 2009; however, he has consented to work with Phil Parker, McGregor's Board of Trustees chair, over the next few months to cultivate and recruit members for McGregor's new board of trustees.

“I look forward to working with Dr. Fishbein in establishing the first Board of Trustees for Antioch University McGregor. We have now taken another very important step in the successful evolution of McGregor,” said Phil Parker, McGregor's Board of Trustees chair.

Dr. Fishbein will be accompanied by his wife, Mary Ann Oppenheimer.

Many members of the search committee committed enormous time and energy to bringing this very important task to such a successful closure. Search Committee members were Phil Parker (Chair of Board of Trustees), Dan Young (Yellow Springs community member), Neal King (AULA President), Niels Lyster (Board of Governors),Zak Sharif (AUM Provost), Iris Weisman (AUM Vice President for Academic Affairs),Darlene Robertson (AUM Vice President for Student Services); Jane Brown and Marian Glancy (AUM faculty), Katie Scott (AUM Division Specialist), Deena Hummel and RobMcLaughlin (AUM administrators), and Terry Whorton (AUM student). Also included in the search was Allen Koenig, Senior Partner with the search firm R.H. Perry & Associates, who was very professional and competent.

(AUM Press Release)

Heart of Joy Folk School Jam Session - Thurs. Mar. 19, 7 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to bring instruments and join in - play along on traditional favorites at the YS Library on Mar. 19 at 7 p.m.! Some pieces have been practiced; we expect that the jammers will bring tunes to share, too. Jugs, spoons, washboards, harmonicas, guitars, big and little fiddles, mandolins - also drums, rattles, you name it.

Those who want to rehearse some tunes ahead of time, show up at 1700 Spillan from6:30-8 p.m. the next two Wednesdays.

And yes - little fiddlers who can play "Twinkle" and "Bile Them Cabbage" are most welcome - we'll put those numbers on early in the program.

Please spread the word to those you think would enjoy being part of the jam. All ages welcome.

Those who don't play music but who'd love to sit and knit or do other folk art work, please come and do that - it's a great way to share your craft.

Questions? I'm at 767-1092.
Carolion
Carolion Heart Of Joy Folkschool
(937)767-1092

Meet & Greet the new Village Manager

Dear Members & Friends:

You’re invited to a Meet and Greet Open House for Village Manager Mark Cundiff and his family on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at the 2nd floor lobby of the Bryan Center from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. You’ll also be able to enjoy the Women’s Voices Out Loud exhibit that was recently installed in the 2nd floor gallery area.

Karen Wintrow
Executive Director
Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce
937-767-2686
www.yellowspringsohio.org

Big Ten 1500 m final results

1 Switzer, Justin SR Michigan 4:02.60P

2 McNamara, Sean JR Michigan 4:03.47P

3 Knoll, Shane SR M S U 4:03.75P

4 Blankenship, Ben SO Minnesota 4:04.43

5 Borchers, Samuel SO P S U 4:04.44*

6 Hubers, Ben FR Indiana 4:04.59

7 Johnson, Tim SR P S U 4:06.29

8 Weatherford, Andy SO Indiana 4:07.74

9 Gasper, Ryan JR Wisconsin 4:17.49

*Unfortunately Sam Borchers of Yellow Springs failed to meet the NCAA provisional qualifying time by .44 seconds. However, as it stands now, he has qualified for the 800 meters and will compete in the NCAA Indoor Finals in two weeks. He has one last chance to qualify in the 1500 meter run, if he chooses to compete next week.

A community event

I have never lived in a place where the residents had such a sense of place, such a consciousness of what their community has been, is, and should aspire to. Yesterday, at Eric Siemer's memorial service it was evident once again. Even out-of-towners, who rose to remember Eric, talked of how both he and they loved this place. They often started by marveling at the turn out. The pews in the sanctuary of the Methodist Church were filled to capacity. They had to break out the folding chairs.

The memorial was wonderful. The talented villagers who performed brought tears to our eyes. In a way, it reminded me of the annual Messiah Sing-A-Long – only this time, with harmonicas.

After it was over, the crowd lingered, not only to greet the family, but to mingle with their neighbors. One man, and I apologize for not remembering who it was, remarked to me that this was truly a community event. He could not have been more right.