How cool is this..? YS makes another "Top Ten" list

According to a report on WHIO-TV, Yellow Springs has been named by "Outdoors Magazine" as one of the Top Ten Small Towns in the nation. Last fall the village was named one of the Top Ten Coolest Towns in the country, by "Budget Travel Magazine."

WHIO-TV:Yellow Springs: Best Small Town

Bench to Nowhere: The Misfits

A Cool Town Toon

Click on image to enlarge.

Why is this village-owned house vacant?

This beautiful old farmhouse at 1140 SR 343 in Miami Township, built in 1900 and seemingly in good condition, now lays vacant. The buildings in the background, the Yellow Springs Village Garage complex, are the key to why the house cannot be occupied. According to a reliable source who asked that his name be withheld, salt from the village's salt storage shed has seeped into the ground water and polluted the well to the extent that salty water would run from the faucets if they were used. No telling what other chemicals are in the water, as some winters the road salt is augmented with chemicals. And no telling how far the contamination has spread, as a branch of Yellow Springs Creek courses nearby to the west.

According to my source, he tried to rent the house from the Village of Yellow Springs, which owns the house and several acres of land behind it where the Village Garage sits, while the last Village Manager was still on board. After village officials did some research, they told him the house was unliveable due to the aforementioned salt problem. They indicated that there is a report on this somewhere in the village records, he said.

According to the County Auditor's records, the 3360 sq. ft., two-story house has 10 rooms, four bedrooms and one full bath. It's appriased value is $124,540. The taxing districts are Miami Township and the Yellow Springs Exempt Village School District.

Jake Gunderkline wins Junior Olympic 3k racewalk

Yellow Springer Jacob Gunderkline took first place in the 3,000 meter racewalk for young men under 18 at the USA track & Field Junior Olympic Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. GunderKline, who used to race for YSHS, now competes for the Miami valley Track Club.

Dayton Daily News: MVTC’s Shaver, Gunderkline wins race walk JO national titles

Updated: Two lunchroom tables add up to longer MLS recesses

Unable to implement the 30 minute lunch schedule, MLS Principal Christine had has told the community foundation that she plans to withdraw the grant application.

***

Parents, teachers, and school administrators put their heads together and came up with a nifty idea how to extend recess times for Mills Lawn School students from 20 to 30 minutes. In the past, due to limited seating capacity, MLS students ate their lunch in three 20 minute sessions and had a mere 20 minutes of recess time to blow off steam after lunch. By adding two lunchroom tables, the PTO reasoned, they could extend both the eating time and recess time, by having only two lunch periods of 30 minutes each, along with two 30 minute recesses.

The problem was the money. Due to a host of health and safety requirements on both the State and Federal level, the tables cost $1,044.00 each for a total of $2,088.00. There is no room in this year's school budget for an extra two grand. So, the PTO initiated a grant application to the Yellow Springs Community Foundation (YSCF), which was later taken over by MLS Principal Christine Hatton for procedural reasons. As of their July 21 meeting, the YSCF trustees have granted the money, conditioned on the actual implementation of the new schedule. All that remains is for the School Board to give it its blessing at its Aug 5 meeting.

And that's how a grant application that was labeled the "Mills Lawn Recess Initiative" landed the funding for two lunchroom tables.

Updated: Glismann goes to Graham

Superintendent of Schools Norm Glismann has taken the superintendent's job at the Graham Schools, the Urbana Daily Citizen reported Wednesday. No word yet who will be taking over as acting Superintendent of the Yellow Springs Schools while the search for a replacement takes place. The next regular School Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13.

Update: The School Board will hold a Meeting of the Whole at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5 in the Mills Lawn Gym to discuss changes in the lunch program and transportation issues.

Urbana Daily Citizen: Graham announces Glismann as superintendent

Related post: Glismann a finalist for Graham job

Bartenstein, Omlor, Young to serve on McG inaugural board

July 29, 2009 Antioch University McGregor Press Release

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio - The nominations of the founding fifteen trustees of the Antioch McGregor Board of Trustees were approved by the Governance Committee of the Antioch University Board of Governors at its July 21st meeting. Phil Parker, President of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce has been named chairperson.

Antioch University McGregor (AUM) in Yellow Springs has served a regional, national and international student body of adult learners since 1988. It is a part of Antioch University, a national, multi-campus system incorporated as a single 501c3 in Ohio, where its original campus, Antioch College, was founded in 1852.

Antioch University has historically been governed by a single, central University Board, which maintains legal and fiduciary responsibility for the entire university system. In fall of 2008, this board authorized a dramatic restructuring of the governance of the university, directing for the first time that each campus establish its own Board of Trustees. According to a common set of bylaws established and approved by the university board, campus boards of trustees will have significant delegated authority and responsibility for the oversight of their particular campus.

According to Phil Parker, "Antioch McGregor has a beautiful new campus, a highly motivated and talented new President, Dr. Michael Fishbein, and now a new, diverse and dedicated Board of Trustees. McGregor is in a terrific position to help its adult learners excel in this new economy in Southwest Ohio and beyond."

New AUM President, Michael Fishbein added, "Antioch McGregor could not be better served than by this group of people who agreed to oversee our terrific institution. I look forward to a rewarding relationship as we work together to help the public acknowledge Antioch University McGregor as the preeminent adult education institution in the region, state, and in the case of some of our academic programs, the nation and indeed, the world.

Antioch University McGregor's founding Board of Trustees include Dr. Larita Alford, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Bermuda College; Fred Bartenstein, CEO, Fred Bartenstein & Associate, LLC; Dr. Clark Beck, Owner, CEBEC Associates (retired); Marva Cosby, SPHR, Eastman Kodak Company; Dr. Michael Fishbein (Ex-officio); Maribeth Graham, Administrator, Iddings Foundation; Greg Henderson, MH, FACHE, President, Greene Memorial Hospital; Tom Maultsby, Owner, Group One Development, LLC; Tom McNicol, International Truck and Engine Corporation (retired); Rick Omlor, President and CEO, YSI Incorporated; Phil Parker, CAE, CCE, Chair of the Board, President and CEO, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce; Guy Richardson, MSHA, FACHE, Director, VA Medical Center, Dayton; Dr. Vincent Russo, Director (retired), Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB; Col. Colleen Ryan, Commander (retired), 88th Air Base Wing and Installation Commander, Wright-Patterson AFB and Vice President, Defense Programs, Dayton Development Coalition; Rick Stover, Managing Partner, Price Waterhouse Coopers, LLC; and Dan Young, CEO, Young's Jersey Dairy.

Serving its vision of academic excellence by "providing socially responsive, flexible, and innovative education programs for adult learners," AUM offers Bachelor of Arts completion programs in management, human development, liberal arts, health & wellness, early childhood education and human services administration. Master of Arts degrees are available in management, conflict analysis & engagement, and through an individualized curriculum. Master of Education degrees (with licensure) are offered in Early Childhood Education, Middle Childhood Education, Adolescent/Young Adult Education, Intervention Specialist (Mild to Moderate and Moderate to Intensive) as well as Leadership (including Ohio Principal Licensure).

The Antioch University McGregor Board of Trustees will hold its first official meeting in late August.

WYSO Hosts Live Call-In Show

"My House - Facing the Mortgage Crisis"

WYSO Public Radio hosts a Live Call-In Broadcast on Thursday, July 30 at 7pm.

This is the third & final call-in show addressing foreclosures
and mortgage issues in the Miami Valley.


This Thursday's program will concentrate on "Where We Are and Where WE are Going."
Issues on the program discussion list include:

An Assessment of the Housing Market in the Miami Valley.

Is This a Good Time to Buy?

What Can You Do to Help Your Neighborhood?

Consumer and Financial Planning in this New Economy.
___________________________

Calls regarding all aspects of the Mortgage Crisis are also encouraged.
___________________________

Expert guests will be Beth Deutscher, Executive Director of the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton and Willis Blackshear, Montgomery County Recorder.
The show will be hosted by Emily McCord.
_________________________

Listeners may call 1-800-776-0090 or send e-mail questions to
news@wyso.org subject line "mortgage."

Information about the mortgage crisis is available at wyso.org.
For More Information, please contact
Aileen LeBlanc at 937-767-9223 or
aileenleblanc@hotmail.com

Community Band concert, Saturday night

The Yellow Springs Community Band will perform the last of its summer concerts in Kings Yard this Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7:00 p.m. Wielding the baton will be Band Director James Johnston. Local musical wiz, Brian Mayer, will guest conduct on one number.

In the event of rain, the concert will be held in the Mills Lawn School gym.

The program:

1. World's Fair March - Antonini
2. Call of Adventure - Humel
3. Ballet Egyptian - Luigini
4. Triumphal March - Cesarini
5. Blue Ridge Saga - Swearingen
6. Bandology - Osterling
7. African Safari - Lang
8. Salute to the Duke - Duke Ellington medley arr. by Michael Sweeney
9. Blues Rock - Caponegro (Brian Mayer cond.)
10. Ballad for Peace - Erickson
11. Les Miserables - Medley arr. by Warren Barker

Rocky & Pee Wee: Stalking

Green Environmental Coalition position

GEC supports EPA proposal to cut mercury emissions

Most villagers are aware that in recent years, the Green Environmental Coalition has been involved in an attempt to stop tire burning at the Cemex cement plant 5 miles upwind of YS. In November 2008, Cemex could not make the necessary modifications to their facility, as required by their permit, to conduct a tire test burn before their permit expired. They therefore withdrew their request.

Although, currently Cemex cannot burn tires until they apply for a new permit, we don’t believe this issue is over….it’s just a matter of time. In the meantime, they continue to burn coal and pet coke as a fuel source, mixed with limestone, clay, iron, and fly ash as a component of cement. These raw materials all release toxic emissions into the air we breathe. The Cemex Corporation in general, including the Fairborn plant, has a dismal track record of malfunctions, violations, and the release of toxic emissions.

Currently the USEPA has proposed to amend its national emission standards for Portland cement manufacturing to reduce emissions of mercury, total hydrocarbons, hydrochloric acid, and particulate matter from both new and existing cement kilns.

The GEC supports this proposal and encourages you to join us by signing our petition (www.greenlink.org). The EPA will also accept letters and comments regarding this proposed amendment until September 4, 2009. Please visit our website for more information.

The EPA Proposal:

EPA Proposes to Slash Mercury Emissions from Cement Plants

Washington, D.C. – April 21, 2009) EPA is proposing to significantly reduce mercury emissions from Portland cement kilns, the fourth-largest source of mercury air emissions in the U.S. The proposal would set the nation’s first limits on mercury emissions from existing Portland cement kilns and would strengthen the limits for new kilns.

The proposed standards also would set emission limits for total hydrocarbons, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide from cement kilns of all sizes, and would reduce hydrochloric acid emissions from kilns that are large emitters.

“We can save more than a thousand lives each year, sharply reduce mercury and other toxins in our air and water, and work with industry to encourage innovations and good ideas that are already out there,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Mercury and other chemicals flowing into these communities are health hazards for children, pregnant mothers, local residents and workers - people who deserve protection.”

Mercury in the air eventually deposits into water, where it changes into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish. Americans are primarily exposed to mercury by eating contaminated fish. Because the developing fetus is the most sensitive to the toxic effects of methylmercury, women of childbearing age and children are regarded as the population of greatest concern.

The majority of the toxic emissions at cement kilns come from the burning of fuels and heating of raw materials. When fully implemented in 2013, EPA estimates that this rule would reduce annual emissions by at least:

• Mercury – 11,600 pounds, a reduction of 81 percent

• Total hydrocarbons – 11,700 tons, or 75 percent

• Particulate matter – 10,500 tons, or 96 percent

• Hydrochloric acid – 2,800 tons, or 94 percent

• Sulfur dioxide – 160,000 tons, or 90 percent

EPA estimates the benefits of this proposed rule will significantly outweigh costs.

Read the new standards (PDF)

Bench to Nowhere: YSAC on a roll

A Cool Town Toon

How sweet it is...

I don't remember much about eating corn when I was a kid growing up in New York City. The summers from when I was nine to 12 years old were spent on Peconic Bay on Eastern Long Island. In those days, the East End was mostly agricultural. They grew strawberries, potatoes and corn in the rich loam that covered the sandy Long Island base.

The farmers all irrigated. I remember seeing the rolling sprinklers shooting out long streams of water into the fields. So, the corn must have been pretty good. I can remember my father sinking his teeth into an ear and going, "Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm." We called it "corn on the cob." I guess that was to distinguish it from the giblets that came in the small can with the picture of the Jolly Green Giant. I don't ever remember ever calling it "sweet corn."

My first taste of Ohio corn came in 2000, the year we moved here. I bought it at a farm stand in Xenia. There were a couple different varieties to choose from, so I asked the farmer for advice.

"Try the bi-color," he said. "I think you'll like that."

I was leery. I had never seen corn that came in two colors. I sensed a compromise.

I was back the very next day. I couldn't go on enough about how wonderful the corn had been. The farmer looked at me like I'd just dropped in from Mars. That was when I first began to suspect that Ohioans don't realize what they've got.

Needless to say, I am now a devotee of Ohio corn. If we happen to be making a trip to New York during August, I'll bring a large sack with five or six dozen ears and distribute them to those less fortunate than I, those poor folks who don't have daily access to our wonderful Ohio sweet corn. And then hurry back, before the season ends.

"I'd match this up against the best from Iowa or Kansas," I tell those New Yorkers, without ever having tried that alien produce. I just can't imagine it being any better than ours.

The downside of this, of course, is that the season only lasts a few weeks. Toward the end, I am just about corned-out and my consumption starts to trail off. And then one day, I will stop in at the Southtown Farmers Market, or drive over to the Anderson's farm stand, and find out that it's over. That's it. I have to wait another year, because nothing but sweet corn fresh off the stalk will do.

A friend brought me a half-dozen ears last night.

"It's ready..?" I almost shouted. "I can't believe it."

This is it, folks! Dig in! Let the feeding frenzy begin! Before you know it, corn season will be over. Forget about GM and NCR for a few weeks, and just remember how lucky you are Ohio. It doesn't get any better than this.

Art on the Lawn 8/8

The Village Artisans of Yellow Springs, Ohio, will be presenting its 27th annual Art On The Lawn art show on August 8, 2009, from 10am to 5pm. The popular outdoor arts and crafts show is held each year under the shade trees of Mills Lawn; Elementary School, one block west of Xenia Ave (St. Rt. 68) in the village.

The Village Artisans is one of the oldest arts cooperatives in the Miami Valley, featuring fine arts and crafts from artists living and working in this area of Ohio, as well as from Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Established in 1983, Village Artisans has provided Yellow Springs with quality handmade art work in very diverse mediums and styles.

For questions please contact the Village Artisans, 100 Corry St., Yellow Springs, OH 45387, or call (937) 767-1209

Backyard Flock

A 12 week-old Araucana pullet

Backyard Crop

The sweet corn should be ready this week.

Two charged in Columbus to YS distribution scheme

Robert McDonald and Wesley Stallworth, alleged co-conspirators of Iddi Bakari, have been indicted by a Greene County Grand Jury, according to a WHIO-TV report.

WHIO-TV - 2 Charged In Greene Co. Drug Ring

Home Assistance Program, a YS Gem

There are over 700 people over the age of 65 in Yellow Springs who are Medicare beneficiaries, and more living in Miami Township. Since I am about to join their ranks this September, I called the Yellow Springs Home Assistance Program (HAP) and asked for an appointment. In addition to making visits to the home bound, HAP provides a range of social services to seniors. One of them is guiding them through the maze that is Medicare Part A, B, supplemental insurance, and the prescription drug plans.

Program Coordinator Amy Crawford and Assistant Coordinator Caroline Mullin, have undergone hundreds of hours of training on their way to becoming experts on Medicare. My appointment in the tiny office at the Senior Center, yesterday afternoon, was with Caroline. I had my copy of "Medicare & You, 2009," a big, fat publication from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in hand, and a long list of questions. There wasn't one question she could not answer. She also provided me with another publication, a Medicare guide from the State of Ohio that goes more into the specifics of the various plans. When I left, I felt I finally had a handle on this Medicare business.

Here's a for instance: In the big, fat book, it said I should receive my Medicare Card about three months before the month of my eligibility. To the best of my knowledge, I never received it. Caroline doubted that I would ever have gotten the big, fat book unless they had first sent me the card. The envelope it comes in looks like junk mail, she warned. Unfortunately, I am very bad about not opening mailings that look even remotely like junk mail. I have received too many official looking yellow envelopes that say "Important - Open Immediately." Fortunately, however, I never throw anything away. I went home and dug through a pile of unopened envelopes and there it was. It hadn't made it through my snail mail spam filter.

So here's the bottom line: I've got my Medicare Card. So, since I opted to take my Social Security Income benefits at 62, I was automatically enrolled in Part A (hospital coverage). As for Part B (doctor visit coverage), all I have to do is not send in the refusal slip that came with the Medicare Card and I am automatically enrolled, and they will deduct the premiums from my Social Security payments. The supplemental insurance and drug prescription programs are a bit trickier. Supplemental requires some research and direct contact with insurance companies. The new book she gave me provides detailed comparisons of rates and coverage. And believe me, there is no way you can do this without that kind of information. The same goes for the drug prescription coverage.

Caroline also advised me on the pitfalls of dealing with the insurance companies - stuff that's not in the book, such as, "When you call an insurance company to inquire about their policy, make note of how long you have to wait on hold and how many numbers you have to punch to get the information you want. That might be an indication of the kind of service you will get later on, if you enroll in their plan."

The Yellow Springs Home Assistance Program is funded in part by revenue from the Greene County Senior Services levy, which will be on the ballot for renewal this fall. It is extremely important, especially with our aging population, to get out and vote for it. HAP is a little gem we cannot afford to lose.

Dr. Carl Hyde takes a stance in death penalty case

Based on his Quaker faith, retired Yellow Springs physician, Carl Hyde, has written to Gov. Ted Strickland supporting a recommendation by the Ohio Parole Board for clemency for a convicted killer in a notorious murder case from 1995, the Dayton Daily News said in an article yesterday. Law enforcement personnel and the family of the victim have mounted a petition drive to influence the Governor to reject the recommendation of clemency for Jason Getsy, who was convicted of being the triggerman in the murder of Ann Serfino of Hubbard and attempted murder of her son, Charles, according to the article. The mastermind of the murder, John Santine, was sentenced to life in prison in exchange for his testimony against his accomplice.

Dayton Daily News: Ohio victim's kin tries to block killer's clemency

McGregor to hold seminar on the economy

McGregor Seminar to Explore Creative Economy in August

As economic realities change and interest in the creative economy grows, civic and nonprofit cultural leaders, local businesspeople, and artists find themselves challenged in many new ways. Antioch University McGregor is offering a seminar, “Creative Enterprises for Creative Times,” to explore ways to identify and nurture community assets and creative enterprises.

Seminar participants will learn about the principles and ideas behind the creative economy and see examples of it at work. They’ll hear from entrepreneurs building businesses for the new economy, learn to conduct a community asset inventory, and take part in group exercises to formulate creative economy plans.

Tom Borrup, author of The Creative Community Builder’s Handbook, will lead the seminar. Borrup served as executive director of a nationally recognized community-based arts center, Intermedia Arts, in Minneapolis , for more than 20 years and is a consultant with a national practice that focuses on strategic planning, facility and organizational development, and how arts, culture, and the creative economy can transform communities. He has been working locally for the past three years as a consultant to the Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee.

The program will begin on Thursday, August 13, at 7 pm, with a keynote address, which is free and open to the public, by Meri Jenkins, who oversees the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s John and Abigail Adams Arts Program. Jenkins’ talk is titled, “A Decade of Creative Economic Development in Massachusetts Communities.” The keynote will be followed by a panel discussion with area leaders.

Participants will work in the classroom the morning of August 14 and then venture out into the community of Yellow Springs in the afternoon to explore some cultural and entrepreneurial spaces and to hear from local practitioners. They are invited to attend an evening production by the local theatre company, YS Kids Playhouse, at Young’s Dairy. The morning of Saturday, August 15, will be spent back in the classroom, where small groups will develop strategies for economic revitalization using Yellow Springs as a case study for making use of the assets observed in Yellow Springs as well as in other communities.

The cost of the “Creative Enterprises for Creative Times” (course #CEDU506B) is $195, and 1 quarter credit hour is available upon completion. For more information or to register, please visit www.mcgregor.edu/elss and click on the link to the 2009 ELSS Handbook & Registration Form.

Contact Information:
Laura Carlson, Project Coordinator, YS Center for the Arts Steering Committee
Email: ysartscenter@gmail.com

MVTC meet a fun family event

Jacob GunderKline outpaces the field in the 1500 meter
race walk at the all-comers meet last night.

If it had the feel of a Bulldogs soccer game, that was probably no coincidence; many of the usual suspects were in the stands, parents, grandparents and siblings of the Yellow Springs participants in the Miami Valley Track Club's All-Comers meet at YSHS last night. There were plenty of other families there too, from Dayton, Northmont, Beavercreek, just to name a few. And then there were the folks from YS who didn't have anyone in the meet, but just like to get out and support the things that Springers are doing around town, such as Mary and Ross Morgan, and Rick Donahoe. Participants ranged from the under four-year-olds in the 100 meter dash to a couple of guys who looked like they were in their 70s in the 1500 meters and the 220. It kinda makes you wanna get in shape...

Bench to Nowhere: Cutting Losses

A Cool Town Toon

"Arts Center" should be put on hold

The Center for the Arts Steering Committee and its subcommittees represent a lot of people who have been working very hard for a long time. To some it may seem like they are spinning their wheels. To others it may seem like they are making progress, but at a snail's pace. To their credit, they have been very deliberate and careful in their efforts in the face of major setbacks, such as the closing of Antioch College and the downturn in the economy.

As they face the prospect of raising funds, they must realize that they are competing with other major fund raising efforts in the village such as the the revival of Antioch College, the Friends Care senior apartment project, building a new facility for the Wright State Physicians, and a senior citizens facility, - just to mention a few. At the same time, businesses are leaving town and large facilities lay vacant. Unfortunately, these facilities apparently are not what the committee is looking for. The Vernay building has been razed, and Wright State plans to demolish its building. The Antioch Company building is up for lease.

Last night, as the Arts Center meeting was about to break out into groups, Christine Roberts asked to speak. She told the gathering that its only goal for the present should be the recruitment of students for Antioch College. The statement seemed inappropriate and a bit bizarre, given the purpose of the meeting. But, as I listened to the brainstorming that was going on in my group (the others) and heard the results of the other sessions, I began to get Roberts' point.

Yellow Springs is what it is because of Antioch College. If there had never been an Antioch, Yellow Springs would be just like any other small Ohio town. Without a revived college, we will inevitably drift in that direction. The village's entire focus needs to be on bringing about the successful revival of the college. The Steering Committee's role in this should be an outright collaboration with the new college as it begins to open buildings and assess its situation. As renovations are being made, they need to be done with an eye toward how both the student body and the village's arts community will benefit from them. This can be accomplished over the next two years that AC3 has set as its goal for opening with its first class.

A college that is also a center for the arts would be a great selling point for potential students. A new Antioch College that has first class performance spaces and galleries would, in turn, be a great attraction for those who would like to take a day trip or go somewhere for the weekend.

All talk of any kind of a standalone center for the arts should be tabled for now and the Steering Committee should ask AC3, "What can we do to help?" Unless I misunderstand what I have been hearing from AC3, the offer will be gladly accepted.

I am not alone in this opinion. There are two letters in the YS News today, that express similar opinions, one from Billie Eastman and a joint letter from Barrie Dallas Grenell, Jessica Langton Andrews and Paula A. Treichler. The latter was read at the close of last night's meeting by Louise Smith. Unfortunately, that happened at a point where there was little time left for discussion.

Steering committee still taking input from villagers

YSCASC Chair Jerome Borchers reviews the results of one of
the breakout groups at last night's community forum.

Members of the Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee were careful to assure the 100 or so attendees at last night's open forum that the group has been making progress. But the questions they were asking sounded very much like the queries they posed two years ago when the group launched its effort to create a center for the village's many artists that would also be a driver for economic development.

The issue the committee is faced with now, Chair Jerome Borchers told the gathering, is how to achieve the greatest good for the most people with limited resources. No mention was made of the property on Dayton Street, on which the group recently purchased an option, and it was clear that the committee is still looking for a location, and still wondering what a center for the arts should look like.

It was also clear that the closing of Antioch College and the subsequent effort to revive it had become significant factors to be considered by the group. Initially, there was the loss of access to facilities that were being used for the performing arts; now, the group has to consider what kind of interaction there will be with a new Antioch, if the Antioch College Continuation Corporation actually closes on the deal to purchase the college on Aug. 31. AC3 Chief Transition Officer Matthew Derr was in the audience, but was not one of the speakers.

The meeting broke up into five breakout groups, dance, theater, music, visual and media arts, and one for others. The questions posed to them were: "What do we need?" and "What do we want?" The responses weren't very different from what they were two years ago, but perhaps, tempered by the reality of the current economic crisis.

Also speaking at the event was Anita Brown, President of the Yellow Springs Arts Council, who talked about YSAC's reorganization and its long range goals. YSAC will be holding an open event at the Emporium at 7:00 p.m. on July 30, she said.

Peifer Orchards hurting for peaches this year

John Peifer, who owns a local orchard on US 68 just north of town, was quoted in an Associated Press article on the perils of peach purveyors this year as saying, "No one has peaches." Peifer lost three acres of peaches due to a freeze in January.

AP: Ohio peach crop won't be very peachy this year

Rocky & Pee Wee: Deja vu all over again

Center for the Arts Community Forum tonight

Hi Arts Friends!

I wanted to take a minute to ask you all to make sure you seriously consider filling out the Center for the Arts Survey in the paper this week and attend the Center for the Arts meeting this Wednesday, July 22 from 7-9pm at the First Presbyterian Church, and help advocate for performance/art space needs in the community.

As the process for the Center for the Arts has moved forward, it has been very unsure if the Center would have the ability to provide a range of spaces for the performing arts, opting to focus mainly on a performing space. This meeting and the questionnaire are an opportunity to make a collective voice heard. Most people would look at a facility plan and assume if it has a stage and wings, it is providing the space resources for the performing arts. We in the performing arts know that is only the crown. To provide adequate programming, a vibrant center should have rehearsal studios, classrooms, and ideally set and costume build spaces and storage. And those spaces would serve the arts not just the performing arts. Even if one building doesn't have all those facility needs together, an overall facility plan included in the fundraising and endowment plan to provide for those spaces is critical. Those other spaces make it possible to meet the needs of youth programming, create a vibrant adult theatre, offer a full array of performing arts classes (music, vocal, theatre, dance) and create new programming in design. Just think about how these spaces could spin up a whole new variety of vibrant arts, including performing. With a plan and appropriate fundraising for these spaces, the Center for the Arts would be full of activity all the time, not just for performances. And the facilities to prepare those performances would be in place. It would give the performing and other arts a backbone that we have never had. We are a can do arts comunity that has made do with inadequate or partial facilities for too long. Burdened with always making do has probably cost us in ways we are not even aware of. How will we attract outside visitors or participants if we are always making do? How do we leverage more resources if we are always making do? Having professional spaces to create, educate, and represent our art is the key. A performing only building will be good, but we will continue to struggle to become vibrant without the pre-performance art spaces.

We could become a premiere arts community. If we are going to fundraise for a facility in this small village, the plan and funding should include arts spaces that can function for multi-use pre-performance and arts educational needs. Let's not let this opportunity only give us some of what we need. We have been doing that for too long. Please stand up and make your voice heard. The key to the Center for the Arts process is many voices lobbying for pre-performance and art space needs accounted for in the plan. Let's not make a mistake about this opportunity. YSKP has been working very hard to develop the capacity to provide some of those other space needs, but it is a big community need for our small organization to provide. With a collective performing arts center that also provides complementary spaces for perfomance needs, our arts community will have the capacity to leverage up the arts in a whole new way. Do not be side-tracked by the argument we have to choose, prioritize. We need to ask for a bigger pie, not carve up a small pie. It will be expensive anyway. Why not get what we really need? And get full community support.

Please fill out the survey and attend of you can. Unfortunately, I will be out of town! Help me, help us. See Jill Becker's invitation.

Thank you for your support of the performing arts in Yellow Springs.

Lisa Hunt

Related post: Center for the Arts Steering Committee public event Weds. night

WYSO mortgage crisis call in show July 23

WYSO Hosts Live Call-In Show

"My House - Facing the Mortgage Crisis"

WYSO Public Radio hosts a Live Call-In Broadcast on Thursday, July 23rd at 7pm.

This is the second of three call-in shows addressing foreclosures and mortgage issues in the Miami Valley.

This Thursday's program will concentrate on "What are your options?" "There are many confusing ideas floating about," says Aileen LeBlanc, producer of the series; "And an option that might be valuable for someone who has just gotten behind on their mortgage payments, may not be a good choice for someone who has already received foreclosure papers. We want to help sort all this out. And we want to hear about the experiences people in our communities are going through."

Expert guests will be Kerri Brammer, Home Ownership Center Manager with the Neighborhood Housing Partnership of Greater Springfield and Alfred Patterson, Community Outreach Counselor with County Corp of Dayton. The show will be hosted by Emily McCord.

Listeners may call 1-800-776-0090 or send e-mail questions to news@wyso.org subject line "mortgage."
Information about the mortgage crisis is available at wyso.org.

For More Information, please contact
Aileen LeBlanc at 937-767-9223 or
aileenleblanc@hotmail.com

Back issues of Poultry Broadside now available online

From Sept. 2005 to April 2006, my commercial alter-ego, Gunch Press, published eight issues of a poetry broadside titled Poultry Broadside. For those who don't know what a poetry broadside is, it is a brochure containing a few poems, usually from one poet as a sampling of his or her work. In this case, each issue contained about eight poems from different poets and every issue had one poem having something to do with chickens. It was a mini-zine with a feathery bent.

This all came back to me after an exchange I had at a faculty reading at this year's Antioch Writers' Workshop with Kate Gale, a fine poet, teacher of poetry, and the editor, of all things, of Red Hen Press. Ms. Gale made the bold statement that one of the things she tells her college poetry students is that in her class they are not allowed to write poems about chickens. I filed my protest in the Q&A that followed. Later we met in the lobby and, in the course of explaining our selves better, we found that we had something in common - a backyard flock. But I digress...

My idea for Poultry Broadside was that I would solicit poetry from the usual suspects, writers I had published in the past, then distribute the issues for free in the local coffee houses, hoping that it would catch on and local writers would start submitting poetry. I wanted it to be a local thing. But as often happens with poets, things got out of hand. Once the word got out on the Internet that there was a new poetry zine starting up, I started getting submissions from all over the world. I am sometimes given to hyperbole, but this time I am not kidding.

Needless to say, I did not lack for material, except in one department - chicken poems. I had to beg, borrow and steal. I searched the Internet, and if I found something good, I would plead for permission to use it. Sometimes, I was actually turned down. One time I even had my request hand delivered to a creative writing teacher at a college in North Carolina by a local who was headed that way (the poet had not responded to my emails).

All this added up to a lot of hard work and expense. And after each issue was distributed by hand delivery to Dino's, The Mermaid, and The Emporium, I would wait for some response. Nothing. Not a word. Only four local poets deigned to grace me with their work. After eight issues, I asked my self, "Why am I doing this?" And so, like every other poetry zine I have ever heard of, I folded my tent and slogged off to obscurity, until the Blog, that is.

Years later, when I would mention Poultry Broadside, people would say, "Oh, you're the one that did that! I really liked it. Why did you ever stop?" At least a dozen people have told me that I should start it up again. They have no idea how much hard work is involved in even a small publication like that. So much hard work, so little appreciation... Unlike the Blog, I was getting no feedback. And that may simply boil down to the difference between print publications and the Internet.

For the longest time, I had no way of uploading Poultry Broadside to a retrievable site on the Internet, so they could be linked to one of my blogs. Just yesterday, I finally set up a rudimentary Webpage for Gunch Press and was able to upload the original eight issues to it. It isn't much. I used to have a regular Webpage years ago, before Javascript. A web designer I am not. I only know how to work with HTML and eschew the use of Webpage software. As I figure it out, it will get better. The important thing is the links to the eight Poultry Broadside issues are all there on the Gunch Press Website.

Some of my favorite Poultry Broadside poems:

PB No. 1 - Janet Bernichon - "1968" - Ben Hiatt - "Rooting for the Rooster"
PB No. 2 - Didi Menendez - "Kennedy's Son Is Dead"
PB No. 3 - Richard Dinges - "The Next Friend" - David Chorlton - "Survivors"
PB No. 4 - Jane Mead - "Passing a Truck Full of Chickens at Night on Highway Eighty"
PB No. 5 - John Korn - "you were asleep" - Alan Catlin - "Sylvia Plath in the Fog"
PB No. 6 - Alan Catlin - "A Summer Evening Still Life with Hand Grenade, Utica, N.Y. 1970"
PB No. 7 - Raindog - "The Chicken Dance" - Lee Clark Zumpe - "through the window at 2 a.m."
PB No. 8 - Ed Galing - "Elvis"

Bakari girlfriend gets probation - agrees to testify

The Springfield News - Sun reported yesterday that Chelsie Hornsburger, girlfriend of alleged drug kingpin Iddi Bakarai, who committed suicide while awaiting extradition to Ohio in an Atlanta jail last year, has been sentenced to five years of community control and a ten year suspended sentence. In exchange for her guilty plea, she has promised to testify against the remaining defendants in the case, which involved distribution of marijuana and cocaine in Yellow Springs and Columbus. She pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Springfield News-Sun: Former drug fugitive's girlfriend gets probation

Center for the Arts Steering Committee public event Weds. night

The Yellow Springs Center for the Arts Steering Committee invites you to a gathering on Wednesday, July 22nd, 7-9pm at the First Presbyterian Church in Yellow Springs.

The YSCA will provide an update of its work so far and will continue the process of assessing venue spaces and the operational sustainability of a future arts center. The gathering will also be an opportunity for attendees to provide information and share perspectives.

A potential user questionnaire is included as an insert in the most recent edition of the Yellow Springs News, and additional copies will be available at the meeting or online at www.yscenterforthearts.org. This questionnaire will help the YSCA to determine the general space needs of a facility or facilities, create an inventory of prospective activities, and forecast the operational sustainability of a future arts center. Please fill out the questionnaire and bring it to the meeting, where we will share ideas and gather information specific to our disciplines.

Completed questionnaires may also be dropped in the return box at The Emporium, or mailed to the YSCASC, PO Box 543, Yellow Springs, OH 45387, for receipt by July 24. For more information, email ysartscenter@gmail.com.

Bench to Nowhere: Council debates Comprehensive Plan

A Cool Town Toon

YS track meet Thursday night to feature Borchers, GunderKline twins

Villagers have rarely had the opportunity to see local middle distance star Sam Borchers run since he went off to Penn State. And while we have had plenty of opportunities to watch the GunderKline twins, Jake and Brock, run locally, they are about to head off to Goshen College in Indiana in a few weeks. Thursday night, starting with field events at 5:30 and track events at 6:30, the Miami Valley Track Club will hold its 19th Annual All-Comers Meet on the Yellow Springs High School track featuring Borchers and the GunderKlines. No surprise there, since Vince Peters, YSHS Athletic Director and Track Coach, is also the Head Coach of the club.

Borchers is a past Big Ten 1500 meter champion, Jake GunderKline is a nationally ranked race walker and Brock GunderKline was the lone Bulldog to advance to the state meet this year after finishing third in the regionals in the 800 meters.

The meet will also feature other top performers from around the Miami Valley and a variety of events for kids. The entry fee is $4.00 on the day of the meet and registration begins at 5:00 p.m. Entry forms are available on-line on the Miami Valley Track Club's web site.

Paige takes it to the Netherlands

Harvey Paige, frequent letter writer to the YS News, especially about the jet noise that has been plaguing the village, wrote in to the Blog last week:

"...if you want to see the somewhat limited documentation on the Dutch jet noise opposition, I now have it posted at http://web.me.com/hpaige/Stop_Jet_Noise. Because there is nothing else at my site, just http://web.me.com/hpaige defaults to the same page. A lot of work remains to be done on it, but I am going to Holland to have some peace and quiet! I have tried to get a meeting with one of the Green Party representatives, but so far I have had no luck. Oh well, I will salve my hurt feelings with some biking in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland."

As I have noted before, Paige has done his research on the subject of our local (foreign) F-16s, so a visit to his page is informative.

Rocky and Pee Wee: The invasion of the evil gourd

The annual problem: What to do with all that zucchini

A relative brings over a giant zucchini. We cut it in half and give part of it to a friend. The next day someone gives the friend a zucchini - she gives it to us. We give one from our own garden to one of our neighbors. She acts happy - says she's going to make zucchini bread. As we leave via her back door, we notice that the vines in her garden are loaded with the evil gourd. "I bet she gives it away," I tell Amy. "It might even come back to us in a day or two."

Why do we go through this every year? Why do we plant so much zucchini? Do we miss the Christmas re-gifting ritual that much that we had to come up with our own summer version?

When my parents sold their house in suburban New York and moved to a condo in Florida, my mother missed her zucchini terribly. She used to eat the flowers. She breaded them in flour and egg and fried them in olive oil. They were delicious. It's an Italian thing... For some reason, you can only eat the female flowers. I could never tell which was which.

After my father died, she begged us to grow zucchini, so she could eat the flowers when she would come to visit. I resisted for years. People were giving us zucchini until it was coming out our ears, I would remind Amy every time the subject came up. Mom is gone now and I feel sorry that we never planted zucchini while she was alive. We have it now, however. And people are still still giving it to us. I should eat the flowers, but I wouldn't want to mistakenly eat a male.

Fortunately, we have some extra help this year. Allen Street Al, our resident ground hog, has developed a taste for the young gourds. And then there is always zucchini bread and a host of other recipes to reduce the supply. Good luck - and don't bring me a zucchini.

Zucchini recipes on the Food Network

P.S. Watch out - the killer tomatoes are never far behind!

Bench to Nowhere: Senior apartment project on hold gives us time to think

A Cool Town Toon

Did you read Bill Bebko's letter in the News this week? An interesting proposition: He thinks the village and Friends Care should swap properties, the Barr Property for the village owned Beatty-Hughes Park. Beatty-Hughes Park? His point exactly. The park on Corry Street, close to downtown, is little-known and less-used. It butts up against the parking lot on Kieth's Alley, which could provide easy access to the Senior Center from the senior apartments if they were built there. Meanwhile, wouldn't it be great to have a park in the center of town; take down that fence; knock down that old house (or move it), put up a gazebo?

Unfortunately, Bebko's proposition was never reached at the last Council meeting due to the long and sometimes stormy conversation about the Comprehensive Plan.

The Blog is inviting readers to weigh in on this by commenting on this post. Just click on the comments link below this post. If there is sufficient interest, we will conduct a poll.

Local banker wins award

Don't let that cheerful exterior fool you. Inside Katie Shattuck beats the heart of a business woman. Shattuck, the friendly, outgoing personal banker at the Yellow Springs Branch of US Bank, was recently recognized as the top-performing banker in the bank's Dayton District for the first quarter of 2009.

Portland is so uncool!

Dave Chappelle can walk down the street in Yellow Springs and barely anyone will notice. He is just another Springer out for a stroll. But when Dave shows his face in public in Portland Oregon, thousands show up. Why is that? Well, it's probably because Yellow Springs is one of the ten coolest small towns in America, according to a Budget Travel magazine article last October. And Portland - not cool...

Check this out on Oregon Live.Com: Dave Chappelle's surprise show demonstrates power of social networking




Video on the Dayton Daily News site: ‘Davestock 2009’ Chappelle stages surprise concert

Weekend Events Schedule from the Chamber

Friday Fling Weekend in the Springs

Friday, July 17

· Gallery Opening at The Art Space at 108 Dayton - Amorette Dye - Bento Japanese Food Art

· Explore our distinctive shops; many are open until 9:00 pm and later.

· Live Music at King’s Yard MarketPlace

· The Emporium wine tasting and live music at 6:30 from Grace Adele

· Movies at the Little Art Theatre at 7 pm & 9 pm

· Friday Night at the Library! Video Games – 6-8 pm

· Folk Dancing at the Bryan Center - Canceled

· Sunrise Café Martini Bar & Tapas from 9:30 pm - 2:30 am

· Beer Making Demo at Main Squeeze, 7:30 - 9:30 pm

· P.T. Cruiser Parade – see the tricked out cars as they parade through downtown after dark

· Soul Fire Tribe - fire dancing, twirling and drumming

· Doctor Meat at Peach's Grill starting at 10 pm with a modest cover charge

· YS Kids Playhouse presents “A Price to Pay – Before Bond Became 007”
Performance at 7:30 at the Antioch Amphitheatre

Late addition: Readings by selected Antioch Writer's Workshop participants at 7:00 p.m at Antioch University McGregor in the National City Auditorium.

Saturday, July 18

· PT Cruiser Car Show at Young’s 10/6 Km Walk Event and 26 Km Bike Event in Memory of Michael Peirano.

· 10am Glen Helen Art in the Atrium: John Pyles

· 11am Heartstrings at Kings Yard

· 1pm SIZE DOES MATTER” artist trading card workshop

· 6pm Glen Helen Everything Edible & Useful Plant Walk

· 7:30 pm YSKP A PRICE TO PAY

· 8pm Bill Holster at 100 Corry St. Music-Blues, Jazz Country Funk

· 10pm Peach's Grill-The Black Owls

Late addition: Saturday at 1:30pm the Little Art's kids' matinee will present Dr. Doolittle: Million Dollar Mutts. There's no charge for admission, but a $4 donation is suggested.

Sunday, July 19

· Hiking, Biking, Shopping, Dining

· PT Cruiser Car Show at Young’s

· 7:30 pm YSKP A PRICE TO PAY

And don’t forget about Yellow Springs Street Fair, October 10

Wright State Physicians: More details begin to flow in

Starting on August 1, some 4,000 patients of the Wright State Physicians practice in Yellow Springs will be directed to the main entrance on the east side of Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia. They will be told to look for Suite 1 on the ground floor near radiology and the information desk, the Dayton Daily News reported yesterday.

The move to Greene Memorial is expected to be completed by July 31. Thereafter, the old building in Yellow Springs will be demolished, with vague hopes of rebuilding some time in the future. It has been estimated that close to $3 million would have to be raised for the new construction.

This story was first reported on the Blog on June 10, based on information from an undisclosed reliable source. At that time officials of the practice did not return my calls. The move was later confirmed when the Blog obtained a copy of the letter that was being sent to patients informing them of the move.

Dayton Daily News: Physicians moving to a new location

Related posts:

Village about to take another big economic hit

Wright State Physicians moved confirmed

MTFR testing burning cars

Firefighters from Miami Township Fire and Rescue set three cars on fire on the Morris Bean property Monday to test the toxicity of the fumes.

Xenia Daily Gazette: Firefighters set cars ablaze for study

AWW's Tuesday night faculty reading

Last night's Writers' Workshop faculty readers - clockwise from top left: Ralph Keyes (nonfiction), Kate Gale (editor/poetry), signing books, Zakes Mda (fiction).

The free evening events open to the public will continue on Thursday, July 16, at 7:00 p.m. with faculty readers Nancy Pinard, Randy McNutt, and Crystal Wilkinson; Friday, July 17, 7:00 p.m.—Readings by selected AWW participants. All evening events are being held at Antioch University McGregor in the National City Auditorium.

Tonight at 7:00 p.m. there will be a wine-tasting and readings at the Emporium.

We've got a 3rd Friday coming up this week

July 17

• Gallery Opening at The Art Space at 108 Dayton - Amorette Dye - Bento Japanese Food Art
• Explore our distinctive shops; many are open until 9:00 pm and later.
• Live Music at King’s Yard MarketPlace
• The Emporium wine tasting and live music at 6:30 from Grace Adele
• Movies at the Little Art Theatre at 7 pm & 9 pm
• Friday Night at the Library! Video Games – 6-8 pm
• Folk Dancing at the Bryan Center - Canceled
• Sunrise Café Martini Bar & Tapas from 9:30 pm - 2:30 am
• Beer Making Demo at Main Squeeze, 7:30 - 9:30 pm
• P.T. Cruiser Parade – see the tricked out cars as they parade through downtown after dark
• Soul Fire Tribe - fire dancing, twirling and drumming
• Doctor Meat at Peach's Grill starting at 10 pm with a modest cover charge
  
• YS Kids Playhouse presents “A Price to Pay – Before Bond Became 007”
  Performance at 7:30 at the Antioch Amphitheatre

AWW Monday night reading

Left to right: Last night's faculty readers at the Antioch Writers' Workshop's free evening event included Nahid Rachlin (memoir), Ed Davis (poetry) and Mary Grimm (fiction).

The free evening events open to the public will continue tonight at 7:00 p.m. with more readings by Ralph Keyes, John Drury and Zakes Mda; Thursday, July 16, 7:00 p.m.—Nancy Pinard, Randy McNutt, Crystal Wilkinson; Friday, July 17, 7:00 p.m.—Readings by selected AWW participants. All evening events are being held at Antioch University McGregor in the National City Auditorium.

Thursday at 7:00 p.m. there will be a wine-tasting and readings at the Emporium.

Cordell pleads guilty in Harris killing

Phillip Cordell pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Yellow Springs resident Timothy Harris today and was sentenced to five years in prison. Cordell was scheduled to start trial, but entered into a last minute plea agreement.

Xenia Daily Gazette: Man pleads guilty to killing of friend

Dayton Daily News: Yellow Springs killer agrees to plea deal

WHIO-TV: Murder Suspect Enters Surprise Plea

WHIO-Radio: Man Accused Of Killing Friend With Ashtray To Serve 5 Years