Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To the local nonprofit group Youngstown Blue Coats for teaming up recently with the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities to collect coats and other means of warmth for homeless veterans and their families. Homeless veterans are a sad reality in our region, and Blue Coats is taking the help right to where they are sleeping via a donated and converted school bus. Bravo to all involved with this important mission.
ONION: To Campbell residents Cortney Kline-Carnes and Shawn Kline for their inhumane treatment of a pet pig kept in “dungeon-like” conditions in their basement. The two pleaded guilty last week to a charge of cruelty to companion animals and were ordered to serve 30 days in jail. Shame on them for thinking it was OK to treat any animal this way.
ORCHID: To the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown for participating in a virtual event that included a discussion by Holocaust survivor Erika Gold who grew up in Budapest during World War II as part of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is the responsibility of all of us to recall and never forget the horrors and war crimes of the Holocaust so that we are never destined to repeat them.
ONION: To a thief who apparently strolled into a Trumbull County Common Pleas courtroom and took two gavels and a Lady Justice statue from the chambers of brand new Common Pleas Judge Cynthia Rice. Seriously. A man was ultimately arrested with the items in his backpack. Who on earth would steal from a judge in a courthouse?
ORCHID: To Landon Lovey, a seventh-grader at Hubbard Middle School, who devoted his free time to helping build more than 60 beds for families in need. Each month, he and other volunteers with Sleep in Heavenly Peace in Youngstown travel to the homes of people in need of beds, where they build them on site. Landon, son of Amanda and Nick Lovey, was honored recently by Hubbard City Council for these incredible efforts.
ORCHID: To Weathersfield first responders. A worker at Specialty Pipe and Tube was injured recently, and within five minutes of a 911 call, emergency responders led by Weathersfield fire Chief Tom Lambert were on site administering professional medical care. They quickly assessed the situation and transported the worker to the hospital. The entire team was competent and courteous in a difficult situation. We are lucky to have these professionals available to us. (Submitted by a co-worker)
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To Youngstown State University for being awarded $896,000 from the Ohio Department of Education through its Ohio First scholarship program for use in recruiting and helping graduate students in STEM-related programs. The goal is to assist students in science, technology, engineering, math and other related fields — particularly those from underrepresented populations.
ONION: To those responsible for poor condition at the downtown Youngstown International Towers apartment building, described by some as “deplorable.” The problems include numerous criminal issues, poor living conditions and the discovery last July of a badly decomposed body. The issue was discussed by city council this week. We are hopeful a planned visit and inspection by the building’s out-of-town owners, Millennia Housing Management Ltd. of Cleveland, will resolve this problem for the mostly low-income seniors and disabled residents who live there.
ORCHID: To the Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee of the Mahoning Valley for planning and presenting this year’s three-hour MLK Day event in Youngstown themed “55 Years Later: Remembering What is Civil and Doing What is Right.” The meaningful event included speakers and roundtable discussions on important community topics including removing minority barriers and bridging gaps.
ONION: To the driver of a box truck that destroyed a pharmacy drive-thru in Liberty and then drove off without stopping. The incident occurred Monday at Rite Aid on Belmont Avenue. It’s doubtful the motorist was unaware of the damage, especially since the same truck is believed to have smashed the window of a Kia Soul at a gas station, also on Belmont.
ORCHID: To the estate of Curtis Quiggle for donating $209,600 to the Trumbull County Dog Pound, which will be put toward construction of a sorely needed new facility for the department. Quiggle died Feb. 20, 2022, at age 64. He was born in Warren but lived in West Farmington at the culmination of his life.
editorial@vindy.com
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To Struthers Police Department officers James Ritter and Louis Rossi and firefighters Rob Ditman and Scott Keures, who were honored this week for their life-saving efforts at a Dec. 21 house fire on Edison Street. Firefighters and police rescued a 12-year-old girl on the second floor. A man at the home also suffered burns. Bravo to these fine first responders for their selfless dedication to serving the community.
ONION: To George Panno, 29, of Struthers, who pleaded guilty this week to cruelty to a companion animal with a gun specification. A plea agreement calls for Panno to be sentenced to two years in prison after he shot his girlfriend’s dog named “Diesel” three times, killing it and leaving it lying in the woods. The man told police he took the dog to a rural area of Ellsworth to “get rid of it.”
ORCHID: To organizers of the annual Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival, which returned this month to St. John Episcopal Church on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. Hundreds of people helped put together the huge presentation. The popular event, which celebrates the feast of the Epiphany 12 days after Christmas, had a packed house.
ONION: To the individuals and companies who rely on illegal robocalls to identify sales leads so they can then pitch things such as purported car warranties to Ohio residents. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says many were using pre-recorded messages to misrepresent the essence of the call, in violation of Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act. Yost is suing several of them in an effort to send this message to robocallers: “Don’t call Ohioans!”
ONION: Also to other phone scammers who have been calling local residents claiming to be an attorney or representing a law enforcement officer. A foreboding and, no doubt, fake caller ID comes up as the Department of Justice of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Then scammers attempt to collect money or threaten arrest on bogus claims. Don’t become a victim! If callers attempt to collect money that they say you owe, or if they threaten legal action or possible arrest, hang up. Never give out credit card or gift card numbers or any other personal identification information.
ORCHID: To those planning to create an “innovation hub” near the Lordstown Foxconn factory. The plan is to bring together global supply-chain partners to share expertise and partner on EV and mobility projects, as well as share technologies and solutions for automakers. The intended goal is to accelerate EV innovation and also revitalize American manufacturing.
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To the Mahoning County Engineer’s office and the U.S. Economic Development Administration for a $2.4 million grant intended to improve the Mahoning Avenue Industrial Corridor in North Jackson, one of the most-traveled business roads in the county. The county is seeking state funding to assist with the $3 million local match for the project. The project is expected to spur business growth and allow commerce to move through the corridor more smoothly and safely. The upgrade will help create or retain more than 140 jobs and generate
$5 million in private investment.
ONION: To the person who placed a bomb threat on the restroom wall inside Western Reserve High School on Thursday afternoon, irresponsibly triggering a response from first responders and interrupting the education process with evacuated classrooms. After an extensive search, no explosive was found. We hope the culprits are found and prosecuted.
ORCHID: To the Boardman Spartan Swim and Dive Team for devoting time during their holiday break to community service projects. The team-building tradition included packing care closet items with the United Way to go to local families in need, a collection drive for Making Kids Count and providing coloring books and toys to young patients at Akron Children’s Hospital.
ONION: To the parents of a 4-year-old boy left alone in a vehicle in Sam’s Club parking lot for more than 30 minutes while both parents were inside the store. The Hubbard couple has been charged, and the case has been forwarded to Trumbull County Children Services for further investigation. Good. There are so many things wrong with this scenario; thankfully, a good person passing by took note and called police. Undeniably, this situation could have gotten much worse.
ORCHID: To organizers of the Shoot for a Change fundraising basketball game, created by Hubbard High School sophomore Isabella Williams to assist Potential Development High School in Youngstown, a school for autistic students. The game between student-athletes at Hubbard High School and Potential Development High School tips off at 4 p.m. today at Hubbard High School.
ONION: To Rayne Dunmire, sentenced this week to six months in jail for a cruelty to a companion animal conviction after her German shepherd was found dead in a sweltering attic closet in a South Side home in July while Dunmire was on vacation for weeks. Judge Scott Krichbaum appeared unmoved by her explanation and held her responsible for this horribly inhumane act.
editorial@vindy.com