Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert Rusu for winning the Meritorious Service Award from the Ohio Association of Probate Judges recently. Members of the group also voted Rusu vice president of the organization for the coming year. The association works to educate judges, magistrates, deputy clerks and court investigators in Ohio on probate matters and promotes legislation that advances best practices in probate law. We've long known that Rusu -- now in his 10th year on that bench -- has served the court with distinction. We're pleased the rest of the state now recognizes as much as well.

ONION: To Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley, who parked his marked YFD SUV in the fire lane at Youngstown's Amedia Plaza senior citizen highrise for more than two hours this week while he attended a city meeting. The SUV is an official fire vehicle, so parking along the brightly painted yellow curb might be technically legal. Still, we doubt meeting attendance was the intent of fire lane parking restrictions. And when asked by our reporter, Finley refused to answer whether parking there for meeting attendance was legal or appropriate.

ORCHID: To Youngstown State University's Concrete Canoe Team and YSU's Steel Bridge Team for superlative performances in recent national competitions. The bridge team, made up of civil engineering students, placed second in the National Steel Bridge Competition at the University of California - San Diego. Similarly, the canoe team placed second in the American Society of Civil Engineers Concrete Canoe Championships earlier this month at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. These prizes bring honor to the team and its members and reinforce the long-standing stellar reputation of YSU's engineering program.

ORCHID: To the Western Reserve Port Authority for taking new steps to restore sorely needed commercial airline service to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. The authority last week filed an application to the Small Community Air Service Development Program on behalf of Mahoning and Trumbull counties seeking a $500,000 federal grant to establish six-plus weekly flights between YNG and a major hub airport, preferably Chicago O'Hare. The Mahoning Valley's lack of commercial passenger flights in the face of growing economic development should make it a perfect candidate for grant approval.

ONION: To slimy individuals responsible for a recent rash of thefts in Hubbard and Hubbard Township. Township officials this week said thefts of lawn equipment, tractors, pickup trucks and other items have escalated in recent weeks. Recent mayhem also includes vandalism, such as knocking over portable restrooms at city parks. We urge police to continue beefed-up patrols and investigations to capture the hooligans. We also urge residents to ensure doors on parked cars and trucks always are locked.

ORCHID: To all participants in last weekend's Mahoning-Columbiana Relay For Life at DeBartolo Commons in Boardman for taking steps to lessen the scope of America's biggest killer after heart disease. Some 20 teams raised $42,000 for the ongoing battle to fight cancer. Though the crowds at Relays are smaller than those before the COVID-19 pandemic, the passion to reach a future free of cancer remains just as strong as ever.

ORCHID: To the Youngstown Board of Control for voting to reclaim a prime property on Glenwood Avenue for redevelopment. The board, consisting of Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Law Director Jeff Limbian and Finance Director Kyle Miasek, voted last week to refund the $150,0000 paid in March 2018 by ONE Ohio Health to purchase the former Bottom Dollar grocery store for use as a community medical center. In more than five years, precious little has been done by the agency to renovate and open the center. Now that the Glenwood Avenue corridor near the former Idora Park has undergone a significant commercial renaissance, the board acted responsibly to begin the process to turn this white elephant into a viable community asset.

ONION: To the Ohio Supreme Court for permitting an ill-advised, overly costly and undoubtedly low-turnout special election to proceed Aug. 8 in the state. The state Legislature several months back outlawed August special elections, but this spring broke its own law by approving the summer election for a statewide issue to increase the margin of victory from a simple majority to 60 percent for citizen initiatives to amend the state Constitution. Though the aim of the state issue is one we have strongly supported, the timing of it remains indefensible.

ORCHID: To the Rev. James Korda, recipient of the 2023 Gabriel Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2023 Catholic Media Conference in Baltimore. Throughout his career as priest and telecommunications leader in the Diocese of Youngstown, Korda established the Catholic Television Network of Youngstown and Ecumenical Television Channel. We second Youngstown Bishop David Bonnar's praises of the award winner: "Father Korda is a media icon in Youngstown and respected both nationally and right here at home as a priest and communicator."

Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To the Rev. Vincent DeLucia, pastor of St. Dominic Church in Youngstown, other religious leaders and parishioners of the church on the 100th anniversary this year of the parish's founding. St. Dominic has long been a religious landmark on the city's South Side and has survived unfavorable demographic trends such as mass migration outside of Youngstown to remain a vibrant force in its community and beyond. Friars at the Dominican church often travel to Midwest communities to establish mission churches. Closer to home, more than 750 families continue as members of one of the Valley's most resilient and active Catholic churches.

ORCHID: To Premier Bank of Youngstown for its recent donation of copper-and-wood printing blocks and a complete 1963 U.S. Department of Defense sanitation kit to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. The artifacts from the basement of the building formerly occupied by the Home Savings and Loan Co. will add new dimensions to the MVHS collection, particularly on the degree of preparedness Valley businesses took for a nuclear attack during the Cold War era. The gift also should serve as a catalyst for other longstanding businesses in the area to consider MVHS donations of their own historic artifacts.

ONION: To party planners and party-goers who turn what should be a festive time into troublemaking and sometimes tragic violence. The examples of such cases abound in our area recently. In Boardman, a house party that attracted hundreds disturbed the peace of a residential neighborhood with loud, vulgar music and cars clogging streets. In Warren, 15 squad cars had to be called to a northwest side convenience store where a birthday party for a 13-year-old turned into a group fight. In nearby New Castle, Pa., a high school graduation party in a park became a killing field when a teenager was shot to death there. As a first step toward controlling crowds, party hosts must make it crystal clear to all attendees that no weapons and no violent behavior will be tolerated.

ORCHID: To JoAnn Stock for taking on -- with gusto -- the responsibility of relaunching Leadership Mahoning Valley and developing a new Center for Nonprofit Excellence in the Mahoning Valley, both housed within the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber. LMV has been dormant the past three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its absence has left a void in critical training for up-and-coming young professionals to develop stalwart leadership skills. The new nonprofit center holds great promise for success in its mission to support and offer professional development and resources to nonprofit. Both groups are blessed to have the longstanding nonprofit expertise of Stock at their helm.

ORCHID: To Chuck Colucci, Canfield city police chief and acting city manager, for receiving the 2023 Rotary Vocational Service Excellence Award from the Canfield Rotary Club recently. The award recognizes non-Rotarians who through their interest, drive and zeal achieve highly in their profession and who pursue their profession with integrity and character. Colucci has met and exceeded those qualities through his double duty as city manager over the past 10 months without additional compensation. As Canfield Rotarian Sieglinde Warren so aptly said, "These acts of service demonstrated Chief Colucci's love and dedication to the city of Canfield."

ORCHID: To Agent Insurance Services of Boardman and Salem for going above and beyond the call of duty in patriotism and community service. The agency gave away brand new American flags in exchange for weathered, tattered flags that citizens brought to the business on Flag Day earlier this week. In addition, Agent Insurance Services properly retired the used flags through the Operation Flags of Freedom program. Such respect and reverence for Old Glory merit commendation.

editorial@vindy.com

Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To the Austintown Fitch High School softball team for making school history by winning the Division I state championship in Akron last weekend. The stellar squad made quick work of opponent Anthony Wayne High 6-1 in the title game. That's not surprising given the team's superlative play throughout the season, not losing one of its 24 games, allowing only 30 total runs and snagging 15 shutouts. The golden achievement brings pride to the team, the school and the Austintown community. Orchid, too, to the Canfield Cardinals softball team that finished as the highly respectable runner-up in the Division II state championship.

ORCHID: To the Mahoning Valley's first-place state track champions: Youngstown's Valley Christian boys 4X100 relay team, Maplewood High junior's Caleigh Richards in the 3,200 meters (her third state title) and Connor Durig, Howland High School senior who took the gold in the high jump. Many other Valley track and field standouts, too numerous to single out here, placed in the Top 10 finalists among hundreds of competitors statewide. All serve as exemplary role models for endurance, hard work and success. Bravo!

ONION: To Youngstown City Schools Superintendent Justin Jennings for giving the board of education and the local community only three weeks notice of his planned June 30 departure. Concerns surrounding Jennings' management of the school district during COVID and questionable allocation of funds and spending have arisen, and at many meetings in which it was discussed, Jennings was noticeably absent. Suddenly, he announced his resignation, but didn't bother to respond to multiple media requests -- including those by this newspaper -- about the reason. He owes an explanation to the taxpayers that have been paying his high-level six-figure salary for years.

ORCHID: To Chorbishop Anthony S. Spinosa for reaching a milestone 40 years in the priesthood recently. Spinosa, pastor of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, celebrated the anniversary with a special Mass at the shrine. Twenty of those years have been in service at the North Jackson shrine. He has overseen well the understated shrine where thousands of pilgrims from throughout the world congregate for pilgrimages. We are certain the chorbishop will continue to watch over the holy shrine, the only Maronite basilica of the blessed mother outside of Lebanon for years and years to come.

ORCHID: To the army of 730 volunteers who staked out downtown Youngstown and its gateway areas last weekend to clean up and add color to the urban landscape with thousands of freshly planted flowers, shrubs and plants. They took part in the annual StreetScape cleanup project sponsored by Youngstown CityScape. With perfect late spring weather, the volunteers produced aesthetically pleasing results that will endure for weeks and months to come, making the downtown even more inviting to the tens of thousands who will flock there this summer for concerts at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre and festivals on Central Square and in Wean Park.

ORCHID: To Mahoning County commissioners for listening intently to the wishes of residents of Jackson and Milton townships and then following through on keeping control of the Jackson-Milton Water District. Residents who spoke at a public forum earlier this spring were vocal in their desire to maintain the district under county jurisdiction. Even though most, if not all, won't like the large rate increase, most likely will find the cost worth the opportunity to maintain local control.

editorial@vindy.com

Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To Campbell native James Richard Vrabel and Youngstown native Mereland Lee Cook Sr. who are being honored posthumously this month for their service in the Marine Corps and Army respectively during the Vietnam War. They will be among 567 Vietnam War veterans nationwide, including 28 from Ohio, to be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund In Memory Program this month in Washington, D.C.

Vrabel grew up on Palmer Avenue and graduated from Campbell Memorial High School in 1964. He died in 2022. Cook grew up in Youngstown, moved to Detroit but returned to the city in the 1980s. He died in 2008.

We're pleased the In Memory Program, which honors Vietnam War veterans who died after their service, has recognized the valor of Vrabel and Cook.

ONION: To the Youngstown city administration, which once again is involved in a legal quagmire over the 20 Fed renovation project. The attorney for a tenant refusing to move maintains the city agreed to a year lease for 2023. The company sent a check for the year, but it never was cashed and was returned about four months later.

"We received no response from the city and all of a sudden they evicted them," the attorney told our reporter. "We've tried to work with them and said we could move the stuff to the basement for relocation."

Now the company is demanding $10,000 from the city to move its equipment. Youngstown plans legal action for eviction. This poorly handled project has been a debacle from the start.

ORCHID: To the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office for launching opposition to parole being sought by Denicholas Stoutmire. Many readers will recall the horrible 1996 killing of an innocent 3-year-old child, Jessica Ballew, on the front porch of her home during a gang shooting on Youngstown's East Side. Stoutmire was convicted of complicity to aggravated murder in the child's death, along with firearms crimes and attempted aggravated murder.

The judge sent a strong message by sentencing Stoutmire to consecutive prison terms, including a life sentence. The prosecutor is right in opposing his release.

ONION: To reckless drivers that helped trigger 22 crashes and 23 deaths on Ohio roads over Memorial Day weekend. It's true that accidents always are going to happen. That's why motorists must slow down and be especially careful and focused during holiday travels when higher-than-usual traffic can be anticipated.

ORCHID: To Boardman Local Schools and nonprofit groups RefReps and "Save Our Sport" for working together to combat the dwindling number of local referees. Boardman schools started a sports officiating pilot class to combat the trend that is drastically affecting both high school and youth sports. Along with the class, RefReps and Save Our Sport gave out a $500 grant to help pay fees and buy equipment for students hoping to make officiating a career. Bravo!

ORCHID: To Catholic Seminarians Kevin Bertleff of Cortland and William Wainio of Youngstown, scheduled to be ordained as deacons by Bishop David J. Bonnar of the Youngstown Catholic Diocese today at St. Columba Cathedral in Youngstown. This brings them one step closer to the priesthood.

Three more local deacons are scheduled to be ordained into the priesthood later this month. They are Deacon Robert England, Deacon John Rovnak and Deacon Frederick Schlueter.

The Catholic faith has struggled with dwindling numbers of new priests, as well as smaller numbers of faithful parishioners. Undoubtedly, these new deacons are needed and will be very much appreciated and welcomed.

editorial@vindy.com