Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To leaders of Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and donors to its successful campaign to build a 10,000-square-foot addition to its warehouse on Salt Springs Road in Youngstown. The addition, which opened last week, will help the food bank meet its continually growing demand for assistance throughout Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. It also will serve as a vital resource for emergencies or disasters, thanks to Second Harvest’s partnerships with Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency and Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley. The massive increase in space ensures the food bank will be able to continue for the long term its noble mission of assisting the hungry in our midst.
ORCHID: To Jenny Kennedy, the matriarch of the Marlowe family of Canfield, her daughter, grandchildren and other family members, for carrying out a community assistance campaign yearly for the past decade. This year their Lemonade Stand Fundraiser raised more than $11,000 to benefit Best Foot Forward, a program of Project MKC that provides footwear for children in need. Every year, the lemonade stand raises funds for a different deserving cause. Those who still wish to assist the Marlowes in their exemplary family tradition may do so through Wednesday online at www.projectmkc.org.
ORCHID: To the Hubbard Rotary Club for donating nearly an acre to the Eagle Joint Fire District earlier this month for needed expansion. Club Vice President Molly Auchter said the grouppurchased the land to help the fire department with its growing pains. Township Trustee Rick Hernandez said the land could be used to house ambulances separate from firetrucks or for other uses. We commend Hubbard Rotary for going above and beyond the credo of the worldwide service organization, which is to “provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through (the) fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders”
ORCHID: To Katie Seminara-DeToro, a native of nearby Hillsville, Pa., for besting 50 other applicants nationwide, to be selected executive director of the OH WOW! Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology in downtown Youngstown. Truth be told, DeToro’s selection was a no-brainer. She served as associate director a decade ago under founding director Suzanne Barbati and knows the operations of the facility inside and out. “OH WOW! is still a beacon of joy for the city and the greater Mahoning Valley, and it’s an honor to be trusted to lead the organization into the next decade of life-changing education,” Seminara-DeToro said. We’re confident she will shepherd OH WOW! to additional growth and stellar service to the community.
ONION: To the Ohio Department of Transportation for angering hundreds, if not thousands, of motorists this week by implementing a nearly 13-mile-long detour in Canfield. Since Monday, a milelong stretch of state Route 46 between Leffingwell and Western Reserve roads in Canfield has been closed. The ODOT-created detour takes drivers on an unplanned 12.8-mile journey along state Route 165 and U.S. Route 62. Though the culvert replacement work is commendable, surely planners could have found a slightly less taxing rerouting of traffic to lessen the anguish and frustration many motorists must have felt.
ONION: To the Trumbull County Fair leaders for not seeking arrests and prosecution for some of the dozens of unruly fair patrons who were responsible for a series of fights, at least one of which reportedly included 40 people, across the fairgrounds and its outskirts. The fights were deemed serious enough to close the fair one-half hour early on its second to last day. Though no serious injuries were reported, at least one man believed to be armed with a gun had to be escorted out of the midway. In its aftermath, fair officials said no charges were filed and none are expected to be filed. Such a nonchalant response toward a significant public disturbance of the peace is disheartening.
editorial@vindy.com
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To Mill Creek MetroParks leaders for recently launching a new mobile app for park visitors. The application is free and available for iPhone and Android devices. The app includes offline mapping and navigation, plus all kinds of fun facts about the park system. “It’s a tool users can also rely on while in the park for accurate, up-to-date information on trails, closures and recreation information throughout the MetroParks,” Jaime Yohman, community engagement director for the park district, said. We’re certain thousands will use the new app to make their visit to one of the nation’s largest natural urban parks even more enjoyable.
ORCHID: To Hynes Industries of Austintown for its recent honor as a Top Workplace in the Manufacturing Industry for 2024. The firm Top Workplaces bases its recognition solely on employee survey feedback, comparing responses from similarly sized manufacturers nationwide. This acknowledgment highlights Hynes Industries’ dedication to maintaining high standards of workplace excellence and employee satisfaction. The honor comes at a time when the company, a national leader in custom metal fabrication, is celebrating another feather in its cap: its 100th anniversary. Given its strong market placement and its award-winning employee rating, we look for Hynes to be a force in the Mahoning Valley economy for years and decades to come.
ONION: To those hooligans who get their kicks by irresponsible gunplay that risks the health and safety of innocent homeowners and bystanders. Just last week in Youngstown, a bullet fired from outside struck a microwave oven inside a home on the 500 block of West Warren Avenue on the South Side. Fortunately, in this case no one was injured by the random gunfire. All the same, we hope police apprehend the harebrained shooter or shooters and punish them to the fullest extent of the law.
ORCHID: To the Mahoning County Federation of Conservation Clubs for donating a Trackchair and trailer to Elizabeth Shank of Newton Falls. The group was inspired by the resilience and positive spirit of Shank, who was paralyzed from an auto accident nearly 30 years ago. Through a series of fundraising events that included banquets, individual donors, matching funds and a GoFundMe online fundraising initiative, the group raised the $24,000 necessary to purchase the gift for Shank. The woman showed unbridled appreciation for the community effort when receiving the chair last week. “I’ll be able to do things a lot more. I’ll be more independent to be able to do things out there in the woods,” she said. We congratulate the federation for its commitment to this most worthy cause over the past 2.5 years.
ORCHID: To Norfolk Southern for its gift of more than $25 million for upgrades and improvements to the East Palestine City Park. Enhancements planned for the park include a new aquatic center, three new playgrounds, upgraded baseball fields, a new amphitheater and more. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw came to East Palestine last weekend to help break ground for the massive project. The state-of-the-art park no doubt will play a critical role in the village’s revitalization as it becomes a centerpiece for the community’s residents and attracts visitors from throughout the Valley.
ORCHID: To our namesake rock band, The Vindys, for its success in bursting into the national music scene through its tour this summer with rock legends Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. To the delight of its Mahoning Valley and northeast Ohio fans, the 10-year-old band recently performed as opening act for Benatar and Giraldo at MGM Northfield Park in suburban Cleveland, where it wowed the crowd with its signature songs and featured its new release “Elton Glasses Baby,” which debuted this week on all streaming services. The nationwide tour no doubt will expand The Vindys growing fan base as well as continue to pay homage to the group’s hometown roots identified most honorably by its hometown newspaper.
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To a quintet of world boxing champions from Youngstown who will become the 2024 honorees on the city’s newly dedicated Walk of Fame in Wean Park downtown. At a ceremony unveiling a plaque at the entrance to the walk last week, Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said the boxers — Harry Arroyo, Jeff Lampkin, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Kelly Pavlik and Greg Richardson — will be notified officially this week they have been chosen for the prestigious honor. The boxers will join the inaugural inductees — the Grammy-winning Kool and The Gang. The Walk of Fame not only is a source of pride for inductees. It should be a source of pride for all city residents in publicizing to the world the vast wealth of talent in the past and present who hail from gritty Youngstown.
ORCHID: To Austintown fire Chief Andy Frost III for his nearly 40 years of exceptional service and leadership for the township. Frost, who plans to retire July 24, was rightly honored earlier this month at a trustees meeting. Frost, who followed in his father’s exceptional service as a township firefighter and chief, provided stellar leadership over the department’s growth and modernization. Frost also stands out for saving the township millions of dollars during his tenure by securing state and federal grants to purchase trucks, equipment and supplies. As Trustee Monica Deavers aptly put it, “I want to congratulate you first, on the many years of dedication and service and leadership. They will have a lasting impact on our community.”
ORCHID: To Mahoning County commissioners, the Western Reserve Port Authority and state Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, for their cooperative work to green-light one of the most significant projects for military veterans in the Mahoning Valley in decades. Commissioners and the port authority are working to transform a 22,000-square-foot A&P grocery store into a comprehensive Valley center for a wide variety of veterans services. It will include a secure client intake center, conference rooms, office space for one-on-one support services, event hall and other amenities. It will be conveniently located next door to the Carl Nunziato Veterans Affairs clinic. For his critical role, Cutrona ensured funding totaling $650,000 for the project was included in this year’s state capital budget.
ONION: To the Girard Board of Education for ratifying a new contract with the district’s teachers that grants them an 18.5% pay increase over the next three years: 6% in 2024, 6% in 2025 and 6.5% in 2026. According to Interim Girard Schools Treasurer Stacy Foster, the cost to the district for the pay increases will be $1.9 million over the contract. According to the National Education Association, the yearly salary increase for American teachers last year averaged at 2.6%. And even though teachers certainly merit pay raises for their hard work and to account for inflation, and even though the district asserts it is in sound financial shape, the raises granted likely will leave a bad taste in the mouth of school district taxpayers. Many likely will easily recall the unconscionable $461,000 yearly pay the board misguidedly granted its former treasurer who recently resigned.
ORCHID: To the Ohio Public Works Commission for last week awarding Mahoning Valley counties and communities millions of dollars for important infrastructure projects. As examples, Mahoning County was awarded $1.17 million for its Mahoning Avenue Industrial Corridor Upgrade project and $900,000 for its Boardman Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades. Youngstown received $658,571 for improvements to Mahoning Avenue as well as $543,000 for Industrial Road improvements. The awards result from comprehensive reviews and scoring by a state panel of experts to ensure the projects funded rank among the most critically needed in the state. They also represent an example of our state tax dollars truly at work.
ORCHID: To the students from Canfield and Ursuline high schools who were honored as representatives to Buckeye Girls State and Buckeye Boys State this summer. The students chosen by American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary members in Canfield included Mackenzie Sambroak of Ursuline and these Canfield High students: Addison Allen, Fallon Amedia, Lauren Smallwood, Emelina Pappalardo and Amir Aldi. The students were selected for their leadership, scholarship, citizenship, high moral character, achievements and awards, and extracurricular activities. They spent a week among hundreds of other outstanding high school juniors immersed in learning about how state and local governments operate. Special honors go to Emelina who was elected governor of Girls State at Bowling Green State University.
editorial@vindy.com
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To past and present clergy and parishioners of Paradise Church in Canfield for marking the church’s milestone 175th anniversary this summer. The church on New Buffalo Road, today a United Church of Christ denomination, has undergone its fair share of trials and tribulations over the decades, including a disastrous fire in 1880. Since then, it was rebuilt and remodeled many times over but the faith and fellowship upon which the church was founded remains strongly intact. We encourage all supporters of the church to attend its summer festival celebration 4 to 7 p.m. July 20 which will feature a car show led by The Mustang Club.
ONION: To those irresponsible drivers throughout the Mahoning Valley who engage in road rage antics against other motorists. In one day alone last week. Boardman police responded to three separate incidents of road rage, two of which involved guns pointed at other motorists. In most instances, the rage is sparked when one anxious driver in a rush becomes angered over what he or she perceives as slow driving or slow response to traffic signals. Most often, this anger is misplaced as the perceived slow driving is nothing more than cautious driving. In the Boardman cases, we hope police track down the culprits and punish them to the fullest extent of the law.
ORCHID: To Ken Stanislaw for his deserved reputation among residents of a proud and historic far South Side Youngstown neighborhood as the “mayor of Lansingville.” Except for brief stints away for military service and education, Stanislaw has been a lifelong resident of the neighborhood named after American Revolution hero John Lansing Jr. Stanislaw, 79, has established himself as an authority on its history and culture. He also has played strong leadership roles in the neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July parade and block watch organization. Individuals in other neighborhoods in the city and throughout the Valley would do well to emulate Stanislaw’s passion for his home turf.
ORCHID: To the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and its supporting foundations for recently awarding $1.22 million in grant awards to 61 nonprofit organizations in its second-quarter grant cycle. Dozens of community service and charitable organizations throughout our region received funding to take on valuable projects. Organizations can see grant opportunities and start their application at CFMV.org/grant-opportunities for the next round of funding, the application deadline for which is July 15. The CFMV has a praiseworthy record of achievement having delivered more than $48 million to hundreds of important local causes since 2000. The Valley is fortunate to have it.
ONION: To Norfolk Southern Railway for its failures in the immediate aftermath of the derailment of its freight train in East Palestine 17 months ago. The recently released final report from the National Transportation Safety Board harshly criticized the rail company. It called the railroad out for its decision to vent and burn five tank cars of vinyl chloride in the days following the derailment and ignoring the advice of experts on the scene. In addition, NTSB cited the “failure of Norfolk Southern and its contractors to communicate relevant expertise and dissenting opinions to the incident commander.” We hope NS has learned some valuable lessons from the calamity so that such an accident will never recur on its tracks.
ONION: To the Youngstown Board of Education for discontinuing busing to high school students in the district. Though we can understand the difficulties the district – like all districts in the state – have faced because of a bus driver shortage, the action to slam the brakes on district-sponsored busing has potential to create safety and educational issues. Though the Western Reserve Transit Authority will transport students free of charge, the authority cannot offer the same close to home pickup and dropoff services. What’s more, the lack of close, convenient transportation could serve as just another excuse for some high schoolers to play hooky or worse yet, drop out. We hope the district will reexamine its decision.
ORCHID: To the Ohio Historic Tax Credit Program for awarding a $2 million award toward the preservation and renovation of the Huntington National Bank Building, originally known as the Mahoning National Bank Building, in downtown Youngstown. The funding will help to finance the work to remake the 114-year-old 13-story structure into 71 residential units on its top nine floors. Given the pending demolition of the 13-story historic Realty Tower across the street as a result of the May 28 explosion, the Huntington project will ensure that another downtown landmark will not fall into decay and leave another embarrassing void on the city’s proud Central Square.
ORCHID: To the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber for sponsoring a recent “fly-in” to Washington, D.C., in which 95 representatives from the Mahoning Valley met with a coterie of U.S. senators, representatives, Biden administration officials and other federal leaders. There, they lobbied effectively for essential funding for many public services, infrastructure projects and other initiatives to benefit growth in the Mahoning Valley. We are certain those representatives made a strong impression on influential policymakers in the nation’s capital that will reap long-lasting dividends for our region.
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To leaders of Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and donors to its successful campaign to build a 10,000-square-foot addition to its warehouse on Salt Springs Road in Youngstown. The addition, which opened last week, will help the food bank meet its continually growing demand for assistance throughout Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. It also will serve as a vital resource for emergencies or disasters, thanks to Second Harvest’s partnerships with Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency and Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley. The massive increase in space ensures the food bank will be able to continue for the long term its noble mission of assisting the hungry in our midst.
ORCHID: To Jenny Kennedy, the matriarch of the Marlowe family of Canfield, her daughter, grandchildren and other family members, for carrying out a community assistance campaign yearly for the past decade. This year their Lemonade Stand Fundraiser raised more than $11,000 to benefit Best Foot Forward, a program of Project MKC that provides footwear for children in need. Every year, the lemonade stand raises funds for a different deserving cause. Those who still wish to assist the Marlowes in their exemplary family tradition may do so through Wednesday online at www.projectmkc.org.
ORCHID: To the Hubbard Rotary Club for donating nearly an acre to the Eagle Joint Fire District earlier this month for needed expansion. Club Vice President Molly Auchter said the grouppurchased the land to help the fire department with its growing pains. Township Trustee Rick Hernandez said the land could be used to house ambulances separate from firetrucks or for other uses. We commend Hubbard Rotary for going above and beyond the credo of the worldwide service organization, which is to “provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through (the) fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders”
ORCHID: To Katie Seminara-DeToro, a native of nearby Hillsville, Pa., for besting 50 other applicants nationwide, to be selected executive director of the OH WOW! Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology in downtown Youngstown. Truth be told, DeToro’s selection was a no-brainer. She served as associate director a decade ago under founding director Suzanne Barbati and knows the operations of the facility inside and out. “OH WOW! is still a beacon of joy for the city and the greater Mahoning Valley, and it’s an honor to be trusted to lead the organization into the next decade of life-changing education,” Seminara-DeToro said. We’re confident she will shepherd OH WOW! to additional growth and stellar service to the community.
ONION: To the Ohio Department of Transportation for angering hundreds, if not thousands, of motorists this week by implementing a nearly 13-mile-long detour in Canfield. Since Monday, a milelong stretch of state Route 46 between Leffingwell and Western Reserve roads in Canfield has been closed. The ODOT-created detour takes drivers on an unplanned 12.8-mile journey along state Route 165 and U.S. Route 62. Though the culvert replacement work is commendable, surely planners could have found a slightly less taxing rerouting of traffic to lessen the anguish and frustration many motorists must have felt.
ONION: To the Trumbull County Fair leaders for not seeking arrests and prosecution for some of the dozens of unruly fair patrons who were responsible for a series of fights, at least one of which reportedly included 40 people, across the fairgrounds and its outskirts. The fights were deemed serious enough to close the fair one-half hour early on its second to last day. Though no serious injuries were reported, at least one man believed to be armed with a gun had to be escorted out of the midway. In its aftermath, fair officials said no charges were filed and none are expected to be filed. Such a nonchalant response toward a significant public disturbance of the peace is disheartening.