Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To Boardman police Sgt. Joe Olinger and Officer Breanna Jones for their heroism in saving the life of a 70-year-old man who had gone missing in the township on a scorching hot day in August. After diligently searching during their entire shift, the two found him wandering alone on a Struthers street, confused, dehydrated and in need of serious medical attention. In praising the pair, Boardman police Chief Todd Werth hit the nail on the head: "In this instance, it was something where they went above and beyond, and that's not the kind of thing the public normally sees."

ORCHID: To Nick and Ashlea Miller of Canfield for their over-the-top Halloween spirit as evidenced by their gargantuan and ghoulish display on and around their 42nd Street home. Supersized skeletons, wildly wicked witches, spooky graveyards and pumpkins galore make the Millers' residence a must-see stop on any Valley Halloween driving tour. To Nick and Ashlea's credit, their home also is a part of the Skeletons for St. Jude fundraiser for the acclaimed children's hospital. So stop by their display off Kirk Road for a Halloween treat for yourself and for the children of St. Jude.

ONION: To ElectionIQ LLC, an Akron ballot printing and distribution company, for its extremely shoddy work in handling some 22,000 absentee ballot requests from the Mahoning County Board of Elections. Several days after all of them should have been mailed to voters, elections director Tom McCabe intervened. He justly fired the company and personally oversaw the printing of the ballots and mailed them himself from Youngstown. McCabe apologized to voters who understandably were antsy about not receiving their ballots many days after the start of early voting. The real culprit, Election IQ, should do the same.

ORCHID: To the Hubbard Township Police Department for erecting a speed-radar sign that has been placed on key township roads. The sign benefits the police to alert them of speeders while also serving as a deterrent to speeding for drivers. The sign also provides important information to the township road department on usage trends on streets. With so much going for them, speed-radar signs should be considered by other Valley police departments to crack down on those traveling fast as lightning without the highly questionable practice of unstaffed speed cameras.

ONION: To those parents of children involved in organized sports who resort to harassment and sometimes violence against their sons' or daughters' coaches. Just last week, Youngstown police reported a physical assault against Carl Pelini, head coach of the Cardinal Mooney High School football team, by the parent of a player that the coach had reportedly disciplined earlier. Such out-of-control parental behavior provides precisely the wrong example for responsible conflict resolution.

ORCHID: To Girard-based VEC Inc. for its recent expansion into Tennessee with two cutting-edge projects. That move positions the national provider of electrical and general contracting services to better service its customers in the Southeast. The projects include contracting services for a new Ultium Cells battery plant in Spring Hill and for a Ford battery park plant in Memphis. With the electric vehicle battery industry growing by leaps and bounds, we look for continued growth and success for VEC.

ORCHID: To the Trumbull Career and Technical Center and the Trumbull County Educational Service Center for their successful launch of a drone and aviation program at TCTC. The state-of-the-art curriculum includes training on live drones and simulator demos. The two-year coursework provides all facets of the technology to enable students to get their drone pilot license upon completion. Leaders of the program and former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan who won federal funding for it deserve some high-fives for putting Trumbull County in the fast lane of this rapidly growing industry.

Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To Youngstown native Robert "Kool" Bell and The Gang for their induction this weekend in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. 2024 represents the 60th anniversary of the band he and his brother Ronald and some friends formed that evolved into Kool & the Gang. Given the band's diverse musical talents in R&B, funk, rock, jazz, pop and disco, given its acclaim as Grammy and People's Choice award winners, and given its success in selling 70 million albums worldwide, it's long past time the Rock Hall recognized the value of Bell and his band.

ORCHID: To the U.S. Small Business Administration for acting speedily to approve Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's request for low-interest federal loans for businesses impacted by the May 28 explosion at The Realty Tower downtown Youngstown. The loans will be available to any businesses in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Portage and Stark counties in Ohio and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania that have suffered hardship as a result of the explosion. The loans, part of the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, have favorable terms that include no interest during the first year and very low rates thereafter. We're particularly amazed at the speed with which approval transpired. DeWine made the request last Monday, and the SBA approved it the following day. All government operations should strive to emulate the SBA's efficient and quick-fire productive results.

ORCHID: To Weathersfield Township police Chief Mike Naples Jr. for his 40 years of honorable service in law enforcement, including 30 years with the Weathersfield force. Naples, who has served as chief in the department for 10 years, received a well deserved proclamation of appreciation from township trustees last week. Trustee Steve Gerberry said the department's success reflects superbly on Naples' leadership acumen. The residents of the township straddling the Mahoning County border are blessed to have such a loyal and professional chief keeping their community safe and secure.

ORCHID: To the many Mahoning Valley residents who rolled up their sleeves in recent weeks to donate blood to the American Red Cross, some of which will find its way to hospitals in short supply of it in areas devastated by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Some of it will remain in the Mahoning Valley, which is part of a critical blood shortage nationwide. For those who have not yet answered the call, there remain plenty of opportunities to do so. Go to www.redcrossblood.org to find a donation drive near you in coming days and weeks.

ONION: To Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley for racial remarks he made to two officers of the city fire department's labor union. Finley, who is black, acknowledged using racially insensitive language to the white union officers. Such demeanor only adds to longstanding and ongoing friction between the fire chief and rank-and-file union members. More importantly, divisive racially charged language certainly has no place in any public safety department that needs the respect and trust of all of the community it vows to protect.

ORCHID: To AIM Transportation Solutions for being named one of Newsweek magazine's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces recently. The honor recognizes and celebrates companies that cultivate a positive, supportive workplace where employees feel valued and appreciated. The Youngstown-based company, which also has offices in Girard, distinguished itself further as this is the second year in a row it has won the same honor.

ORCHID: To the Jackson-Milton High School National Honor Society chapter for winning the national NHS Service Award of Excellence. Among the projects for which the club was recognized are its "Field of Flags" project to honor veterans on Veterans Day and a fundraiser that benefited Akron Children's Hospital. These students have proved their excellence in scholastics and in community service. Bravo!

editorial@vindy.com

Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., and Victoria M. Allen for winning the 2024 Simeon Booker Award for Courage at a ceremony earlier this week at the Tyler History Center in Youngstown as part of Ohio Nonviolence Week. The national Booker Award went to Jones for successfully prosecuting Bobby Frank Cherry and Thomas E. Blanton Jr., two of four Ku Klux Klan members notorious for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on Sept. 15, 1963, in Birmingham, killing four girls. The local award was given posthumously to Allen, an ardent Youngstown community activist who dedicated herself to helping children, elderly people and families, as well as victims of violent crimes. Orchids, too, to Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past for successfully organizing this week's slate of enlightening activities and events to build awareness of violence in our community and to advocate strategies to prevent it.

ONION: To those who steal or deface political campaign signs during election season. Several reports of campaign signs being vandalized or stolen have cropped up in Ohio in recent weeks. Those who do so for kicks need to realize they are committing a crime and robbing people of their First Amendment rights to free speech. In Mayfield Heights, a suburban Cleveland community plagued by such vandalism recently, police Chief Anthony Mele vows to get tough, threatening such vandals and thieves with charges of property damage, theft and criminal trespassing. All law enforcement agencies in the state and the Mahoning Valley should follow his lead.

ORCHID: To the more than two dozen restaurants in Mahoning and Trumbull counties that took part in the recent Chefs for Charity event at Eastwood Event Centre in Niles for raising approximately $45,000 for the good works of Catholic Charities Regional Agency of the Diocese of Youngstown. The success of the event translates into strengthening the many much-needed community service programs offered by Catholic Charities, including outreach to the homeless, housing counseling and assistance, aiding victims of domestic violence and support services for senior citizens. If you missed the Chefs event, you can still donate to Catholic Charities online at ccdoy.org/give/.

ORCHID: To the Ohio Department of Education's Career Technical Education Equipment program for awarding The Valley STEM + ME2 Academy about $650,000 in grant funding. The funds will be used to enhance the academy's manufacturing and engineering labs, providing students with hands-on training using state-of-the-art equipment. The improvements will better enable the program at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center to best live up to its mission of providing strong training for emerging career fields and for industries in short supply of workers in our region and state.

ORCHID: To Mahoning County commissioners for awarding the county prosecutor's office $336,000 last week to greatly update and enhance its evidence-gathering operations. The funding will expand the prosecutor's contract with Axon Evidence Justice Services, which provides time-saving and efficiency-enhancing artificial intelligence resources nationwide. One of the new protocol's features provides redaction services for public records requests and redactions for documents or images that are used as exhibits at trials. All of which we're confident will assist in the never-ending goal of speeding up the typically slow-moving wheels of justice.

ORCHID: To Patrick Durrell and Curt Spivey, director and engineer, respectively, of the Ward Beecher Planetarium at Youngstown State University, for their dedicated work to restore and improve the facility after a devastating fire in January 2023. That fire destroyed the dome roof and many of the planetarium's key features. Over the past 21 months, Durrell, Spivey and their staff have worked diligently with a variety of electricians, planetarium suppliers and installers to rebuild the facility and enhance the quality of its sky shows. That diligence and hard work paid off last weekend when the planetarium reopened to the public. Valley residents should make it a point to visit the new and improved planetarium weekends this month while enjoying its popular and updated Halloween program, "Nightlights."

ONION: To those hooligans who are stooping so low as to use a national tragedy as a vehicle to shamefully scam individuals. Newton Falls Village Councilwoman Brenda Persino warned residents of reported telephone scams in which people are being asked to donate funds for Hurricane Helene victims. Federal, state and local officials have put out advisories this week warning hurricane victims and others of such fraudsters. Reported schemes include fake charities soliciting donations for disaster victims, fraudsters impersonating government officials doling out assistance, and sham businesses offering to help with recovery. Those who wish to donate to hurricane relief should do so through established and reputable agencies such as the American Red Cross.

editorial@vindy.com

Editorials

Orchids and onions

ORCHID: To the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and Jim and Toni Amey for reaching agreement for the society to acquire the vast collection of artifacts from Youngstown's legendary Idora Park amusement park for permanent display to the community. Those parties signed an agreement this week in which the MVHS will acquire the vast majority of the Ameys' collection acquired since the South Side park closed after a devastating fire in 1984. Plans call for the collection - including pieces of the iconic Wildcat roller coaster, mirrors from the fun house and remnants of midway games -- to be housed at the society's latest acquisition, the former IBM Building downtown. As MVHS Director H. William Lawson aptly put it, the Idora exhibits will be "something to behold for generations to come."

ONION: To those unruly players and others who took part in vandalism and fighting after a rivalry football game between East and Chaney middle schools late last month. According to one eyewitness on the scene, as the winning trophy was being presented to Chaney, some East students vandalized the Chaney locker room, damaged property and stole money and belongings. That, in turn, sparked a melee to which police responded. Though we're thankful no one was seriously injured, there was no excuse for the out-of-control brawl on display that day. The school district acted prudently and appropriately by canceling the remainder of the middle school football season.

ORCHID: To the five Mahoning Valley journalists for their prestigious induction last week into the Youngstown Press Club Hall of Fame. The HOF awards celebrate members of our local communication, media and advertising community who have had long and distinguished careers. Such is certainly the case for each of this year's honorees: William D. Lewis, former Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle staff photographer; Mona Alexander, former news director at WFMJ-TV; the late William Fleckenstein, former co-owner and general manager of WHOT Radio; Nick Rich, videographer for WYTV and WKBN-TV; Len Rome, 40-year reporter and anchor at WYTV.

ONION: To leadership of the U.S. Secret Service for their many failures in planning and communication that led to a gunman being able to open fire on former President Donald J. Trump on July 13 in nearby Butler, Pa. Members of a bipartisan Senate investigative committee came to those conclusions last week after investigating the attempted assassination attempt. "There were security failures on multiple fronts," said Republican Rep. Mike Kelly who co-chaired the committee and who represents the Shenango Valley. Let's hope those failures lead to meaningful Secret Service reforms to ensure that the negligence on display in Butler is never repeated.

ORCHID: To the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber for hosting a trade summit this week with representatives from nine Vietnamese companies and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Officials said they hoped the summit will help grow the Mahoning Valley economy by expanding the region's supply chain and by enticing Vietnamese companies to do business here. Export growth is one of the fastest growing components of the American economy, and we're pleased to see the Valley aggressively pursue its share of that action.

ONION: To the vile thief or thieves who stole an ambulance from the Warren Township Fire Station last weekend. Fortunately, the ambulance was located and recovered in Homestead Park in Youngstown. Unfortunately, security video could not sufficiently identify the culprit or culprits. We urge township and county sheriff's office pursue this investigation aggressively and mete out stern punishment to the derelict thieves. The lack of that critical township ambulance, of course, clearly endangered the health and safety of the community.

ORCHID: To employees of Ultium Cells LLC of Lordstown for raising $3,500 to support the critically important good works of the Warren Family Mission. Employees of the electric-vehicle battery-manufacturing partnership of General Motors and Korea's LG Energy Solutions produced jerseys inspired by the Korean Baseball Organization. Mahoning Valley Scrappers wore these "Power Goblins" attire at a recent game before auctioning them off to the public with all proceeds benefiting the mission. We congratulate Ultium and its growing workforce for its ongoing commitment to community service.

editorial@vindy.com