Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To all fraternities and sororities at Youngstown State University that successfully carried on a proud 72-year tradition recently by taking part in the Greek Sing competition at Stambaugh Auditorium. The theme for this year’s event was” wordplay.” Each group had to pick one word that tied all their songs together. For example, Theta Chi’s word was “dance.” The fraternity’s song medley included “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA and “One Dance” by Drake. The standing-ovation worthy show had many winners — too many to single out here — selected by a panel of judges from The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. We’re pleased that this competition once again shineda well deserved spotlight on the talents and community service these Greek organizations perform throughout the year. It’s a tradition well worth continuing for decades and decades to come.
ORCHID: To talented visual artists Gina Misel of Boardman High School and Karina Collins of Ursuline High School for earning prestigious Gold Key Awards at the recent national Scholastic Art Awards competition. Gina won for her 24-inch-by-31-inch mixed media work depicting the summer season of life. Karine received the honor for a portfolio of her works. The Golden Key not only distinguishes Gina and Karina as among the creme de la creme of young American artists, it also opens the door to prominent exposure as their winning works will be displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
ONION: To the Mahoning County Dog Warden’s Office staff for their failure to respond promptly to a call for assistance from the Youngstown Police Department over an American Bulldog that had severely injured its owner on the West Side last week. Police responded to the call only to find the dog on a porch covered in blood after the attack thereby delaying their ability and the ability of ambulance personnel to enter the home and treat the victim. The first several times the dog pound was contacted to take custody of the dog, the warden’s staff told police they could not respond to the complaint, police said. Finally, when dog Warden Dianne Frye herself was contacted, the agency responded with Frye asking “Why weren’t we called?” according to police The confusion and misinformation caused a several-hour delay in removing the dog from the premises, a delay that could have created more serious problems had police not been able to corral the dog into the back of a cruiser. We hope all staff at the office are now aware of proper protocols and that this embarrassing case is never repeated.
ORCHID: To Youngstown Police Chief Carl Davis for taking the first baby steps toward lessening the excessive amounts of overtime that have plagued the force for several years now. Some officers have worked many weeks with 40 hours or more of OT. As we’ve argued in the past, that’s not only a drain on city finances but a drain on the performance capabilities of tired and overworked law enforcement officers. We do hope, however, that this new benchmark is just a beginning toward putting the lid on overtime. After all, 28 hours of OT still stands as an unacceptably high level of on-duty hours. We hope this is just the first of many phases of reductions that can be accomplished with ongoing new hires and stricter personnel management.
ONION: To U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, for his repugnant and insensitive criticism of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., earlier this month. Moreno used the title fuhrer to describe Schumer as part of his criticism of the Democrat and his party on tax policy. As Moreno should well know, fuhrer is an offensive German term that means leader. It is most often associated with Adolf Hitler, the German leader who was responsible for killing 6 million Jews during World War II. Moreno owes Schumer, a Jew, and his constituency of all faiths a sincere and remorseful apology. Such name-calling has no place on elementary school playgrounds, let alone in the august halls of the U.S. Congress.
ORCHID: To members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force for logging its milestone 60,000th arrest last month. Since the inception of the NOVFTF in June 2003, it has made arrests of more than 2,400 homicide suspects in the Mahoning Valley and throughout Northeast Ohio. Among the most notable apprehensions was that of Andre McCoy Jr. in the Sept. 21, 2020, shooting death of 4-year-old Rowan Sweeney in Struthers. McCoy ultimately was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Over the past 23 years the task force also has seized more than 2,900 guns and more than $4.5 million in U.S. currency. That laudable record of success serves as a fitting tribute to Cleveland Police Patrolman Wayne Leon, who was killed by a fugitive on the run, and in whose memory the task force was established.
ORCHID: To the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center’s Griffin Robotics Team 7882W for qualifying to compete next month in the VEX V5 Robotics World Championship Competition in Dallas. The team excelled at regional and state competitions to enable it to move on to face 820 teams from 50 countries in Texas. The team is made up of MCCTC sernios Madeline Moliterno, Landon Frank and Dominic Andy. We are confident the team, nicknamed “Fishes Outta Water,” will perform swimmingly on the world stage.
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To the Youngstown Police Department and the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force for their work in pursuing a 10-year-old murder case from California. Local officers assisted with search warrants and other matters that resulted in the arrest of William J. Fowler, 42, in a home on the East Side of Youngstown. He is in the Mahoning County jail awaiting extradition to Inglewood, Calif., where he is charged with murder in the June 18, 2015, killing of James Hollis, 75, in Hollis’ Inglewood, California home. “Your officers’ professionalism, expertise and dedication were crucial in advancing the case, leading to an arrest and a murder charge being filed in Los Angeles County,” Inglewood police Chief Mark Fronterotta said in a March 11 letter to Youngstown police Chief Carl Davis. The case illustrates the power of teamwork and collaboration in solving capital crimes within and outside of any law enforcement agency’s primary jurisdiction.
ORCHID: To the Ohio Controlling Board for releasing $31 million in state funding to two high-profile and critically needed projects in the Mahoning Valley. Earlier this week, the board authorized $14 million in capital funds for the massive renovation of Kilcawley Center at Youngstown State University. That provided a significant boost to the $57 million project to finance a total makeover of the university’s student center. The board also released $17 million to the Western Reserve Port Authority to assist in site preparation and construction of regional transportation improvements and to remediate brownfield environmental conditions for about 1,000 acres Warren, Howland and Weathersfield to enhance infrastructure and facilitate business growth and employment in the region. The property is being eyed by Kimberly-Clark to construct a manufacturing plant for its product line of household goods. The hefty funding assistance will help ensure these worthy projects become realities.
ONION: To U.S. Rep. Mike Rulli, R-Canfield, for his snarky and disrespectful response to an invitation to attend a town hall meeting for constituents of his 6th Congressional District of Ohio. Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson had issued an invitation to attend the town hall meeting with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, earlier this week at Powers Auditorium in Youngstown. The town hall was organized because of the lack of any such constituent meetings by Rulli. The congressman let loose in his reply: “The Mahoning Valley embarrassed Mr. Walz and yourself in November, and I am terribly sorry I will be unable to attend your pathetic spectacle in person on Monday.” What is truly pathetic is the insulting and condescending nature of Rulli’s reply.
ORCHID: To Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose for taking time out of his busy pre-primary election schedule to visit Austintown Fitch High School students last week as part of his Grads Vote program. During his visit, he gave pending high school graduates and upper-class students a look at the voting process and an appreciation of its importance. Students were guided through the process of a mock election, using real mock ballots and actual voting machines provided by the Mahoning County Board of Elections. We’re confident many of the students have a new appreciation for the importance of voting and will not be intimidated by the process the first time they do so in a real election. Now that’s a great lesson in American citizenship.
ORCHID: To Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro and her office staff for publicly opposing parole for Barry Goodwin who has served nearly 27 years of his sentence of 18 years to life in prison for the 1998 murder of Wesley Moore., Goodwin was found guilty of shooting Moore in the head following an argument. We strongly support Maro’s plea for no early prison release for Goodwin. Not only did he confess to the murder, he has been far from the poster boy for model prisoners since his incarceration. According to Maro, Goodwin has accumulated over 100 disciplinary infractions, including acts of violence, sexual harassment and defiance of prison staff during his incarceration. Goodwin deserves no opportunity to unleash his violent wrath once again on the community at large.
ORCHID: To the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and its supporting foundations for awarding a whopping $640,000 in grants to 53 nonprofit organizations through its first grant cycle of 2025. Award recipients ranged from the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership to make improvements to Packard Park in Warren to the city of Struthers to construct a handicap-accessible walking path at Nebo Park. The CFMV and its affiliates — the Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation, Western Reserve Health Foundation and William Swanston Charitable Fund — have long been in the forefront of assisting valuable community service projects in the Valley. This latest round of generous gifts cements that reputation even more.
Orchids and onions
ORCHID: To Steve Yacovone, a Columbiana County assistant prosecutor, for besting several other finalists for Boardman Township trustee. Trustees voted last week to install Yacovone after former Trustee Brad Calhoun left that position to become Boardman’s fiscal officer. The new township leader brings with him a strong resume of legal work and of committed community involvement, including his service as a member of the Boardman Park Board of Commissioners. Perhaps the strongest asset Yacovone brings to the table, however, is his sincere passion to serve the community and its residents. “I was not a Boardman guy initially, but I came here about eight years ago and fell in love with the township.”
ORCHID: To Youngstown Police Officer Megan Fiedler for going above and beyond the call of duty to save a frightened, abandoned dog that had been struggling to survive. The skinny, black dog had been roaming the streets of the city for weeks, and efforts by the county dog warden to catch and take the dog in for care were repeatedly unsuccessful. Fiedler answered a call from a resident of a West Side neighborhood about the abandoned dog. When she arrived she sat down with the animal, petted her, won her trust and then placed her on a leash for transport to the dog pound. Orchids, too, to the Friend of Fido animal rescue group, for taking the dog for treatment, blood work, X-rays and gave her IVs and oxygen and treatment for multiple fractures to her pelvis, a partially collapsed lung and an infection.
ONION: To dangerous motorists who continue to drive drunk rather than taking the responsible route of using a taxi or ride-share service. Over the first three months of this year, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has issued 114 Operating a Vehicle Impaired citations in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Since the start of 2024, 23 fatal crashes in those two counties were OVI-related, according to an OSHP database. Fortunately, beginning Wednesday (April 9) Ohio motorists who are caught driving under the influence will be hit with harsher penalties thanks to the implementation of Liv’s Law. The law significantly increases penalties and jail time for offenders. The minimum fine for a first-time offense will rise from $375 to $565, and the minimum fine for a second offense will rise from $525 to $715. One can only hope that the stiffer penalties will encourage some impaired individuals think twice before starting their engines .
ORCHID: To PNC Bank for financing construction of an outdoor learning classroom at Alta Head Start McCartney Learning Center in Youngstown. Bank and school officials recently cut the ribbon on the space that will provide the Head Start center’s 120 students with opportunities to build a variety of new skills, from developing balance and dexterity to exploring gardening to offering an inviting sunny place to enjoy reading and studying PNC Youngstown Regional President Ted Schmidt said the project, funded with $75,000 from the bank’s Grow Up Great initiative, will instill in the pre-schoolers important lessons to help them develop mentally and socially for the rest of their lives.” We’re confident the bank’s investment will reap long-term dividends for the children.
ORCHID: To members of the Austintown Fitch High School football team for successfully tackling a major community project. Thirty-two members of the team recently dug and prepared 72 holes in the St. Blaise Parish gardens that will house blueberry bushes and provide food for the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church food pantry. Head football coach T. J. Parker, who also participated in the garden prep, said, “This project specifically allows us to use our manpower to provide aid to a prominent church in Austintown while also providing so many families with actual fruits of our labor.” It also proved that members of one of the Valley’s fiercest football squads can excel on and off the field.
ORCHID: To the Millennial Theater Company of Youngstown for forming a partnership with Girard city officials for the renovation and reopening of the Wellman Theater in that city’s downtown. Mayor Mark Zuppo said the partnership was formalized last week. The theater troupe will play a leading role in seeking out funding from grants and foundations for the promising project as well as providing theatrical expertise for the renovation. We wish Millennial and the city nothing but a smashing success in its goal of reopening the theater as the centerpiece of a rejuvenated downtown.