Orchids & onions
ORCHID: To all the organizers — especially lead sponsor Covelli Enterprises — along with the many donors, volunteers and, of course, the 8,000 runners, walkers and crawlers in this year’s Panerathon fundraiser last Sunday in downtown Youngstown to build awareness of and treat breast cancer. Since its inception, the event has raised an incredible $6 million, including roughly $700,000 this year alone. Funds all stay local and are used to benefit the Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley, in support of the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center in St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital and its mobile mammography units. Such success reinforces the compassion and charity that so typifies the Mahoning Valley.
ONION: To the latest slew of disqualified would-be candidates in the Nov. 4 general election for their irresponsibility and inattention to rules in filling out their nominating petitions. The Mahoning County Board of Elections last week voted against certifying 21 candidates because of errors with their petitions. Astonishingly, nine of them are incumbent public officeholders. The result is that some public bodies in the election have fewer candidates than the number of positions available, such as the Youngstown Board of Education and New Middletown Village Council. Many of the problems dealt with an insufficient number of validated signatures or portions of the petition not filled out properly or at all. Anyone seeking public office should accept the responsibility of following ballot-access instructions to the letter. Those who fail to exercise due diligence deserve disqualification.
ORCHID: To brothers Edward and Charles Barth, as well as Larry and Kathy Bennett for their selection as inductees into the Mahoning County Agricultural Hall of Fame. The Mahoning County Agricultural Society hosted its induction ceremony earlier this week on opening day of the 179th Canfield Fair, of which it oversees. The HOF is designed to honor and give public recognition to those who have brought distinction to themselves, have made outstanding contributions to their professions and whose community involvement has served as a model to others. The inaugural class of posthumous inductees fits that bill superlatively. The Barths, who established their farm in 1928, began it as a wheat and dairy operation, but it evolved into a successful turkey business. Barth Farms eventually grew to raise nearly 50,000 turkeys and chickens each year to meet public demand. The Bennetts who operated Bennett’s Greenhouse not only established its reputation as the largest producer of poinsettias between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, but each of them actively assisted and mentored other farmers and greenhouse operators in the region.
ORCHID: To the Youngstown Business Incubator and BRITE Energy Innovators of Warren for establishing a stronger partnership with great potential to enhance economic development throughout the Mahoning Valley. The two award-winning incubators gathered recently for a ribbon-tying — as opposed to the usual ribbon-cutting — ceremony to symbolize the launch of the stronger ties between them. The YBI will manage Brite’s downtown offices and inject its expertise in entrepreneurship, minority business assistance and advanced manufacturing. BRITE’s programs in clean energy and other domains will benefit the downtown Youngstown-based YBI. Perhaps Warren Mayor Doug Franklin best stated the potential of this dynamic duo: “We’re combining two powerhouse organizations. This is a celebration of a new era of collaboration and growth for our region.”
ORCHID: To Girard Police Chief John Norman for his 41 years of committed and professional service to the city. Norman, who oversees a department of 16 officers, four dispatchers and one police clerk, will retire from the force Sept. 8. Over those four decades-plus, Norman has responded to virtually any call of duty — from dispatcher to patrol officer to detective to student resource officer to administrator. We join others throughout the force and the Girard community in recognizing his outstanding service and leadership. As Safety Service Director Mark Ragozine put it, “John has been a great asset to the community. … He has always been a tremendous leader in whatever position he has held.”
Orchids & onions
ORCHID: To East High School freshman Michal Miller, 14, for his commitment to entrepreneurship and his tremendous perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity. Miller has operated a lemonade stand at two locations on the city’s North Side as a means to raise money for the new school year and to develop solid business skills. Earlier this month, Michal was a victim of an armed robbery by a teenager from Boardman. True to his “never give up” spirit, the robbery did not dampen his passion to continue to build his business acumen. Fortunately, police apprehended the suspected culprit, and now the young man is making plans to expand his brand to a wider audience. Several movers and shakers in the city — including Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Community Initiative to Reduce Violence Director Guy Burney and community business leader Herb Washington — honored Michal publicly and presented him a $1,000 cash award. As the mayor aptly expressed, “I couldn’t be more proud of this young man, what he is doing. He is setting the bar for our generation of kids.”
ONION: To those sick but slick perpetrators of real estate fraud who have been plying their pernicious trade in the Mahoning Valley with increasing regularity in recent months. Mahoning County Auditor Ralph Meacham has warned property owners that “quitclaim” fraud is becoming a more common practice in the area. Quitclaim fraud, or home title theft, is a type of real estate fraud in which criminals illegally transfer the ownership of a property without the rightful owner’s knowledge or consent. It usually happens to unoccupied properties. Youngstown police and other agencies in the Valley are investigating such illicit activity, and we urge swift and serious punishment for any and all fraudsters engaging in such property theft.
ORCHID: To the Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association for achieving its recent milestone of 100 years of membership in the national Amateur Radio Relay League. The ARRL recently recognized the Valley association of ham radio operators for becoming only the third such group in Ohio to reach the century mark in membership in the ARRL. Not only do clubs such as the MVARA offer opportunities to connect with other operators, share experiences and collaborate on projects, they also play critical roles in emergency communications, offering training and resources to help communities during disasters.
ORCHID: To Bon Secours Mercy Health for its continuing commitment to expanding and improving the health-care needs of the Mahoning Valley. The most recent evidence of that commitment took place earlier this month when Mercy and others broke ground on the new $50 million Mercy Health — Champion Emergency Center that will offer 24/7 emergency care, advanced imaging services and full laboratory services. The groundbreaking was but the latest in a string of growth in the Mahoning Valley for Mercy Health. The 60-bed Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital opened in Liberty last fall, and Mercy Health and its partner, Lifepoint Rehabilitation, are building a behavioral health facility next door on Belmont Avenue. And a wing of new patient beds was added earlier this year at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. Given the uncertain future for the closed Trumbull and Hillside hospitals in Trumbull County operated by Insight Health Systems, Mercy Health’s commitment to growth is clearly appreciated.
ONION: To motorcyclists and four-wheel vehicle motorists who fail to follow common-sense safety precautions and proper driving etiquette. As of earlier this week, Trumbull County had recorded seven fatal traffic crashes involving motorcyclists so far this year, five more than for the entire year of 2024. For their part, motorcyclists should follow the sage advice of Ohio State Highway Patrol leaders by wearing a helmet and bright-colored gear while drivers should train themselves to proceed cautiously when pulling out of driveways (where most collisions occur) or at intersections, as well as to always be on the lookout for more than just cars, SUVs and trucks.