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ORCHID: To Jamie Ciccone for her exemplary civic engagement that led to her well-deserved appointment last week as the newest member of the Austintown Township Board of Trustees. Ciccone, who is no relation to embattled Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael Ciccone, won high praise from fellow Trustees Monica Deavers and Bruce Shepas. She can rightfully boast of a laundry list of community and nonprofit groups she has served in and powered. She also bested at least 12 other candidates, many of whom brought strong credentials themselves. For her part, Ciccone vows that in her new position she will always "be grounded in earning the trust and confidence of the community." From our perspective, she's got a terrific head start.
ORCHID: To Struthers businessman Mike Kassem for his one-man affordable housing crusade that already has benefited many in his hometown of 31 years. Kassem just completed major renovations on his 32nd home in the city. He is also setting his sights higher by importing low-cost modular homes to place on empty lots in the community. He placed the first of many of them on Center Street and plans low-cost rent to help ease the affordability crunch so many find themselves trapped in today. That proud and compassionate Struthers man certainly puts the active in community-improvement activist.
ONION: To those who foolishly put beauty before health by excessive indulgence in tanning beds. A recent health page feature in this newspaper cited a growing resurgence in their popularity thanks in large part to social media hype on TikTok and similar sites. Truth be told, tanning beds significantly increase the risk of skin cancers, including melanoma, and can lead to premature aging and eye damage. The World Health Organization has long classified the tanning bed as a cancer-causing agent on par with tobacco and asbestos. Clearly those who worship that classic bronzed-skin look would be much better off using much more safe self-tanning sprays and lotions.
ORCHID: To Canfield Township trustees for recently opening a brand spanking new set of pickleball courts in the township park. The $150,000 project was mostly financed from private and public sources outside of the township. It is one of several improvements and enhancements made to Canfield Township Park, and plans in the works call for new playground equipment for boys and girls under 6 and repaving of the parking lot to be financed by a $146,000 state grant. Kudos to Canfield leaders for recognizing the value of healthy, diverse and robust recreational outlets for their residents.
ONION: To Buc-ee's, the Texas-based chain of mega-sized gas stations and convenience stores, for reaching new heights in frivolous lawsuits by suing the town of Beavercreek, Ohio, near where the first Buc-ee's in the Buckeye State is located. In its lawsuit, Buc-ee's claims that after opening its location there, it discovered the small nearby Beaver's Mini-Mart cartoon beaver mascot and red-letter font risk what it calls consumer confusion. From Beaver townsfolk to the governor of Ohio, the reaction has been swift and vocal: In a town long named Beaver, a beaver mascot is most fitting indeed. Those wishing to support the mini-mart's valiant and legitimate fight can contribute to its legal defense fund at its GoFundMe site.
ORCHID: To Austintown Fitch and Youngstown State graduate Theresa Colonna Iudiciani for her budding success as a children's book author. A humorous anecdote with her grandson led to the publication of her first illustrated book this year titled "Dirty Shoes, Stinky Feet." Her second work chronicles the trials and tribulations of a young boy learning to ride a bicycle titled "Woobly Woes." She's also working on a third book due out later this year. The Columbiana woman's penchant for children's lit is a natch. In her nearly four decades as an elementary school teacher, one of her favorite parts of the day was -- you guessed it -- story time.