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ORCHID: To Phantom Fireworks owner Bruce Zoldan and Pamela Benger, co-chairs of Youngstown State University's Dana School of Music Crescendo Campaign, for their eye-poppingly generous donation of $5 million to the laudable drive at its launch last week. The $20 million campaign is designed to enhance and update the prestigious school's resources and to attract new students. It will also further the longstanding legacy of Dana as one of the oldest and most celebrated institutions for musical excellence and academic preparation in the United States. To donate to the campaign, contact the YSU Foundation at ysufoundation.org online or by phoning 330-941-3211.
ONION: To the far too many hurried and irresponsible motorists who ignore roadside emergencies and wreak havoc in the process. Just last week, Liberty Fire Chief Doug Theobold reported the department's rescue truck has been struck three times recently on scenes of emergencies, such as a truck spill on Tibbetts Wick Road on Aug. 15. Theobold said some impatient drivers "totally disregard" traffic-control cones, Emergency Work signs and even vehicles blocking the affected area. Given that local first responders already face significant challenges of protecting the lives of their own crew and of the public on the scenes of emergencies, all drivers should give them a break, slow down and obey the necessary traffic controls.
ORCHID: To Youngstown City Council members Julius Oliver, Mike Ray and Cynthia McWilson who voted successfully to deny a $350,000 city loan to the owners of the struggling Cornersburg Sparkle Market earlier this month. Though we are saddened by the economic plight of one of the few full-service grocery stores in the city, providing a bailout would have been unfair and set a dangerous precedent. Many other businesses within the city limits also are struggling with financial and operational challenges. Youngstown cannot bail out all of them. With that said, we hope the store can find other means to maintain its longstanding and long-appreciated presence on the West Side.
ORCHID: To Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley for its constructive and kid-friendly Project Playhouse. The event draws local businesses, churches and organizations to build, paint and decorate individualized playhouses for selected children in our region. Representatives from Vallourec, Mahoning County Career & Technical Center and Braceville and Southington United Methodist churches recently gathered to build four snazzy colorful playhouses typically valued at over $3,000 each at 717 Credit Union Field in Niles. On Oct. 1, groups will gather at Penguin City in Youngstown to construct eight more playhouses. Clearly, the value of the HH initiative is not child's play: It provides kids with a safe, personalized space to play while also raising essential funds to Habitat's broader noble mission of expanding home ownership to low-income but deserving residents.
ONION: To marijuana users in Ohio who travel to Michigan to take advantage of substantially lower prices for the medicinal or recreational varieties of the product. According to the latest WeedBuddy Cannabis Price Index, the cheapest ounce of marijuana in Ohio costs $112 while the cheapest ounce in Michigan is $6.99. Nonetheless, carrying a marijuana product into Ohio from another state remains a criminal offense. What's more, it denies Buckeye State dispensaries of sales and local communities their fair share of tax revenue from those sales. Meanwhile, Ohio producers reportedly are working to expand production, which we hope will result in more equal pricing between both states.
ORCHID: To those Hubbard High School alumni and Hubbard area businesses that contributed toward the construction and erection of two supersized and colorful H statues and a nearly 11-foot-tall wooden Hubbard Eagle mascot statue to adorn school property. As Hubbard schools Superintendent Raymond Soloman aptly put it, "These are more than just beautiful additions to our campus. They represent Hubbard pride. They show what can happen when alumni, families and local businesses come together to invest in a community and its schools."
ORCHID: To Akron Children's hospital for inclusion in U.S. News & World Report magazine's prestigious 2026-27 ranking of the Best Children's Hospitals in the nation. Akron Children's, which operates a hospital in Boardman and satellite clinics throughout the Mahoning Valley, drew recognition for these specialties: pediatric and adolescent behavioral health, pediatric orthopedics and pediatric urology. Valley parents have long respected the professional and high-caliber care available at AC. Now, thanks to the well-deserved national exposure, the whole country knows it, too.