Trending
ORCHID: To sexagenarian Dan Gallagher of Boardman for his resilience, perseverance and endurance as he plans to compete in and complete a 24-hour , 62-mile run in Cape Fear, North Carolina, next weekend. Talk about prepared; Gallagher has logged more than 1,400 miles of running and biking just since April. It was not until about eight years ago that Gallagher, then about 40 pounds heavier and not in top form, caught the running bug and hasn't let loose of it since. Today, his now long-running passion for long-distance races serves as an excellent model for middle-aged and older men and women in less than tip-top shape to enjoy the many physical and mental benefits of dashing through the streets.
ORCHID: To the Ohio Department of Development's Workforce Mobility Partnership Program for awarding the Western Reserve Port Authority a generous $1.76 million grant to upgrade its popular Belmont Avenue bus route in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. The grant monies for the total $2.2 million in upgrades will fund construction of two large bus shelters, pull-off lanes, lighting, bicycle parking, signage and accessible waiting areas to strengthen the bus company's pivotal role in workforce mobility. The improvements to WRTA's free rider services also will complement and kickstart myriad other improvements to the Belmont Avenue corridor in Youngstown and Liberty. True to its slogan, the upcoming WRTA upgrades undoubtedly will "Give the Valley a Lift."
ONION: To immature and irresponsible weekend party-goers to downtown Youngstown who have been wreaking havoc on the streets at bar closing time. On one recent Sunday morning, multiple large fights and crowd disturbances erupted outside The Social club and Hookah bar after 1:30 a.m. More than 15 police officers took more than one hour to quell the disturbance, some of which may have been fueled by excessive and underage drinking. Such mayhem not only threatens overall public safety but it also stains the image of an increasingly attractive and revitalized downtown. As such, we urge city and Youngstown State police to intensify the zero tolerance policy adopted last year toward underage drinkers, loiterers and those who disturb the public peace.
ORCHID: To state Rep. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, for co-sponsoring new bipartisan legislation that would require power companies to compensate and reimburse their customers for prolonged residential outages. The Ohio Power Outage Relief Act, co-sponsored by a Lakewood Democrat, would require FIrstEnergy and other power-producing utilities to give automatic credits up to a full month's charge for outages lasting longer than 16 hours under noncatastrophic weather conditions. Thomas, who represents portions of the Mahoning Valley, makes eminently good sense when defending the premise of the bill: "This is a basic question of responsibility. If a business fails to deliver the service people pay for, the customer deserves a remedy. Being a monopoly shouldn't give an electric utility a pass."
ONION: To Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael Ciccone this time for his failure to ensure payment of about 20 monthly electric and gas bills at various county court buildings. Last week, for example, FirstEnergy delivered the Sebring county court office a disconnection notice because Ciccone's office failed to pay four straight monthly bills. That court also had been notified by Columbia Gas of an imminent termination notice because its three most recent monthly bills had not been paid. Fortunately, once again, county Auditor Ralph Meacham came to the rescue and ensured the past-due bills were paid. This latest bungling by Ciccone comes on top of a litany of other screwups that clearly illustrates the clerk's inability to carry out the most basic functions of his elected office. We hope it provides a stimulus to jumpstart current stalled efforts to remove him from this office of public trust for good.
ORCHID: To 1977 Hubbard High School graduate Mark Boals for his upcoming induction into the highly respected Rock Godz Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. The induction recognizes Boals' nearly 50‑year career as a professional musician and his influence in the rock and heavy metal scenes. He has played with the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Savoy Brown, Ted Nugent and has toured with the iconic rockers Rush. Boals joins such other luminaries as Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Kevin Dubrow of Quiet Riot and Cheetah Chrome of The Dead Boys. But don't take our word for Boals' talent. Check him out for yourselves Saturday night in a show at the Robins in downtown Warren billed as The Baldassarre Orchestra's "Ultimate Classic Rock Experience 1965-1975.''