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ORCHID: To the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health for marking a worthy watershed last week with its 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The service, which began in July 2022, officially recorded its 1 millionth help session via phone call, text message or online chat last week. Gov. Mike DeWine applauded the news thusly: "Reaching 1 million contacts is a significant milestone for Ohio and a powerful reminder that people are reaching out for help. Behind every call, text, or chat is a person who deserves to be heard, supported, and treated with compassion." With suicide rates up dramatically this year in the Mahoning Valley, those contemplating such a move should stop and seek the compassionate and professional guidance the lifeline offers. To do so, simply call or text 988 any time 24/7.
ONION: To General Motors for slyly and illegally selling information on consumers' driving behaviors and locations to third parties, as reported this week by Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson. In a settlement between GM and 36 state attorneys general, the automaker must pay a total of $220 million to states, including $8 million to Ohio, according to Wilson. As the attorney general emphasized, GM broke its customers' trust by selling such data without their knowledge and consent. He's also spot-on when arguing companies must be held accountable when they put profits above privacy and protection for all of their customers.
ORCHID: To muralist Patrick McGlone, owner of Overall Painting Co. of Youngstown, for designing and placing a colorful large mural in front of Choffin Career & Technical Center in Youngstown to recognize the school's superlative achievement in the latest batch of Ohio school report cards. For the third year in a row, Choffin earned a perfect five-star rating from the Ohio Department of Education for its achievements in the 2025-26 school year. The mural features the career center's logo, five stars and the ODE logo. It stands out as a bold reminder to all school visitors of the legacy of excellence Choffin has achieved. Similar kudos must go to the high school career and technical centers in Canfield for Mahoning County, Lisbon for Columbiana County and Champion in Trumbull counties, all of which also snagged perfect ratings on those report cards released earlier this fall.
ONION: To general election candidates and their supporters who have been too lazy to remove campaign signs from private and public properties throughout the Valley. The sign owners have had four or five days now since Tuesday’s election to remove them. When placed, the signs supporting candidates for a variety of local offices present a timely message to help impact the outcome of the election. Today, however, they serve no useful purpose and merely stand out as outdated visual environmental pollution.
ORCHID: To members of the 1972 Maplewood High School Cross Country team for its well-earned selection as the very first team that will be inducted into the Trumbull County Sports Hall of Fame next spring. That state championship squad, stellar in its own right, launched a running dynasty for the northern Trumbull County high school. Maplewood has charged ahead to win six additional state titles since then. Leading the pack for many of them has been Ted Rupe, a member of the 1972 team who later coached the Rockets CC team to several additional state titles. We're confident Rupe, a three-time qualifier for the U.S. International Cross Country Team, will continue to go the distance in road racing circles for many years to come.
ONION: To Mercy Health for its irresponsible decision announced last week to close its maternity unit and birthing center at St. Joseph Warren Hospital next month. The decision has triggered justifiable outrage from the mayors of Warren and Niles, the Board of Trumbull County Commissioners and many others. Though Mercy Health notes that it plans to expand maternity services at its St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, the inconvenient distance for Warren-area expectant mothers of more than 30 minutes to Boardman could prove disastrous in some emergency situations. We join others in calling on Mercy Health to reconsider the many adverse consequences of the closing and rescind its decision.
ORCHID: To Orhont Magnetics for winning the grand prize in last week's Shark Tanks Mahoning Valley competition sponsored by YBI, formerly the Youngstown Business Incubator. The competition, modeled after the highly popular ABC television show of the same name, featured four finalist companies selected from hundreds of applicants last summer. Orhont took home the grand prize of $10,000 for pitching its high-power electric propulsion systems for the defense and aerospace industries. The popularity of the event was evident by the more than 700 attendees to the show. Better yet, Orhont and Daisy Makes cake-pop makers that took home the $5,000 Audience Choice Award, were far from the only winners. More than $350,000 was raised to support YBI's cutting-edge and internationally renowned entrepreneurial programs.
ORCHID: To Jim McFarland, retired Warren funeral home director and beloved community philanthropist, for using an endowment to help finance the new McFarland Speaker Series, which will kick off with a bang next week. McFarland, whose family was in the funeral home business for 120 years, said one major purpose of the series will be to fill the void left by the folding of the longtime popular Trumbull Town Hall lecture series. Orchids, too, to leaders of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library and the Trumbull County Historical Society for joining as partners in the new community-service lecture series. The first installment of the series will launch next Thursday at the main Warren library. Guest speaker will be the Rev. Harold Good, who started his ministerial career in Warren but is best known for overseeing the decommissioning of Irish Republican Army weapons in 2005, a turning point in the Northern Ireland peace process. Admission is free, but registration is required at wtcpl.org/events or by calling 330-399-8807. Don't miss this start of something big!
ORCHID: To Warren City Schools Superintendent Steve Chiaro and his administrative staff for saving district taxpayers more than $1 million from smart purchasing and operating decisions. The Ohio Schools Council, a purchasing cooperative for school systems, recently singled out the largest school district in the Mahoning Valley for its achievement in fiscal efficiency, ranking in the Top Five of more than 300 districts in the state that are OSC members. According to OSC, Warren schools were credited with saving $1.15 million in fiscal years 2024 and 2025 by working with it and other districts to achieve bulk purchasing for school necessities at lower costs. The district also was recognized for updating its infrastructure to lessen wasted energy and its escalating costs. Those savings collectively now can be funneled toward academic resources for students, priority No. 1 of any school system worth its mettle.
ORCHID: To Jenn Henderson of Lowellville, a Century 21 real estate agent, for her leadership in establishing 330 Spectrum Social, a new and innovative social media platform designed to connect young adults 18 and older in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania who are on the autism spectrum. It is branded as a judgment-free, safe space to meet others with similar interests, such as gaming, music, movies and local events. Henderson, who has a young adult son on the spectrum, believes the new Facebook group will fill a void by offering its members a dedicated space for building social skills. Hats off to Henderson, and here's to 330 Spectrum Social's potential to make meaningful and productive improvements in the quality of life for its target audience.
ORCHID: To Window World of Youngstown and its owners, the Moran family, for recently donating a whopping $101,265 to the life-giving ministries and services of the Ursuline Sisters Mission. That fat check represented proceeds from Window World's most recent benefit golf tournament at The Lake Club in Poland. The annual classic marked its 30th year of growth, success and philanthropy this year, and its proceeds hit the bull's-eye. Among the many praiseworthy endeavors of the Ursuline Sisters are its independent living, senior wellness, HIV/AIDS ministry, scholarship, food pantry and other programs. The Beatitude House in Youngstown, sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters, provides disadvantaged women, children and families shelter and myriad educational opportunities. Clearly, rich and impactful community giving is par for the course for the Moran family.
SCRIPTURE
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let anyone who hears this say, "Come." Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
Revelation 22:17 NLT