ORCHID: To the Mahoning County Educational Service Center and Mahoning County Career and Technical Center for sharing a treasurer, Blaise Karlovic, to save taxpayer money. ...
... And an ONION to school districts and educational centers that have not actively pursued sharing of administrative personnel.
ORCHID: To Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport Aviation Director Daniel Dickten for refusing his controversial $7,500 bonus.
ORCHID: To Don Walters of Don Walters Construction, the company that razed a house on the west side of Warren where four people, including two children, died in a fire. After tearing the house down Walters constructed a cross on the site. That cross has become a makeshift memorial where people leave flowers and other mementos.
ONION: To the Trumbull County Transit Board for its sad attempt to discuss what should be public business behind closed doors. The board held a public meeting earlier this week and tried to go into executive session to discuss ''personnel.'' When it was pointed out that the panel has no employees, the chair asked out loud for another reason to go into executive session. Someone suggested that it was legal to go into executive session for pending litigation so he then sought a motion for that. Considering that a prior transportation levy failed miserably at the polls during the last election, and the deadline for placing another levy on the ballot is fast approaching, we can probably bet on what was discussed.
ORCHID: To Coleman Professional Services on being honored in Columbus recently with a Department of Development Award for Innovation for excellence in housing for renovating the Washington House in Warren. Coleman pumped in $341,000 to purchase, renovate and add units to the house to assist in transitioning young adults who are homeless. Coleman worked with the county Planning Commission and partnered with the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, which provided $10,000 for furnishings for the house.