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ORCHID: To the Warren City Federation of Women's Clubs for marking its milestone 100th anniversary today with a dinner at Enzo's Restaurant. Over those 10 decades, the federation has grown from 14 clubs to 21 clubs and has expanded its volunteer service to organizations throughout the city. Members also have benefited from the club's expansive networking opportunities. We look for the federation to be an active cog in Warren civic events for decades to come.
ORCHID: To the Brookfield High School drone racing team for placing fifth in the United States at the recent national championship in Denver. The team, nicknamed "The Fuel," powered its way to the finalists by successfully designing and programming a new drone called "Larry." Team members deserve to be proud of the honor they brought to their school and their community.
ORCHID: To members of the National Association of Letter Carriers in the Mahoning Valley who successfully carried out the 31st annual Stamp Out Hunger campaign last weekend. The carriers, who sadly see signs of hunger each day on their rounds, collected nonperishable goods from homes last Saturday. The campaign has been an unbridled success. Since its inception, carriers have collected more than 1.88 billion pounds of food, according to the NALC.
ONION: To the increasing number of hoodlums in our region and state who use fire as a tool to hide other oftentimes more serious crimes. "The use of arson as a weapon of violence and crime concealment is a concerning trend," Ohio State Fire Marshall Kevin S. Reardon said last week. In the Valley, the most recent example is a fire set at a Warren home presumably to cover up a burglary. That arson killed a Warren G. Harding High School student. Three Youngstown residents have been charged with capital offenses in that case.
ORCHID: To the Youngstown State University women's and men's track and field teams for once again clinching Horizon League championships this season. Winning the 2023 title last weekend marked the 15th championship for the women and the seventh for the men. But just because it's become old hat for the squads to rise to the top year after year does not make their accomplishments and talents any less outstanding and commendable.
ORCHID: To the U.S. Commerce Department for offering $500 million in grants to communities to become technology hubs in an attempt to expand tech investment beyond a few large U.S. cities such as Boston, New York, Seattle and San Francisco. We hope Valley leaders seize this opportunity and organize an effort to apply for hub status. With America Makes, the Youngstown Business Incubator, BRITE Energy Innovators and our burgeoning electric vehicle industry, our region is ripe for additional tech development.
ORCHID: To LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam and a wide array of local and national golf and other sports celebrities for leading a successful benefit this week at the Lake Club in Poland for East Palestine residents and businesses. The golf tournament had no empty slots and raised about $400,000 to help the village continue recovery from the disastrous Norfolk Southern train derailment. Here's hoping other celebrities will follow Sorenstam's lead.
ORCHID: To Dominion Energy Ohio for receiving the Safety Achievement Award from the American Gas Association for its stellar 2022 employee safety performance among very large gas distributors across the U.S. The event is the natural gas utility industry trade group's highest employer safety honor.