ORCHID: To the iconic Second Baptist Church of Warren, its pastor Todd Johnson and its many parishioners for completing and dedicating a major renovation of the church’s chapel. The project on the historic 108-year-old church included restoration of stately stained-glass windows, painting of the chapel and steeple and restoration of the bell tower and organ. The chapel had been closed for about four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and senseless vandalism. The striking renovations to Second Baptist, one of the pioneering African-American houses of worship in the Valley, should help guide it through a new era of growth and service.

ORCHID: To the Trumbull County Educational Service Center and Kent State University for forming a partnership to strengthen mental health services in county schools. Thanks to a $2.2 million grant, the two educational powerhouses in the region have launched the initiative titled the Northeast Ohio Helpers: Building Capacity for Inclusive Mental Health Services. The partnership will provide full scholarships to school psychology trainers to serve in local school districts. With the strong reputation of the 8-decade-old educational psychology program at Kent State and the highly capable administration of the TCESC, we have high hopes for the success of this initiative.

ORCHID: To the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley for committing $50,000 to match local donations made in its Giving Tuesday And Beyond campaign on Dec. 3 (Giving Tuesday day nationally) and also from Dec. 2-8. Donors can choose among dozens of worthy charitable and service organizations in the Valley to target their gift. These groups range from Angels for Animals to Thrive Mahoning Valley Welcoming Fund. With such great incentives, there’s no reason why last year’s noteworthy $90,000 raised in the same campaign from more than 1,000 donors cannot be topped.

ORCHID: To Dr. Patrick J. Bateman, distinguished professor of management and director of the MBA program at Youngstown State University, for earning the prestigious Lariccia Endowed Professorship Award bestowed on him recently. Bateman has accumulated a long and impressive career in the private sector and as an educational leader in the WIlliamson College of Business Administration. As YSU President Bill Johnson put it, “His contributions within his field and at WCBA underscore his dedication and merit of this recognition.”

ONION: To the callous and heartless individual or individuals who robbed a young Warren boy of his lifeline by stealing his custom wheelchair, valued at $11,400, at his home. The cruel and insensitive theft, which occurred last week at the home of 6-year-old Jaymeson Starkey, understandably threw the boy and his family into a state of panic. Jaymeson, who has cerebral palsy, has been unable to walk, play with his siblings or attend school since the sordid crime occurred. As of this writing, the culprit had not been apprehended. We therefore implore anyone with any information on the theft to call Warren police at 330-841-2512.

ONION: To the new breed of online flim-flam bandits for scamming job seekers out of thousands of dollars. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, schemes in which con artists impersonate employment recruiters have skyrocketed across the country in recent years. Too often, they succeed in tricking gullible people into giving them money or personal information that amount to identity theft. Wise job seekers should avoid any unsolicited job offers and limit their searches to using applications found on the websites of potential employers or by visiting potential job sites to fill out applications in person. You

ORCHID: To Hynes Industries, the Austintown-based fabrication and roll form metal manufacturer, for winning the Excellence in Manufacturing Award from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber recently. The company has shown its steadfast commitment to the Valley economy by recently investing millions of dollars into its Henricks Road operations. The well-earned recognition comes at a propitious time for the company as it stands on the threshold of its 100th anniversary in 2025