ORCHID: To Keith Gunther and Aaron Young for their recent induction into the LaBrae Schools Alumni Hall of Fame. Class of 1986 graduate Gunther is chief of probation for the Girard Municipal Court and head of the Girard Recovery Court. He was a standout athlete on the LaBrae basketball team as team captain and most valuable player two years in a row. Class of 1993 graduate Young serves as executive director of Mill Creek MetroParks and has been a four-term Braceville Township trustee. He singled himself out as a three-time regional qualifier for cross country and helped LaBrae to the school’s first back-to-back league championships.

ORCHID: To Healthy Hearts and Paws for opening a special $600,000 building exclusively for cats at its Warren shelter and to the private donors and foundations that financed the project. The building houses 11 cats and responds to the ongoing crisis of an overpopulation of strays and of the irresponsible and heartless practice of dumping litters of kittens on the sides of roads. In addition, the building also benefits the growing number of dogs in need of shelter as it frees up space to create a play area for them. These improvements illustrate that Healthy Hearts and Paws clearly lives up to its name.

ONION: To Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for signing legislation last week that permits local law enforcement agencies to charge for video footage from police body cameras and dashboard cameras. Payment could be required before the footage is released, and according to news reports, local governments will be allowed to charge as much as $75 per hour or for a maximum total of $750 per request. It was bad enough that the charge could lessen access and therefore transparency of police interactions with the public, but the policy was not publicly available for review and did not have a public hearing before it was crammed into a huge 450 page omnibus bill it in the rush to wind up the 2024 legislative session. Such charges, however, are optional, and we urge law enforcement agencies throughout the Mahoning Valley to forgo them.

ORCHID: To the Salvation Army of Mahoning and Trumbull counties for yet another successful Red Kettle campaign throughout the recently concluded holiday season. Bell ringers in the two counties raised just under $200,000 from thousands of generous and selfless contributors. The funds generated will be used to provide community meals, a community clothing closet, food pantry, summer youth programs and toys and gifts to children on Christmas. The Red Kettle campaign, which began in 1891 in San Francisco, remains one of best and most enduring examples of the spirit of Christmas spearheaded by the legions of charitable foot soldiers volunteering for the Salvation Army.

ORCHID: To the St. Vincent de Paul Northeast Ohio chapter for purchasing 35 dual-use sleeping bags / coats to distribute to the homeless in our community. These gifts, developed by Detroit-based Empowerment Plan, serve as a high-quality winter coat during the day, then transforms into a fully functional sleeping bag to provide shelter and warmth during winter nights. They also roll into an over-the-shoulder pack for additional mobility for their owners. The initiative reflects the compassionate services the SVdP provides. And those are no small potatoes. In 2024, the agency provided more than 118,000 home-cooked meals, over $404,000 in rent, utility, emergency housing and other voucher assistance, 20,000+ lbs. of food boxes, $162,900 in clothing given away, and 476 new mattresses and beds.

ORCHID: To Vietnam War veteran Ken David of Girard for his heroism on the battlefield that resulted in his rightful award of the prestigious Medal of Honor from President Joe Biden at a recent White House ceremony. David’s unit came under attack just before 5 a.m. from the North Vietnamese Army atop a mountain in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam near the Laotian border. Six American soldiers were killed in the attack. Fourteen U.S. soldiers — all wounded — made it out alive when the 90-minute barrage ended. Among them was David, who is credited with saving the lives of 13 of his comrades. David serves as adjutant / treasurer for Disabled American Veterans Chapter 11 in Warren. Clearly, David richly deserved this nation’s highest military honor.