ORCHID: To the Warren Heritage Center and Dr. John and Denise York of Boardman for their roles in bringing The Wall That Heals to Warren in late May. The Wall That Heals is returning to the city for the first time since 2018 to honor area Vietnam military personnel killed during the war as well as those who were able to return home from it. It will arrive in Trumbull County on May 27 — the day after Memorial Day — to be set up and displayed on the south lawn of Packard Music Hall through June 1. It will be available to visit 24 hours per day. Warren will be the only city in Ohio to host the three-quarter scale, 275-foot long, 7.5-foot tall wall replica during 2025. Mark your calendars now to ensure you don’t miss visiting this emotionally powerful exhibit.

ORCHID: To Amazon Services LLC for purchasing 61 acres in Bazetta to construct a $30 million warehouse distribution center for the e-commerce giant. The project has been on Amazon’s radar for a couple of years now, and with the assistance of the Ambrose Property Group, it appears as if detailed planning for the facility and such aspects as sewer line extensions already have been planned. We hope the 120 full-time jobs the 169,000-square foot distribution center and accessory structures will bring .to the township is just the start of a new wave of economic development in Trumbull County’s Cortland-Bazetta corridor

ORCHID: To Girard City Auditor Julie Coggins and her office staff for their work toward collecting a record amount of income taxes for the city in 2024. Total income tax collected last year was $5.8 million. Another fringe benefit of the record collection is the city’s highest end-of-year general fund balance in its history at $3,110,242. That means Girard will be in a fiscally stronger place to assist in 2025 projects ranging from street paving to renovation of the downtown Wellman Theatre. We urge Coggins to double down even more in 2025 to keep the city’s exemplary finances strongly intact.

ONION: To state Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, for attempting to water down the will of Ohio voters by tinkering with the state’s legal recreational marijuana law. Huffman and his supporters seek to raise taxes on recreational weed by 50% while making it less potent. Specifically, It seeks more restrictive limits on THC content with a 35% max for plant products and 70% for concentrates and extracts. Huffman also seeks to limit home-grown plants from 12 to six. Ever since 57% of Ohio voters passed a state issue in 2023 to legalize recreational marijuana with specific standards, some in the Legislature have tried their darndest to overturn the will of the electorate. Those actions – including Huffman’s newest proposal – must be squashed.

ORCHID: To Greg and Alice Greenwood for making a $50,000 donation to the Kilcawley: Centered on the Future campaign at Youngstown State University. The Greenwoods’ contribution will play a pivotal role in ensuring Kilcawley Center remains a vibrant hub for generations of students to come. But their generous philanthropy doesn’t stop there. in addition to their $50,000 gift to the Kilcawley Center campaign, the Greenwoods also have committed $100,000 to support renovations at the Beeghly Center. That ongoing campaign seeks to modernize the main sports and entertainment arena on campus. Both projects are sorely needed to keep two major facilities on campus of the highest quality for students and visitors.

ORCHID: To state Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, for her election to the leadership team of The Ohio Democratic Women’s Legislative Caucus for the 136th Ohio General Assembly. McNally, a former Youngstown City Council member, has acquired a reputation for passionately fighting for women’s issues. The new position is therefore a perfect fit for her as the goal of the caucus is to develop and pass policies and legislation that improve the lives of Ohio women and their families; to identify and support emerging women leaders by serving as mentors; to educate and empower women and increase women’s involvement in public life and in the Ohio General Assembly. Her job should be made easier during this new two-year legislative session because for the first time in state history, women make up an equal share of Democratic lawmakers.