ORCHID: To Col. Christopher E. Sedlacek for his upcoming installation as commander of the 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna. Sedlacek will replace Col. Michael Maloney, who departed in early March. The new leader of one of the Mahoning Valley’s largest and most stable employers brings with him a wealth of relevant experience. He has served as commander of the 302nd Airlift Wing commander at the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado and as commander of the 934th Operations Group at the Minneapolis Air Reserve Station. That experience will come in handy as he leads the base through an exciting period of growth and modernization with the ongoing arrival of a new fleet of highly sophisticated C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircrafts. He’ll also oversee an $11 million main gate relocation project, an $8 million runway resurfacing project and construction of a new $25 million fire station pending receipt of federal funding.

ORCHID: To Danella Monsman of Warren and her Inspiring a Difference nonprofit for organizing an Easter-themed fundraiser to help a 6-year old Niles girl with a rare genetic condition in need of a specialized adjustable bed. Arianna Roberts has the rare disorder called Trisomy 13 and needs the special raised bed with elevated head and foot rests.Its cost ranges from $2,000 to $4,000. To raise those funds, Inspiring a Difference is sponsoring an Egg My Yard fundraiser in which the group will spread a variety of Easter eggs in residents’ yards for Easter morning. To get your yard egged and assist in this compassionate cause, contact Monsman at dmonsman@hotmail.com, or by calling or texting 330-647-0673.

ORCHID: To the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services for awarding four police agencies in Trumbull County thousands of dollars to purchase body cameras. The departments and their awards are Liberty Police Department, $36,960; Lordstown, $15,000; Cortland, $6,216 and Warren Township, $4,823. Body cameras no longer are frills for law enforcers in communities of all sizes; they are essential tools. We’re pleased, too, that Gov. Mike DeWine has extended the body-camera grant program in his proposed 2026-27 biennial budget for the state.

ONION: To Insight Health System for withholding scheduled wage payments last week to its Trumbull County employees, including those at its Warren and Howland hospitals. Though we understand that the previous owners of Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Hospital created a wide array of financial crises for the facilities’ new owners, failure to meet a scheduled payday wreaked havoc on many of those employees’ lives. The employees got a double whammy when they also learned the same day that they would be furloughed. As it struggles to reopen its health care operations in Warren, Howland and Austintown, Insight will have its work cut out for it to regain the trust of its workforce and the communities it serves.

ORCHID: To the Millennial Theater Company of Youngstown for forming a partnership with Girard city officials for the renovation and reopening of the Wellman Theater in that city’s downtown. Mayor Mark Zuppo said the partnership was formalized last week. The theater troupe will play a leading role in seeking out funding from grants and foundations for the promising project as well as providing theatrical expertise for the renovation. We wish Millennial and the city nothing but a smashing success in its goal of reopening the theater as the centerpiece of a rejuvenated downtown.

ONION: To dangerous motorists who continue to drive drunk rather than taking the responsible route of using a taxi or ride-share service. Over the first three months of this year, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has issued 114 Operating a Vehicle Impaired citations in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Since the start of 2024, 23 fatal crashes in those two counties were OVI-related, according to an OSHP database. Fortunately, beginning Wednesday (April 9) Ohio motorists who are caught driving under the influence will be hit with harsher penalties thanks to the implementation of Liv’s Law. The law significantly increases penalties and jail time for offenders. The minimum fine for a first-time offense will rise from $375 to $565, and the minimum fine for a second offense will rise from $525 to $715. One can only hope that the stiffer penalties will encourage some impaired individuals think twice before starting their engines.