ORCHID: To the Trumbull County Commissioners and to township trustees in Howland and Warren townships for approving tax abatements for the Kimberly-Clark Corp., which is eyeing property in the county to build an $875 million manufacturing plant for the robust Fortune 500 company. Commissioners last week unanimously approved a 10-year, 60% property tax break for the company days after the trustees approved similar abatements in their communities. Their actions are the latest in a series of state and local initiatives by others, including the Ohio Controlling Board, state Rep. Nick Santucci, the Western Reserve Port Authority and the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber to bring home this mammoth economic development project.

ORCHID: To leaders of the Warren Family Mission and the hundreds of volunteers responsible for making last weekend’s gargantuan community Easter meal a resounding success. Collectively, they served a whopping 2,500 bountiful meals last weekend free to all who showed up. All told, the feast included 1,600 pounds of ham, 1,500 cans of corn, 243 pounds of mashed potatoes and much, much more. The army of volunteers cooking, slicing, scooping and pouring out these holiday staples came from all segments of the community. Without their selfless service, this 27-year robust and heartwarming Easter tradition could never have materialized.

ORCHID: To U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, for introducing legislation to combat skyrocketing retail crime in the United States. His bill with strong bipartisan support would establish the Organized Retail and Supply Chain Coordination Center to facilitate increased collaboration among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Just how out of control is retail crime? According to the National Retail Federation, theft and other retail crimes increased 93% between 2019 and 2023 in the U.S. Clearly a more aggressive fight against this crime that often has serious repercussions for merchants and consumers alike is warranted. Congress should waste no time in enacting it so the new and more vigorous fight can begin.

ONION: To U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, for his repugnant and insensitive criticism of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., earlier this month. Moreno used the title fuhrer to describe Schumer as part of his criticism of the Democrat and his party on tax policy. As Moreno should well know, fuhrer is an offensive German term that means leader. It is most often associated with Adolf Hitler, the German leader who was responsible for killing 6 million Jews during World War II. Moreno owes Schumer, a Jew, and his constituency of all faiths a sincere and remorseful apology. Such name-calling has no place on elementary school playgrounds, let alone in the august halls of the U.S. Congress.

ORCHID: To Sunrise Entertainment of Warren for compiling a strong and diverse collection of acts to perform at its wildly popular River Rock at the Amp series this summer. This season promises to be among the best yet with an eclectic mix of shows featuring such past favorites as tribute acts for Queen and Led Zeppelin coupled with such first-time acts as tribute acts for shock rocker Alice Cooper and country sensation Morgan Wallen. What’s more, the venue – the Warren Community Amphitheatre — has undergone numerous improvements including a better drainage system and a food court. Clearly, there’s great entertaining fun to be had at the 2025 River Rock series. Don’t miss out!

ORCHID: To Stacey Biery, school librarian at Bascom Elementary School in the LaBrae district, and her associates at the school for establishing a Little Free Library station outside of the school. The colorful book box was largely funded by a grant from LittleLibrary.org, a non profit that is affiliated with more than 20,000 small front-yard book exchanges in 181 countries. The potential educational value of this community resource cannot be overstated. As Biery aptly put it, “It’s our hope that the Little Free Library will bring a little more joy, a little more connection and a whole lot more books to our community.”

ORCHID: To all fraternities and sororities at Youngstown State University for successfully carrying on a proud 72-year tradition recently by taking part in the Greek Sing competition at Stambaugh Auditorium. The theme for this year’s event was” wordplay.” Each group had to pick one word that tied all their songs together. For example, Theta Chi’s word was “dance.” The fraternity’s song medley included “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA and “One Dance” by Drake. The standing-ovation worthy show had many winners — too many to single out here — selected by a panel of judges from The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. We’re pleased that this competition once again shined a well-deserved spotlight on the talents and community service these Greek organizations perform throughout the year. It’s a tradition well worth continuing for decades and decades to come.