ORCHID: To Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for writing an open letter recently in support of the much-needed Susan Muffley Act to restore full pension benefits to salaried retirees of Delphi Corp. Those retirees who number 5,000 in Ohio and hundreds in the Mahoning Valley, have been waiting long enough to be made whole. Since 2009, when the federal Pension Guaranty Corp. took oversight of their plans, they have received paltry partial benefits. In the name of fairness, we join DeWine in once again appealing to members of Congress to act promptly to pass the act that would restore their rightful benefits.

ORCHID: To Warren Mayor Doug Franklin for formally calling on Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to conduct a criminal investigation into Steward Health. Specifically, he wants the state’s Medicaid Fraud Unit to investigate Steward’s practices while in bankruptcy. Steward, which formerly operated Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in the Valley, filed for bankruptcy last May, and recently suspended payments to Insight Health, new operators of the facilities. As a result, the two major health care centers have been shuttered for nearly two months. We strongly urge Yost and his office to agree to such an investigation as the first move toward reopening the two hospitals. As Yost himself has said, “The health and well-being of Ohioans should never be sacrificed for the bottom line.”

ORCHID: To William A. Cafaro, co-president of The Cafaro Company, and his family for making a most generous $3 million contribution to the ongoing campaign to renovate and modernize Kilcawley Center at Youngstown State University. This new gift carries on a long and proud tradition of the Cafaros’ support, dating back to the 1960s when William M. Cafaro backed Youngstown University’s effort to become a state public university. Over the decades, they have made many donations to the university and have served on the YSU Foundation, fundraising campaigns and other university groups. YSU President Bill Johnson aptly put the Cafaros’ generosity in perspective: “This gift reflects their dedication to YSU’s student community and further acknowledges their belief in the critical role YSU plays in the social, cultural and economic vitality of our region.”

ONION: To irresponsible pet owners who neglect and abuse their dogs, cats and other companion animals. In recent months, reports of such abuse have been on an uptick in the Mahoning Valley with many shelters and dog pounds reporting they are at or near capacity. A case in point came last weekend in Warren, where a dog, later named “Baby,” was found nearly unresponsive at the bottom of the basement steps. According to the local Healthy Hearts and Paws Project, Baby was emaciated, dehydrated, and suffered a ruptured abdominal mass. Despite emergency veterinary care, the dog died. A Warren man has been charged with cruelty to animals. If he is found guilty, he should face the maximum punishment the law allows.

ORCHID: To Deryck Toles, founder and CEO of Inspiring Minds, for winning the 2025 Community Service Award from the local chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute at a fundraising roast in Warren last weekend. The institute, which works for racial equality and economic justice nationwide, rightly bestowed the honor on Toles, a former Indianapolis Colts player, who over the past two decades has built the very successful youth development organization with chapters in Youngstown, Warren and several other cities nationwide. Over those years, it has guided more than 6,000 young people to graduation, college, responsible citizenship and successful careers. That remarkable track record clearly has earned Toles kudos from the institute and the entire Valley community.

ORCHID: To Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley for its generosity and community service by sponsoring and underwriting its School Day Game at Eastwood Field last weekend for some 4,000 youngsters from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties and elsewhere. The Mahoning Valley’s leading pediatric health care provider paid for all of the tickets to the Youngstown State University baseball game for the children and provided them plenty of free hot dogs, popcorn and beverages. The annual fun-filled event, which first took place in 2011, clearly illustrates the hospital’s supersized commitment to community partnerships.

ONION: To the Ohio Republican Party for acting prematurely and secretly to endorse a candidate for governor in the May 5, 2026, primary. Members of the party’s state central committee met last week in Columbus and endorsed billionaire entrepreneur and Donald Trump loyalist Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and U.S. Sen. Jon Husted for Senate. Though Ramaswamy and Husted may emerge as the best candidates in their races, it is far too early to make such important judgments because potential candidates still have months to throw their hats into the ring. Among those Republicans who could join the governor’s race, for example, is the much-admired Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel. Not only was the endorsement meeting the earliest on record, it also was unorthodox in its secret balloting. The misguided timing and process of that endorsement meeting stains the image of a party that prides itself on transparency and accountability.