ORCHID: To the group of 22 centenarians recently honored by the Trumbull County commissioners and others at a luncheon in Warren for their longevity and service to the community. Among those rightfully saluted were Melissa Minor, 103, of Warren, who worked as a Rosie the Riveter during World War II, and Steve Soroka, 101, of Vienna who worked regularly on his farm until retiring at age 95. Clearly those and other honorees more than merit such recognition as they serve as inspirations to us all of the enduring value of productive, active lifestyles and positive mindsets.

ORCHID: To the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley and Dinesol Plastics for partnering with Niles Intermediate School to open a care closet at the school last month. The closet provides students with free access to clothing, hygiene products, household items and food. The UW program, in place at 27 schools in 10 school districts in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, helps to alleviate external worries so students can focus more fully on their academics and personal development. As such, it deserves communitywide applause.

ORCHID: To the Bristol Historical Society for its plans to restore the township’s historic Civil War monument as a highlight of the community’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday next year. The 1863 monument in the center of town holds the distinction as the oldest of its kind in Ohio and second oldest in the entire nation. A fundraising campaign to help pay for cleaning, repair of cracks and secure remounting of the monument has begun and merits support. Donations can be sent to Bristol Historical Society, 7100 Thompson Clark Road NW, Bristolville, OH 44402, or online at bit.ly/3KBiUgt.

ONION: To perpetrators of a growing text-message rip-off scam in which recipients are tricked into sharing personal financial information to those falsely claiming to be from the Ohio Department of Taxation. The scam text claims, “Your tax refund request has been approved and is now pending release.” It includes a link that leads to a fake website to confirm account details — and to gather personal information to enable the scammer to easily swindle you. Anyone who falls prey to this scam should not click the link and should immediately report the incident to local law enforcement authorities and to the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Office of Consumer Affairs at 866-278-0003 or webdfi-oca@com.ohio.gov.

ORCHID: To U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, for becoming a lead sponsor of a bill designed to reduce the alarming rate of stillbirths in our nation. His Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education Act seeks to reduce stillbirths by enhancing data collection, research, education and awareness through federal grants and programs. Though this legislation has been introduced at least four times in earlier congressional sessions, bureaucratic and technical delays have held up its most-certain bipartisan passage. Clearly, the U.S. must do more to improve its poor standing among developed nations in lessening the stillbirth rate. With so much acidic division in the legislative branch of government these days, passage of this legislation could show Americans that our Congress can still unite behind meaningful and promising health initiatives.

ORCHID: To Lordstown officials and Mahoning Valley economic development agencies for their success in attracting to the village what Open AI, Oracle and SoftBank call “one of five new U.S. AI data center sites under Stargate, OpenAI’s overarching AI infrastructure platform.” The Valley faced heavy competition among 300 competing proposals from more than 30 states for the massive venture that is sure to fuel additional economic and population growth to our metro area. Coupled with the continued growth in advanced manufacturing initiatives locally, the new AI center will further reinforce the Valley’s growing reputation as a technology leader in the nation and world.

ORCHID: To participants and partnering sponsors led by Vallourec for cleaning large swaths of major roadways in Youngstown and Girard recently to fittingly mark World Cleanup Day. About 50 volunteers spent the day clearing litter and debris in seven zones of the two cities — most notably along U.S. Route 422. Vallourec, the France-based producer of premium tubing for energy markets, is credited with inspiring the day of community service. The cleanup complemented other ongoing initiatives to revitalize the Route 422 corridor of Youngstown and Girard and also contributed to the noble global goal of reducing solid waste pollution.