ORCHID: To the Howland Local Board of Education for implementing a new and prudent security policy requiring all spectators at athletic events to carry only clear transparent bags into games. According to schools Superintendent Kevin Spicher, “It’s a very simple thing; it’s just clear bags, or don’t bring anything at all.” Transparent bags allow security personnel to quickly and easily see the contents without performing invasive physical searches; it also reduces any risk of weapons, explosives or other prohibited items entering the venue unnoticed. We commend Howland sporting events fans for their reported full cooperation with this sensible restriction and urge other Mahoning Valley school districts to follow Howland’s lead.

ORCHID: To PNC Bank for recently donating $8,000 to the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership for its “Building A Better Warren” jobs program. The BBW hires local residents to help execute neighborhood revitalization plans and blight reduction efforts. “This program is focused on creating stable, year-round employment opportunities for local residents while restoring and improving our neighborhoods,” said Matt Martin, executive director of TNP. PNC’s generous gift should serve as a model for other local businesses interested in giving back to the very communities that support them.

ORCHID: To students in Hubbard High School’s Community and Career class for organizing a successful fundraiser to benefit needy children in the region. Led by student Landon Lovey, the event supported Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit dedicated to building and delivering fully stocked bunk beds to children. The Hubbard students, with the assistance of many generous and supportive community business partners, raised $1,900 for the group and built 20 beds that will provide warm, comfortable places for children to sleep. In doing so, the students proved that today’s generation of young people can and do make tangible and positive impacts on their communities.

ONION: To the unconscionably high number of lazy and irresponsible motorists who risk injury and death by failing to buckle up before starting their engines. New data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows 291,209 unbelted vehicle crashes in the state from 2020 through the end of October, including 10,217 in the Mahoning Valley. Of those, 2,872 resulted in deaths. The Ohio Traffic Safety Office reports seat belt usage rate in Ohio stands at 80%, shamefully well below the national rate of 92%. Ohioans can and must do better.

ORCHID: To the Ohio Tax Credit Authority for last week approving a 1.126%, seven-year Job Creation Tax Credit for a $43.8 million expansion at specialty-steel producer Vallourec Star in Youngstown and Girard.The company that employs about 1,000 at its Mahoning Valley operations plans to manufacture a newly developed and industrialized production line to meet increased demand from the North American market. The project is expected to create about 40 jobs here with $2.3 million in new annual payroll, with tax benefits flowing to the two cities and their school systems. Girard Mayor Mark Zuppo is particularly enthused about the expansion: ”Vallourec has been a great beacon of light here in the Valley, especially for Youngstown and Girard.” We couldn’t agree more, mayor.

ONION: To general election candidates and their supporters who have been too lazy to remove campaign signs from private and public properties throughout the Valley. The sign owners have had ample time since Tuesday’s election to remove them. When placed, the signs supporting candidates for a variety of local offices presented a timely message to help impact the outcome of the election. Today, however, they serve no useful purpose and merely stand out as outdated visual environmental pollution.

ORCHID: To the Student Investment Fund at Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration for winning first place in the national Portfolio Building Competition at the Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium, which took place recently in Chicago. The annual competition challenges teams from across the country to design a long-term investment strategy and construct a mock portfolio of $100,000. The students’ stellar performance against their peers nationwide reflects exceptionally well on the caliber of education they receive from WCBA.

ORCHID: To the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission for going the distance to make fueling up at any of the 14 service plazas on the 241-mile highway more convenient and affordable for motorists. The commission recently launched a new Real-Time Fuel Pricing webpage (https://www.ohioturnpike.org/travelers/service-plazas/fuel-prices) that displays current per-gallon fuel prices. What’s more, the commission, in an effort to battle perceptions that the turnpike heavily inflates gasoline prices, has vowed to keep prices within 3 cents of the average of stations located off the turnpike. Thanks to the new policies, drivers should never more have to contemplate time-, money- and gas-wasting detours off the pike.