ORCHID: To Richard and Jean Lawnhurst, owners of Howards men’s clothing store in Warren, for more than five decades of operating a vital retail establishment with a premium on attentive customer service in the heart of downtown. The Lawnhursts announced last week the store will be closing soon, bringing disappointment to the throngs of loyal customers the shop has served so well. Richard, 81, and Jean, 79, deserve commendation for their commitment to downtown commerce for so long. We hope another quality retail establishment will set up shop in the building so as not to leave a gaping void in the ongoing revitalization of the central city. We also wish the Lawnhursts the best in their well earned retirement years. We’re confident it will be a good fit.

ORCHID: To Cortland City Council for acting to promote accountability and transparency in local government by advancing a proposed ordinance to outlaw nepotism in hiring decisions for all city jobs. Council members said they want to avoid giving preferences or advantages to family members by public officials, department heads or city employees, which is unfair to other applicants who may be as qualified or even more qualified. Though avoiding unfair and preferential hiring decisions should be a no brainer for all levels of government, a formal law explicitly outlawing the odious practice carries weight and should serve as a model for other local governments throughout the Mahoning Valley.

ONION: To Trumbull County officials in charge of maintenance of the county jail for allowing the facility to fall into such a dire state of disrepair that the public health of employees and inmates could be threatened. Jail Administrator David Bobby last week appealed passionately to county commissioners for action to deal with longstanding and severe problems at the lockup, including water leaks, plumbing disrepair, poor heating and poorly operating and nonoperating boilers. County commissioners should act expeditiously to address and repair the problems. In addition, as former Commissioner Niki Frenchko wisely suggested last year, a rigid preventative maintenance program should be put in place.

ORCHID: To Newton Falls High School senior Ellie Falb for winning first place in this year’s 20 Under 20 program. The awards, hosted by The Tribune Chronicle, AVI Food Systems and Akron’s Children Mahoning Valley, recognize the many achievements of those age 20 and under. Falb clearly deserved the top honor as she tutors elementary school children, serves as president of both her National Honor Society chapter and Student Council. She also takes part in many community service events and initiatives. She had tough competition, however, from the other 19 honored recipients. As Ted Snyder, general manager of The Tribune, aptly put it, “They have succeeded at being assets in their communities by leading productive, ethical, honorable and inspirational lives.”

ORCHID: To McDonald High School National Honor Society members Sophie Johnson, Rita Domitrovich and Juliana Krumpak for organizing and conducting two fundraising fun runs in the village to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley. Nearly 80 children and adults braved the cold, windy weather last week to participate in the runs and carry the high school seniors’ community service project successfully over the finish line. A total of $2,000 was raised to fight food insecurity in the Valley. McDonald Mayor Ray Lewis rightfully praised the efforts of the students. He said the benefit “showed great leadership amongst our students both in the classroom and in the community.”

ORCHID: To Trumbull County commissioners for taking prompt action last week to strengthen the county’s computer systems from dangerous hackers. The county leaders agreed to spend about $28,000 on new software designed to better thwart any and all unauthorized or criminal access to county records and finances. They agreed to buy multi-factor authentication software from CBTS Technological Solutions LLCtorequire extra security steps to log in. The action, though deemed merely “precautionary” by Malloy, does come on the heels of a cyberattack last month when unscrupulous hackers broke into a third-party software vendor used by the county recorder’s office and attempted to steal information. Now it is paramount that all county computer users are well trained on and consistently follow proper protocols to ensure maximum protection against the growing ranks of devious and corrupt cybercriminals.