ßORCHID: To organizers and participants in last week’s Polar Plunge in Mosquito Lake for raising about $30,000 for Special Olympics Ohio. About 80 brave souls dove into the frigid waters to get their chill of a lifetime while freezin’ for a reason. The event, one of many statewide, was organized by the Ohio State Moose Association, and Minnie’s Moose Crew led all teams this year by raising nearly $16,000. That team’s No. 1 performance indeed was appropriate in honor of Hermina “Minnie” Wolfe who rose to the stature of queen of the plunge, having participated in it for more than 20 years before her death after her last plunge last year at 93. Her spirit, however, continued to contribute heavily to the amazing success of this year’s event, which supports more than 20,000 Ohio athletes with intellectual challenges by providing them free year-round sports training and competitions.

ONION: To the Ohio Parole Board for its unwise and downright shameful action last week to grant parole for convicted murderer Gary Allen Betz, 71, for the fourth time. Betz was sentenced in the 1976 shooting death of Lake Milton tavern owner Ron Goche during a robbery at a time when he already was on parole for other violent crimes. In 2007, he was granted parole a third time but promptly violated it as well. We stand by Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins in his dismay and disbelief over the state board’s misguided action. As Watkins aptly stated, “The release of the inmate into society would create undue risk to public safety and/or would not further the interest of justice nor be consistent with the welfare and security of society.”

ORCHID: To the top winners in last weekend’s Regional Scholastic Art Awards at Youngstown State University for their creative and artistic excellence. Among this year’s standout students were five American Visions nominees — considered Best of Show: Hannah English of Cardinal Mooney High School, Chloe Blott of Canfield High School, Rhylin Barker of LaBrae High School, Camryn Ross of Lakeview High School and Mara Vargo of Hubbard High School. They faced some rugged competition from the nearly 500 entries considered for this year’s award from junior and senior high students in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties. The popular contest gives students gifted in the visual arts a deserved opportunity to publicly strut their creative stuff and for others to savor and celebrate their success.

ORCHID: To the Mahoning Valley campus of the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’ School for Aviation Maintenance at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport for soaring in stature via its recent recognition by the Accrediting Commission on Career Schools and Colleges as a 2024-2025 ACCSC School of Excellence. That mark of distinction certifies that it has demonstrated a high commitment to educational quality, rigorous accreditation standards and exceptional student achievement. With demand exceptionally high — 710,00 new technicians needed over the next 20 years — and with job placement rates among the school’s graduates at 97%, the Youngstown campus is on course to take off for newer and brighter heights in its immediate future.

ONION: To lazy and lackadaisical members of political party central committees in the Mahoning Valley who irresponsibly fail to fulfill their public-service duties. In Youngstown’s 6th Ward, only two of seven Democratic Party Central Committee members had confirmed they would attend a critical meeting to select a replacement for former 6th Ward Councilwoman Anita Davis, who was elected president of Youngstown City Council in November’s general election. A couple of vacancies exist in that ward’s committee, but all others simply failed to respond to repeated messages and home visits to confirm they would attend. That’s shameful considering the important role those public servants fill in helping to manage party operations, recruiting candidates and coordinating electoral strategies. We certainly hope the inexcusable behavior of the errant 6th Ward Central Committee members represents the exception and not the rule for all such Democrat and Republican members throughout the region.

ORCHID: To the Kimberly-Clark Corp., the Mahoning Valley’s newest premium employer, for recently announcing its donation of a whopping 15 million Huggies diapers to the National Diaper Bank Network. Member diaper banks serve children and families in 33 U.S. states, including at its Mahoning Valley location at Project MKC in Boardman (projectmkc.org), formerly known as Making Kids Count. According to NDBN, it distributes essential products to more than 280,000 children monthly, so Kimberly-Clark’s most generous gift definitely will not go unwanted or unneeded.

ORCHID: To Hubbard Township Trustee William Colletta for deservedly receiving the prestigious “Something Good Initiative” award from the Trumbull County Planning Commission recently. The award spotlights individuals who make meaningful, positive contributions to their communities through leadership, service and collaboration. Colletta clearly rises as the poster boy for all of those noble attributes. It would take this entire column space to give even a partial rundown of workhorse Colletta’s myriad contributions to the betterment of Hubbard Township, but suffice it to say he has excelled in strengthening communication lines with residents, in ensuring adequate and reliable infrastructure for all and in collaborating with Hubbard City on valuable joint community projects.

ORCHID: To Scott and Mandy Forestal of Girard for their powerhouse leadership over the mighty Steel City Warriors, a compassionate nonprofit Scott founded in 2019 to assist Mahoning Valley residents in need. The Forestals and their Warriors – generally totally under the radar — perform myriad good works throughout the region. Last Thanksgiving, for example, they prepared 2,500 Thanksgiving dinners for deserving families in the area. They also provide food, shelter, school supplies, toys, medical assistance and more to thousands of grateful beneficiaries. With so much going for it, enlist to support Forestal’s army by watching for and supporting the next major fundraiser the organization sponsors.

ORCHID: To Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel for recently launching WorkOhio, a statewide initiative designed to connect Ohioans with in-demand jobs through personalized support from teams of regional job experts. At the center of WorkOhio is a new website — WorkOhio.gov — an easy-to-use starting point for anyone looking for new job opportunities, training programs or other resources aligned with their background, experience and goals. This model workforce assistance program comes at an auspicious time. As the former Youngstown State president and championship football coach put it, “Companies are growing in every region of our state and creating jobs in the industries that will shape our future.”

ORCHID: To the hundreds of snowplow drivers throughout the Mahoning Valley who braved the monstrous cold and unrelenting heavy snow earlier this week to clear roads for relatively safe passage for motorists. The Ohio Department of Transportation deployed 1,200 road-clearing crews statewide with 300 of them in Northeast Ohio. Some of those hearty state and local plow drivers weathered the harsh conditions for 19 hours straight during the height of the worst snowstorm we’ve experienced in years. Most reports indicate they cleared our ways promptly and efficiently. We tip our hats, too, to the many essential health care, safety-service and other workers who soldiered on and did not let Mother Nature’s wrath prevent them from performing their critical services to a thankful public.