ORCHID: To the patriotic residents along Butler Road, Foster Drive, Halsey Drive, Crescent Drive, Woodland Street, Fairway Drive, Overlook Drive and Golf Drive Northeast in Warren for lining their streets with some 100 large new American flags on all light poles. The tight-knit and highly regimented neighborhood posse also sprung into action by adding fresh paint to fire hydrants and restoring stone street markers. The all-volunteer effort proudly celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States. This patriotic community face-lift also serves as a proud reminder of the unity, freedom and civic spirit that continue to strengthen our community and our country.

ORCHID: To Warren City Schools officials for their success in winning a prestigious national contest for their innovative traveling science, technology, engineering and mathematics laboratory. That lab recently garnered the Farber Specialty Vehicle of the Year award. Competition was stiff for the prestigious honor, considering 16 specialty vehicles from 12 states were in the running and more than 11,000 votes nationwide were cast. But Warren’s mobile lab rose to the top quite easily with more than 4,000 of those votes. And why shouldn’t it have? The 38-foot lab, built on a Freightliner chassis, offers lessons in computer science, robotics and 3D printing for all students in the district and does so on a fun, inviting and fiscally responsible platform.

ORCHID: To longtime SCOPE (Senior Citizens Opportunity for Personal Endeavor) Director Mike Wilson for his 11 prodigiously productive years of dedicated service and life-changing leadership at the county’s paramount agency for mature adults. To the sadness of many, Wilson left the post last week to become communications coordinator/bailiff for Trumbull County Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court Judge David Engler. Over the past decade, Wilson’s leadership has been phenomenal in expanding the agency’s services and centers to assist thousands of seniors in Trumbull County. During Wilson’s tenure at SCOPE, participation rocketed more than 600% from 746 members to 5,500 last year. Clearly, he will be missed, and his successor will have some mighty big shoes to fill.

ONION: To the scores of perverted adults in Ohio, mostly men, who continue to prey on teens and children to satisfy their deviant sexual desires. Despite widespread crackdowns on johns in recent years, it’s clearly evident such scum remains a major stain on the Buckeye State. Fortunately, battling the scourge continues aggressively. A statewide crackdown dubbed Operation Spring Cleaning organized by Attorney General Dave Yost this month concluded statewide stings that netted 122 arrests. Among those are 11 from the tireless work of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. We salute the task force and all participants in the success of Spring Cleaning but urge them strongly to continue to seek out and prosecute perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law. The long-term physical and mental harm to victims demands nothing less.

ORCHID: To state Rep. Dave Thomas, R-Jefferson, for sponsoring long-needed legislation to protect jurors in Ohio from intimidation and to close a gaping loophole in state law. The bill recently won unanimous passage in the Ohio House. Already on the books are laws and penalties against attempts to bribe jurors but no similar protections exist for intimidating or tampering with a juror in a criminal case. The bill provides stricter punishments to those who use force or the threat of personal harm to influence jurors. Rep. Eric Synenberg, D-Beachwood, the other main sponsor of the bill, offers this cogent advice: “I would urge the Senate to move this quickly so we can get this bill signed into law and deliver these protections for Ohioans.”

ONION: To irresponsible outdoor grill users who trigger avoidable disasters by placing grills too close to flammable structures, leaving them unattended, neglecting grease buildup or mishandling fuel. These careless habits can cause catastrophic property damage, severe injuries and deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. In fact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports an average of 21,682 people are treated in emergency rooms each year for outdoor grilling injuries.

ORCHID: To proud McDonald Village resident John Muckridge for his patriotic communitywide campaign that has the added benefit of assisting many worthy McDonald High School graduates. Muckridge recently completed placing large American flags in front of 140 homes in the community in a show of patriotic community unity just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. Sales of the flags also financed 12 scholarships totaling $12,000. But wait. As if that weren’t enough for this one-man community service machine, Muckridge also has for years constructed hundreds of big bold “M” signs that have been erected in residents’ yards to tout McDonald community pride. And he’s now planning a massive volunteer cleanup of the village June 13. Residents old and young alike should show their appreciation for Muckridge’s good deeds by volunteering en masse that morning at 9 a.m. To do so, contact him at jmuck830@yahoo.com.