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ORCHID: To leaders and staff of the Niles-based Cafaro Company for having their expansive Eastwood Mall Complex ranked as one of the "Top 10 Retail Center Experiences" in the United States. Chain Store Age, a national magazine, released its new rankings last week, placing Eastwood at No. 7. From its beginnings in the late 1960s, the complex has grown to cover 3 million square feet with more than 200 businesses today. In so doing, it has wildly bucked trends toward downsizing and even demolition of enclosed shopping centers. Clearly leaders of Cafaro, the largest privately-owned shopping center development company in America, have developed masterful skills in recognizing and satisfying consumer retail and entertainment tastes in the Mahoning Valley and across the nation.
ORCHID: To the Friends of Mosquito Lake State Park organization for leading the way toward establishing and opening its new Nature Center last week. The center, which consists of two cabins provided by the Friends, will include exhibition and classroom space. The approximately $150,000 addition to the 2,400-acre state park will surely attract even more visitors to one of Trumbull County's most-visited destinations. Kudos also must go to state Rep. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, who secured state funding for the project and other volunteers who made the two-pronged center a reality. It stands as a great addition to the park and helps to explain why Ohio has been ranked as the No. 1 state in the nation for best state parks from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, besting other finalists Florida and Wyoming.
ONION: To the small but seemingly growing ranks of irresponsible and dangerous motorists who fail to give school crossing guards the respect they deserve by failing to stop at their command or by interfering or harassing them while they work. A recent investigation from the Associated Press and Cox Media Group found 230 school crossing guards across 37 states and Washington, D.C., were struck by vehicles in the past decade. Nearly three dozen were killed. In response Ohio lawmakers this session have introduced House Bill 690 to increase penalties and fines for those who threaten their safety and their young charges. For the long term, their proposed crackdown merits passage to beef up slap-on-the-wrist penalties now in place. For the short term as this new school year is beginning, all motorists must realize the importance of responsible, safe and slow driving habits at and near any and all school crossings.
ORCHID: To the U.S. Tennis Association for generously awarding Niles City Schools a grant of $175,000 toward construction of five tennis courts on school property. The attractive and professional-caliber courts officially opened last week to the delight of the girls and boys tennis teams that had been forced to play on what they viewed as subpar courts in city parks and elsewhere. As an added plus, the new state-of-the-art courts also will be available at times for public use. We're confident they'll soon be a smash. As schools Superintendent Ann Marie Thigpen put it at the athletic facility's recent ribbon-cutting, "This is a great day for Niles City Schools and the Niles community."
ORCHID: To Herm Breuer, the Cover Down Fund that he founded and leads and the Warren Farmers Market for their fresh new initiative to give local veterans $20 vouchers to buy fresh, healthy food at the weekly farm markets on North Park Avenue downtown. Every eligible veteran who attends the Friday market will receive a $20 voucher that can be redeemed with participating vendors at the market. The new initiative produces a double-whammy of benefits. First, it provides veterans with nutritious home-grown fruits, vegetables and other products. Second, it supports farmers and small businesses in the Mahoning Valley. As such, it is another feather in the cap of Breuer, an Iraq War veteran and longtime advocate extraordinaire for veterans' needs. We wish organizers well in expanding the program Valleywide in the not-too-distant future.
ONION: To the sleazy scammers who are trying to rip off customers of Ohio Edison. The electric utility reports this month that telephone callers posing as electric company representatives are threatening to shut off power of the targets of their swindle unless they make an immediate payment using a pre-paid debit card such as a Green Dot card. FirstEnergy officials say they would never engage in such practices. Ohio Edison sends written disconnection notices via the mai; it does not call or email demanding immediate payment. Those who may have been victimized by this scam are urged to report it to OE at 1-800-633-4766.