Trending
ORCHID: To Warren City Councilman Greg Thumm, D-at Large, and his brother Augie Thumm for their passionate commitment to preserving a historic surveying marker erected by Gen. Simon Perkins in 1816 in front of what is now the Thumm Bike and Clock Shop in downtown Warren. Sadly, that marker has been hidden from public view since about 1900 when the city filled in the area surrounding it with 18 feet of dirt. Thanks to the generosity of the Dillin Co., which is overseeing a major revitalization plan for the city's downtown, the marker may soon be visible once again. According to the Thumms, plans now call for creation of a unique historical viewing window where people will be able to look down from street level to the 210-year-old historical artifact. The project to reveal the monument would once again provide War of 1812 Brig. Gen. Perkins the lasting honor he is due. Arriving in the region from Connecticut in 1799, he transformed Warren into the early capital of the Connecticut Western Reserve and played major roles in industrial and economic development of Warren and the Mahoning Valley in the early 19th century.
ORCHID: To the approximately 400 participants in the recent fifth annual St. Vincent de Paul Northeast Ohio Council's Steps of Hope fundraising walk in Warren's Perkins Park. Thousands of dollars were raised to fight poverty and provide needed safety-net services to the most vulnerable in our community. St. Vincent de Paul, appropriately named after "The Apostle of Charity," has been providing such services in Trumbull County since 1930. Last year alone, it provided 1,167,303 services, 157,579 free meals and profoundation on which all of its supportive walkers can stand proud.
ONION: To the many reckless speeders along state Route 11 in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties for endangering the safety of themselves and other motorists along the busy highway. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the number of crashes along that 100-mile corridor increased to 247 in 2025, including the crash that killed respected OSHP Trooper Nicholas P. Cayton in Canfield last October. Motorists have been clocked at speeds exceeding 100 mph. That's why the patrol wisely has launched an intensified high-visibility presence in that corridor through Oct. 31. Troopers, with assistance from local law enforcement agencies, should spare no mercy toward those lead-footed speed demons this month and every month.
ORCHID: To Patriotic Productions of Omaha, Nebraska, for bringing to Warren its expansive mobile memorial to the thousands of Americans killed in the War on Terror this century. The memorial includes 35 tribute towers with military and personal photos of 5,501 of this nation's fallen from Sept. 11, 2001, to Aug. 30, 2021, and was on display on the lawn of the Kinsman House in Warren during the first week of this month. Kudos as well to the Warren Heritage Center, the many veterans and other civic groups who chipped in to bring the memorial to the Mahoning Valley. Many local visitors to the exhibit rightly found it a fitting tribute to those Americans who answered the call of duty to defend this nation against terrorists across the globe and gave the ultimate sacrifice toward that noble mission.
ONION: To outside super political action committees for sponsoring toxic and sleazy televised ads for candidates in this year's hotly contested races for U.S. Senate from Ohio and for Ohio governor. The high-stakes Senate election between Republican Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown has drawn nearly $300 million with the overwhelming majority coming from outside groups. Legitimate criticism of those ads, as well as those focused on the governor's race between Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, cite extreme personal attacks, policy distortions and the unauthorized use of local news footage. We hope as the campaign enters the final weeks, such advertising will focus squarely on the positive qualities and platforms of the candidates -- and not mudslinging toward their opponents.
ORCHID: To the Mineral Ridge Historical Society for curating an elaborate educational exhibit that showcases the ancestors of local residents who served in the Revolutionary War as part of the America250 celebration this year. Mary Godleski, curator of the historic Moss Ancestral Home in Weathersfield, said she used various ancestry websites such as MyHeritage, Ancestry and familysearch.org to locate many early American patriots connected with local families. Check out the fruits of her most productive labor for yourself at an open house 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. this Sunday at the Moss House, 1499 Burnett St. in Mineral Ridge.