ORCHID: To Trumbull Career & Technical Center students Dylan Merkel and Jake Hancock, who took first place in the annual Automotive Technology Competition at the Cleveland Auto Show.
ORCHID: To Warren Police Lt. Eric Merkel for scoring highest on the police chief's test, making him next in line to lead Warren's law enforcement department. Merkel brings impressive credentials - a master's degree in police administration and graduation from the FBI National Academy.
ORCHID: To Liberty Administrator Patrick Ungaro and township trustees for receiving state approval to make a large stretch of Belmont Avenue a community reinvestment area. The stretch makes future businesses eligible for tax incentives.
ORCHID: To Niles Mayor Ralph Infante and Niles City Council for supporting a state performance audit of the city's operations. Niles has been a shining example of fiscal responsibility, and again, as the city faces looming budgetary problems, its leaders are attempting to act proactively. We encourage everybody involved in the city's government to support the audit and its finding.
ORCHID: To U.S. Army Sgt. Matthew Buschagen of Howland who was part of a group of about 200 wounded veterans and soldiers that completed a 430-mile bike ride in the Ride to Recovery Gulf Coast Challenge. The route took the vets, some, like Buschagen, with brain injuries, and some without limbs, from New Orleans to Tallahassee, Fla.
ORCHID: To the Warren Civic Music Association for bringing the ''Hooray for Hollywood'' program to Packard Music Hall on Thursday. This performance included song and dance numbers from such films as ''Footloose,'' ''Dirty Dancing,'' ''Fame,'' ''Les Miserables,'' ''Saturday Night Fever'' and ''Grease.'' The association continues to bring quality performing arts to Warren, as it has for the past 72 years.