Roses&Thorns
Roses - let's make a holiday exception today for this entry and call them lillies - to everyone organizing Easter egg hunts for the area children. The UCT hunt is an annual staple of Salem and has been for years. There also seemed to be an increase in the number of other groups getting involved including numerous churches. These activities bring young and old and in between together. Interaction in the Salem area is heightened by the holidays. It helps takes minds off the economy and again reinforces the belief of all the good and giving people our community has within it. Lillies to all the parents today who will let their kids eat whatever they want out of their baskets and worry about the sugar rushes and bellyaches later. Lillies to the kids who leave the black jelly beans for Dad and, most importantly, lillies to everyone who will pause with reverence and acknowledge the real reason there is an Easter. Yeah Easter time is nice all the way around, what with the baskets, new clothes, time off from work, golf and ham dinners. But let's keep its main reason for being close to heart. And if you don't feel likewise respect those who do.
Thorns, passed along as they have in the past, to motorists on East State Street who disregard the pedestrian crossing signs posted on each side of the East State Street area in front of the Memorial Building/library area. We got a report that someone recently crossing in the marked areas nearly got struck by a car. Thorns to all the semis flying through town, usually during off hours. We've mentioned this before here and its warrants mention again. Anyone coming to work early in the morning can attest to this happening on a regular basis. Not only do some of the semi drivers go above the posted speed limit but utterly ignore a signal turning to amber. Which begs the question of when was the last time a semi actually was pulled over for speeding along State Street.
Thorns, now that spring is here, to those walking dogs in the city parks for a primary purpose of letting said animals crap. So for the rest of us who enjoy walking through the parks, the season of dodging pooh-pooh piles is upon us.
Roses to Salem resident Roanna Thawley. She created a Facebook memory group page for those wanting to express condolences to the families of the three Pittsburgh police officers slain by a nut case last Saturday. It was a very thoughtful gesture. One of the fallen officers had Salem connections. A full story was published on page 5A of our Tuesday edition.
Roses to Kent State University and Dean Jeff Nolte for a donations of computers to the city.
Roses to Northern Columbiana County Habitat for Humanity. A representative, Mickey Weaver, appeared before city council Tuesday. The group is offering to take any useable, recyclable materials from any houses being razed by the city. Volunteers would remove the items and the Habitat Restore could sell them. Plus recyclables wouldn't go into landfills. Sounds like a cause.
Roses to the fourth grade?Ohio Studies students and their teachers at Damascus Elementary School. They created the Damascus Cookie Company to study economics. The students ices, sprinkled and packaged cookies. They promoted a cookie sale on the in-school TV and other means. The result was a profit of $327.40. The students will turn that money over to Alchemy Acres. A successful business lesson turned into a lesson of life - sharing and doing something for a good cause.
