Kudos to those helping teens attend dance

BOUQUETS>> To those at First Church of Christ in Painesville and Team Evolution United who are coming together to make homecoming a reality for some students at Harvey High School. Homecoming can be a stressful time for students who do not have the financial resources to attend; these folks recognized this need and decided to make those homecoming plans easier.

Their goal is to sponsor 10 male and female students for the Harvey High School Homecoming Dance Oct. 6.

They are accepting lightly used formal dresses and gowns, suits, shoes and accessories until Sept. 28, so there’s still a little time for you to check your closets. Clothing can be dropped off between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Church of Christ office at 422 Mentor Ave.

Free hair and makeup will be offered. A few barbers will also provide complimentary haircuts.

“I want to make sure the youth are granted every opportunity that I was able to be a part of and more,” said TEU Programs Coordinator Brianna Jones. “My ultimate goal is to have it become an annual event and open it to more schools in the area, but I know I have to start small and at home.”

Jones, who spearheaded this fundraising effort, said she hopes it can evolve into a Career Closet, where students can get clothing for interviews and other formal events.

Cash donations to cover student tickets, dry cleaning and makeup are being accepted at Painesville Credit Union at 280 N. St. Clair St. in the “TEU Homecoming 8342” account.

Thanks to Jones and all those involved with this project.

BOUQUETS» To Perry Village on adopting new regulations for vacant homes and commercial buildings.

The village’s law states that a vacant house or building must be registered no later than 90 days after becoming unoccupied; or within 30 days of the owner being notified by village government based on evidence of vacancy — depending on which event occurs

We applaud Perry Village on taking steps to preserve the community.

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The registration form in Perry, in addition to listing contact information for the building owner, also requires that person to submit a vacant structure plan. Three choices are offered to the owner: to demolish the structure, rehabilitate it or keep it secured.

Further instructions are then given to the owner to pursue the chosen option.

Village government leaders are hoping that the ordinance will reduce the number of houses in the community that have been sitting vacant and unattended for extended periods of time.

“I think that we definitely have a problem with some people owning houses and just sitting on them — (the houses) just sit there and rot,” Councilman Mike Glover said at a July meeting. “It’s definitely detrimental to the property values (in the surrounding area).”

We applaud the village on taking steps to preserve the community.

BRICKBATS» To those contributing to the rampant drug epidemic ravaging our communities.

Fatal drug overdoses increased to a record 4,854 last year in Ohio, a 20 percent rise compared with the previous year, according to information reported to the state.

Data on unintentional drug deaths provided to the Ohio Department of Health show 2017 was the eighth year in a row that drug deaths increased, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Ohio’s county coroners logged 4,050 fatal overdoses in 2016.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl continued to fuel the drug epidemic, accounting for nearly three-fourths of last year’s overdose deaths and killing 3,431 people. That was 46 percent higher than in the previous year. Cocaine-related deaths increased 39 percent from 1,109 in 2016 to 1,540 last year.

“Drug dealers are flooding communities with different drugs to see what takes. They are very smart businesspeople,” said Lori Criss, chief executive officer of the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers.

We must be smarter.