CHEERS: to Dan Weltzien, owner of SkyPark airport in Guilford Township, for commemorating the many servicemen and women who made sacrifices for their country. Weltzien began by honoring Wadsworth native Alan Trent, who was listed as MIA after his plane crashed in Cambodia in 1970, by dedicating SkyPark in Trent’s name. Trent was one of Weltzien’s flight-school students. But Weltzien didn’t stop there. He also is responsible for a 10-ton black granite monument displaying the names of more than 200 SkyPark students and others who have served in various branches of the armed services. “This is my gift to my philosophy that the United States has only made its way in life because of the military that helped it do it,” said Weltzien, a Navy veteran.

CHIDINGS: to a produce supply system that has produced yet another food scare. This time, it’s tomatoes being pulled from grocery shelves and restaurant kitchens in Medina County and throughout the United States due to a salmonella outbreak. This comes following an E. coli scare in 2006 resulting from tainted spinach. “There’s always a recall on something,” said Hawkins grocery manager Joyce Porter. “They just seem to be more frequent than they ever used to be.” In the big picture, it serves to underscore the benefits of growing produce close to home, where the food chain is easier to follow. In fact, there’s still plenty of time to plant a few tomatoes in your own backyard.

CHEERS: to neighbors and a passer-by who saved five children from a burning home Monday night in Medina. Enoch Wootton, the father of three of the children, died in the fire. More lives could have been lost if it wasn’t for passing motorist Thomas Mcgurk who saw the flames and called authorities. Along with the Best family next door, Mcgurk helped rescue the children trapped in the basement by the flames. Donations to the Wootton Family Benevolent Fund may be made at any FirstMerit branch. The FirstMerit office at 1105 S. Court St. has a box in its lobby for cards, notes and letters of support for the family.

CHIDINGS: to the insurance industry for fighting a nationwide effort by amputees lobbying for increased coverage for artificial limbs. Ten states have laws requiring companies to cover prosthetics as fully as they do other medical procedures. A similar measure is pending in Congress. The insurance industry argues such mandates drive up costs, but studies in six of the states have shown the coverage adds 12 to 25 cents a month to premiums. It’s a small price to pay to help the 2 million Americans who have lost a limb to recover as fully as possible and live more independent lives. Advocates also argue prosthetics allow people to be more active and fit — possibly leading to fewer health problems (and one would assume, health care savings) in the future.

CHEERS: to participants in the Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign who will be donating yields from their gardens this summer to local food pantries, which have been struggling to meet demands. Jen Martin, of the organic gardening company the Happy Gardener, introduced the program at the Medina County Earth Day celebration in April and already 100 local growers have pledged to plant an extra row to help people in need. A local preschool and the Medina County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities also are planting special gardens for the program. For a list of food pantries accepting garden produce, contact Martin at 330-725-7993.