By a vote of 6 to 1 Lakewood City Council tonight enacted legislation to ban pit bull dogs from Lakewood. Pit bull dogs currently living in Lakewood would not be affected by this ban if their owners comply with requirements outlined in the new law.

On Sunday, July 21, the Lakewood School Board officially accepted the resignation of Dr. David Estrop as superintendent of the Lakewood City Schools.

Estrop, who turned in a copy of his resignation on March 12 of last year, is currently in the running for the State Superintendent position. The previous State Superintendent, Susan T. Zelman, resigned on May 28 of this year to actively pursue a position as the Dean of Education at the University of Oregon.

Mayor Ed FitzGerald kicked off his Listening To Lakewood (L2L) Program on Thursday, June 19, 2008. He is walking different neighborhoods in the City for several weeks with members of his Administration and talking with residents to find out what questions and concerns they have about the City. At the end of each walking tour, a neighborhood meeting is held which includes a question and answer session along with a Power Point presentation addressing the challenges our city faces and what City Hall is doing to overcome them...

On Saturday, Lakewood joined Cleveland in hosting a Walk + Roll event. After shutting down Detroit from Marlowe to Arthur, and Belle from Detroit to Lakewood Park, Lakewoodites were encouraged to walk, ride their bikes, or roller-skate through the streets.

In addition to the main goal of the event-to get to know the city better and to use a simpler, more efficient means of transportation-there were numerous activities and booths lining Detroit Avenue...

The Lakewood Summer Concert Series presents the Men of Independence barbershop chorus on Sunday, July 27th at the Lakewood Park band shell, 7 until 8:30pm. The chorus will perform “A Night at the USO”...

On Friday evening, August 1, Lakewood Hospital will host its third annual Starry Night, a patron benefit presented by Signature Sponsor, Regency Construction Services, Inc. The event will be held under the stars on Belle Avenue near Detroit Avenue on the hospital campus.

Proceeds from Starry Night will benefit two worthwhile causes – Lakewood Hospital Diabetes Center and the Lakewood Arts Festival Scholarship Fund. Each year, this event gets bigger and better and this year is no exception. Guests will enjoy delicious food, raffles, a live auction, music by The Bottom Lineband, dancing and much more. Health anchor Monica Robins of WKYC-TV3 will emcee the event...

Let’s face it: Times are tough. People are feeling “the pinch.” Even with all the great developments in our city, many folks in Lakewood, and many people around the nation are contending with the harsh realities of inflation, political angst, unemployment, rising living expenses, and – of course – the “pain at the pump” as gas prices have reached an all time high...

The North Coast Health Ministry will host its 13th annual Celebration of Caring gala auction and dinner Thursday, Aug. 28 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Lakewood Hospital Atrium, 14519 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood...

St. Peter's Episcopal Church is holding a rummage sale 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat., July 26. The church is located at West Clifton and Detroit Avenues. The sale will be at the house behind the church on W. Clifton. For more information, call the church office at (216) 226-1772...

The Busy Bee Auxiliary of Ann Rutledge Chapter #453 of Ohio Eastern Star (a non-profit charity) will host its 2nd. Annual Open House and "Trinkets and Treasures" Bazaar at the Lakewood Masonic Temple on Saturday, August 2nd. from 10A.M. to 5P.M., located at the far west end of the Lakewood Arts Festival...

The Lakewood HistoricalSociety and the many community volunteers putting this tour on want you to bethe first to hear about the upcoming ninth biennial Lakewood House Tour. Andwhat better way is there than bringing it to you through Lakewood’s very owncommunity newspaper.

With the recentrecognition by This Old House Magazine that Lakewood is one of the “Best Placesto Buy an Old House”, neighboring Clevelanders have been reminded of, or maybejust now enlightened as to, the beauty that Lakewood holds. They might findthemselves drawn to see what all the fuss is about!..

The Lakewood Community Festival Incorporated donated $1000 to the Lakewood Veterans Memorial Renovation Project. Lakewood Community Festival committee members Marge Stopiak, Rose Slavik, Susan Butler and Helen Pohorence presented the check to the Lakewood Veterans Committee...

As the largest employer in Lakewood, Lakewood Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic hospital, continues to be a leader in Northeast Ohio’s healthcare community by continually upgrading its facilities, technologies and services; thereby improving the quality of care available for patients on Cleveland’s West side...

H2O “Help to Others” Summer Service Camp, sponsored by the City of Lakewood, is a place for middle school students to learn about helping the community, local and global, through organized volunteer work. Each summer H2O has a different theme that the service revolves around. The theme for this year is, “Study the Past, Live in the Moment, Plan for the Future.” We are turning our focus to the current environmental situation, and making an effort to increase recycling in Lakewood...

Lakewood Earth and Food (or LEAF) is, in the literal sense of the word, a grass-roots organization. In fact, this year’s slogan says it all: “Planting the seeds that change a city into a community.”

And while many Lakewoodites have most likely heard the name, read something about them, or seen them march in the 4th of July parade, LEAF is actually a great deal more complex than its most publicized Community Garden project. In addition to Community Gardening, LEAF supplies affordable produce on a weekly basis, brings in vendors who sell bulk, and tries to reuse waste materials...

Have you ever noticed how the most inspiring moments can sometimes become nightmares?

I re-learned this “Raiders of the Lost Arc” lesson the hard way recently on a trip to the Sandy Ridge Reservation, a Lorain County Metro-Park, advertised to feature a bird-rich wetland with heron, geese, woodpeckers, swan etc. Well, the park didn’t disappoint: my sister and I saw all that and more, including two beautiful Baltimore orioles and some egrets. But just when I felt at peace—connected to the majesty of the natural world--one wrong turn transformed my ornithological bliss into a horror show...

“Every day,” quipped Lenny Bruce. “people are straying from the church and going back to God.”

It was more than 50 years ago when the acerbic comedian made that observation, but there are indeed signs that “church-going” could become a thing of the past...

Sister Annette Sinagra, the sister of former Lakewood Mayor Anthony Singara, celebrated her Golden Jubilee Anniversary as an Adrian Dominican Sister on Sunday July 13th.

Currently ministering at the Motherhouse in Adrian, Michigan, Sister Annette served rural and urban people in the Dominican Republic. Her ministry in the Dominican Republic focused on the education and organization of struggling farmers...

When the Chamber of Commerce moved to their new building at 16017 Detroit Avenue, one great advantage was the opportunity to market Chamber businesses more effectively to the community...

Summertime, and the music is elegant. Soprano Kathleen Bosl and Flautist Roberta Holliday will light up the Lakewood Public Library Auditorium on Sunday, August 3 with their musical ensemble, ELEGANCE...

Maybe it’s a good thing that the Olympic games are starting soon. Even if they are held on the other side of the world, I think it’s as good a time as any to remind this nation of the spectacular feats of strength, speed, and sport that can be accomplished when talent is combined with hard work and perseverance. But more than just being a welcome distraction for sports fans, I’m hoping that the entire nation takes note of these individual stories of trial and success...

Steven Kaufman’s recent article (http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/opinion/121334585985950.xml&coll=2 ) in the Plain Dealer suggested changes in the structure of County government. He touted those changes as the solution to the County’s economic problems.

The economic decline of the County is blamed (in part) on corruption and the lack of transparency under the current system. As you might expect, Mr. Kaufman names no names, lists no specific projects, and details no dollar amounts. Who is corrupt? What projects spent money in a questionable fashion? Don’t ask. The County’s decline is attributed to some mysterious “they”...

When I was a Political Science major in college, there were frequent discussions about the world of politics generally, and running for office, particularly. I seem to recall that there were at least two topics virtually guaranteed to be off-limits (if handled in a negative way) for anyone wanting to get elected to any kind of office. One was cats, and the other was dogs...

It’s not often that successful contemporary art gallery directors or curators who have academic training in art history, and none in studio art, leave their profession to later return as practicing artists. However, that’s exactly what Tom Kochheiser did.

 

With academic training in art history, a BA and MA from Ohio State and Oberlin College respectively, and no formal studio art training, everything Tom has learned about making art he has figured out on his own. And the result is outstanding...

14613 Clifton isn’t your typical punk house full of college-aged kids putting on shows. Nope, it’s a much nicer version, one parents wouldn’t mind sending their kids to. Since April of 2007, four boys have lived there, three of which are members of the locally based bands The Sidekicks and Asinine...

I’ve been having a conversation by email with Stan Siebert for some time now. Stan is a Professor of Economics at the Business School of Birmingham University, Great Britain. We’ve been discussing some of the economic problems that we see here in Lakewood and nearly identical problems that are occurring in his country. He’s made a number of insightful observations, some which sound quite bizarre at first blush but rather logical after further study...

Regardless of your views on global warming/global climate change, there is no denying that the last few summers have been among the hottest of the last 150 years. The heat waves of 2003 claimed thousands of lives in Europe and heat waves in 1995, 1999, and 2006 each killed several hundred here in the US. Unfortunately, for the energy conscious, one major response to the heat consumes great quantities of energy in the process...

Life changes, families change, and housing requirements change -- and so, folks move on. But what if you have a house to sell while trying to purchase your next home? Consider the following options, as you think through a plan...

Henry Beach arrived in East Rockport in 1864. Fruit farming was well underway in the township, so Henry began to grow fruit trees on his 28 acres near Beach and Detroit Avenues. Toward the end of the 19th century, residents of Cleveland began looking west for places to build new homes...

"What's an energy audit?"

With so much attention focused on “being green”, energy audits are becoming more common. They're a good way to know how to reduce our carbon footprint and simultaneously save money in monthly utility bills. The audits take 2-3 hours and are conducted by independent, professional, and certified third-party companies for the purposes of identifying and remedying major energy leaks in houses. Contact your utility company or realtor for more details...