🌱 How will a nine‑month Lox Road closure change your daily drive?

Hello Parkland! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• How will a nine‑month Lox Road closure change your daily drive?
• How a post‑Parkland gun bill could change domestic violence cases
• Need more time for BCPS School Choice? Here’s the new deadline.

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Parkland? Post it to Parkland photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: Can February March? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Mostly sunny and pleasant, with a high of 75 and low of 65 degrees.
• Wednesday: Some sun with a shower, temps: high: 78, low: 67.
• Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high of 82 and low of 67 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Lox Road: Parkside Drive to State Road 7 to Be Closed for Nine Months Beginning in January (tapinto.net) — Drivers in Parkland should prepare for a full nine‑month closure of Loxahatchee Road between Parkside Drive and State Road 7/441 starting in January 2026, with traffic detoured via Holmberg Road and Parkside. Roundabout construction at Parkside Drive and ongoing work on Parkside itself will also shift traffic patterns, though local access will be maintained throughout the project.
   

2. Proposed bill would apply ‘red-flag' laws to domestic violence after Tamarac triple murder (sun-sentinel.com) — A new bill inspired partly by the Parkland school shooting would tighten how Florida enforces gun surrender in domestic violence cases, using red‑flag style tools when abusers ignore court orders. Broward advocates and victims, including a widow of a Parkland victim, say the Tamarac triple murder shows why stronger enforcement and penalties are urgently needed.
   

3. BCPS Extends School Choice Application Window for 2026–27 School Year (tamaractalk.com) — Parkland families with students in Broward County Public Schools now have extra time to apply for 2026–27 School Choice programs, with the deadline extended to January 28, 2026. Parents can seek magnet options, Nova schools, or reassignments and must obtain a BCPS student number, including for children new to the district.
   

4. ‘Trauma Bonding' Might Not Be Quite What You Think (psychologytoday.com) — Parkland appears in this psychology-focused piece as an example of students turning the trauma of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting into advocacy. The article unpacks how “trauma bonding” is often misunderstood, contrasting abusive victim–abuser dynamics with the healthier solidarity that can form among survivors and true-crime communities.
   

5. Warriors coach Steve Kerr laments shooting at Brown, calls again for common-sense gun control laws (nba.com) — Parkland is invoked here as Steve Kerr recalls speaking out after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting while responding to another campus shooting, this time at Brown University. He again urges “common-sense” gun control, arguing most gun owners are responsible but that Americans should pressure representatives for measures to reduce mass shootings.
   

📸 Around Parkland

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Parkland

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

Wednesday December 17

• Ageless Grace - Adults
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6620 University Drive , Parkland
  10:30 am
• Reading with Finn (age 5 to 10)
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6620 University Drive , Parkland
  3:30 pm
• Winter Movie: Little Women (Adults and Teens)
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6620 University Drive , Parkland
  4:30 pm
• City Commission Workshop
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6600 University Drive , Parkland
  5:00 pm
• City Commission Workshop - CANCELLED
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6600 University Drive , Parkland
  5:00 pm
• City Commission Meeting
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6600 University Drive , Parkland
  6:00 pm
• City Commission Meeting - CANCELLED
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6600 University Drive , Parkland
  6:00 pm

Thursday December 18

• RFP 2025-17 Citywide Apparel Evaluation Committee Meeting
  City of Parkland Calendar , 6600 University Drive , Parkland
  9:00 am

📣 Parkland Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Tuesday December 16

• Wake Up Breakfast
  Country Club of Coral Springs , 10800 West Sample Road , Coral Springs
  7:45 am
• Tot Time
  Boca Raton, FL Calendar
  10:00 am
• Development Review Committee Meeting
  Margate, FL Calendar , 901 NW 66th Avenue , Margate
  10:00 am
• Preschool Story Time: Holiday Take & Make
  Margate Library , 5810 Park Dr , Margate
  10:30 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Parkland PatchAM possible:

• All Access Locksmith — (728) 300-2000
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• Creamy Flavors — (561) 672-7703
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• 920 Real, Inc. — (561) 564-0580
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Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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Ok Parkland! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don't know, but April May!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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