🌱 Cuyahoga Juvenile Court Admission Criteria + No Recycling Feb. 21

Good morning, neighbors! I'm back with your fresh edition of the Lakewood Patch newsletter. Here are all the things you need to know about what's happening in the community today.

But first, today's weather:

Becoming very windy; sunshine. High: 66 Low: 39.

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Here are the top three stories in Lakewood today:

1. Due to the large increase in teens taking part in carjackings and vehicle thefts, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court recently made changes to admission criteria. On Feb. 8, three young teenagers were arrested after crashing stolen Kias, but the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court refused to house them and the teens were sent home to their parents. Some local police officers have voiced their concern about teens not being punished for stealing hundreds of Kias and other vehicles. Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer said, "I know it’s a system that’s overwhelmed. I get that, but when you get these kids that continually steal these cars and there are no consequences, they just get back out and continue to steal these cars." (Fox 8 News)
2. County Councilman Mike Gallagher (R-District 5) and others are pushing to return to elected sheriffs. Cuyahoga County is the only county in Ohio to appoint the sheriff position instead of electing the sheriff. According to Gallagher, the turnover rates of the last six sheriffs is a concern and he said the "experiment" of appointing a sheriff "has failed miserably." Others, including Councilman Dale Miller, D-District, want to keep things the way they are and said, "We should give more time for the charter concept to work. I’m not in favor of changing the method of selection at this time." According to Tyler Sinclair, a spokesperson for Cuyahoga County, the county's priority is to appoint an Interim Sheriff before Feb. 17. (Spectrum News 1)
3. The City of Lakewood announced there will be no refuse or recycling collected on Monday, Feb. 21 due to the Presidents' Day holiday. Residents can see all the changes in the regular collection schedule here. (City of Lakewood via Twitter)

Today in Lakewood:

• Keep Lakewood Beautiful Meeting At Cove Community Center (5:30 PM)
• Clean Water Lakewood Update At Lakewood City Hall (7:00 PM)
• "Women Who Run With The Wolves" Book Study At Harmonic Journeys (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Lakewood's Division of Streets & Forestry is on its third round throughout the city repairing potholes! Click here to report a pothole. Residents can learn more here. (City of Lakewood via Twitter)
• This Saturday, Feb. 18, don't miss what some consider "one of the best-known films in all of Ukrainian cinema." Starting at 2:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium of Lakewood Libary, watch "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors." For more details, click here. (Lakewood Library via Twitter)
• Finding your next home shouldn't be a headache! Check out the latest homes for sale in the Lakewood area, including a two-bedroom with a nice porch on Clifton Place for $170,000. (Lakewood Patch)

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Featured events:

• Valentines Couples Competition (February 17)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Wednesday. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.