Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How a former Lakewood church will become a new learning center

Happening soon: TrueNorth Performs Christmas Concert! on the Lakewood Patch calendar

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Friday December 19th Patch AM
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Greetings Lakewood! We’re your go-to source for what’s happening in town. Read on to get plugged in! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How a former Lakewood church will become a new learning center
  • How a Lakewood McDonald’s became the scene of a terrifying attack
  • How a Lakewood driver helped change Ohio’s license plate rules

Also on today's calendar: TrueNorth Performs Christmas Concert! and 8 more events.

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did one astronaut stranded on the moon say to another? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Friday: Very windy; snow showers, with a high of 34 and low of 26 degrees.
  • Saturday: Cloudy and breezy, temps: high: 47, low: 27.
  • Sunday: Very windy; colder, with a high of 30 and low of 24 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. West Side Market and former Grain Craft mill in the Flats each win $5 million in state tax credits (news5cleveland.com) — Lakewood readers may be most interested that the former Lakewood Baptist Church on Detroit Avenue is getting $1.5 million in state historic tax credits to become a daycare and early learning center. The same funding round also backs major renovation projects across Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, including upgrades to the West Side Market and a new hotel in the Flats.
   

2. EXCLUSIVE: TV Reporter Survives Being Shot in the Mouth After Abusive Ex Rams Her Car and Drags Her Out at Gunpoint — Then Turns The Weapon on Himself (radaronline.com) — A Cleveland-area TV reporter describes surviving escalating abuse that culminated in a violent attack outside a Lakewood McDonald’s, where she says her ex confronted her at knifepoint. The piece focuses on her move to Chicago, the earlier Lakewood incident, and a later car-ramming assault, highlighting patterns of domestic violence and her efforts to escape. Local readers may recognize the Lakewood setting and broader safety concerns.
   

3. 'SCRW BMV', 'OLD FART', 'IM DRUNK', and all the other rejected Ohio license plate requests in 2025 (news5cleveland.com) — A Lakewood resident successfully challenged Ohio’s long-standing ban on the word “GAY” on personalized license plates, winning approval for his plate and prompting the BMV to review other rejections. His case is highlighted amid a newly released list of hundreds of plate requests the state denied in 2025 for offensive or inappropriate messages.
   

4. New Cuyahoga County loan program looks to beef up development along transit routes (crainscleveland.com) — Lakewood is one of four Cuyahoga County communities already seeing major transit-oriented development, and a new county loan program could spur even more projects along RTA routes. The initiative offers up to $2.5 million per project to support dense, walkable, mixed-use buildings near transit, aiming to boost ridership, attract residents, and reshape corridors over the next several years.
   

📸 Around Lakewood

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Lakewood

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Note left in our door at 1466.
    We aren’t involved so I’m not ‘responding’ even though there is no return address. Figure it out yourselves (Nextdoor Parkwood in Lakewood)
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. posted a job opening for Crew Member in Lakewood. Apply here.
  • Allied Universal posted a job opening for Security Shift Supervisor - Healthcare in Lakewood. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Lakewood here.

Ok Lakewood! 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 think you know the gravity of this situation.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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