I am the editor of Lakewood Patch and a local news enthusiast.
I joined Patch because the company is at the forefront of the future of journalism — and I am deeply committed to this changing media landscape. And, I love Lakewood.
I have delivered, printed, packed, stacked, written for, edited and, of course, read newspapers. My first reporting gig came in the fourth grade when Mrs. Williams ordered – since I talked so much — that I report news and weather to begin the class each day. No sweat.
So, the kid with soda-pop-bottle eyeglasses began his career, sharing the latest news and weather forecasts with a room full of confounded classmates.
Since then, I have worked in different media environments, and worn several different hats. I have picked up a camera; learned to handle video equipment and edited my own work. I have kept a blog. I have taped interviews and posted them to the Web. These are a few of the skills that I have acquired in an ever-changing media environment.
After stints in Chicago and Southern California, I returned to home to Northeast Ohio to attend the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University. I held a reporting internship at the Record Publishing Co. by day and worked in the Akron Beacon Journal production department by night, stacking newspapers.
I later worked as a reporter and wire editor at the Record-Courier and received several awards for news and sports reporting.
In my freelance work, most notably for hiVelocity, I have followed the changing economic landscape in Ohio. I have identified start-up bio-tech and biomedical companies as they sprout up around the fertile health-care industry, with area institutions of higher education propping them up. The state's economy is changing.
Not unlike my own industry.
I live in Lakewood with my wife, Kelly Flamos, and our children, Ruby and Clyde.
Kelly co-owns and operates Mahalls 20 Lanes with my brother-in-law, Joe Pavlick.
... In case you're curious, that will never affect my ability to report news professionally and fairly in this city that I love.
Joshua Stafford, 23, of Cleveland, recently rejected an unspecified plea bargain offered by federal prosecutors. His trial is slated for June 10.
Residents employed in other towns would pay an additional .25 percent to Brecksville. But before city council decides, city officials are looking for some input from residents.
Lakewood natives ride 400 miles to raise money for the family of a local man who died in February. The $2,200 raised will help cover medical bills for the family of Ernie Vagi.
City council will first decide whether to spend $25,000 on a design study.
Informational auditions are slated to take place in the Brecksville Little Theatre at 1 p.m. June 1 at 1 p.m.
Charges include aggravated robbery and obstructing justice. Police believe it was an inside job.
More than two-dozen firefighters from Lakewood and Rocky River battled an apartment fire at 14023 Madison Avenue at around 1 a.m. Sunday — the second blaze of the night. No injuries were reported in either fire.
Here’s a highlight of the top stories from around Lakewood during the past week.
Here’s a highlight of the top stories from around Brecksville during the past week.
The building was evacuated, but no injuries were reported. However, eastbound traffic was closed in the 12200 block of Clifton Boulevard for more than two hours.
After buying the property last year, city officials say the selling the home has been a bit of a challenge.
The regional champs were recognized at a recent board of education meeting after an undefeated season.
After an interior wall came down, and the store moved into the space next door, nearly doubling in size. The grand reopening is slated for Saturday.
The fact that no return address was posted on the 8- by 6-inch package raised a few red flags. However, the contents turned out to be less than sinister.
The other foreclosed property was withdrawn by order of the court. Last month, six properties were listed in foreclosure.
The following information was supplied by the Brecksville Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.
Among them are increased supervision, a drinking fountain, better access and improved community policing.
Rochester Institute of Technology team — featuring Brecksville's own Bryan Delaney — took home the first-place trophy for the first time in school history at the 2013 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.
The following information was supplied by the Brecksville Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.
Judge rules that the lawsuit should include all 224 reisdents in the Clifton Park neighborhood, since the dispute centers around who has rights to the land.
