Barack Obama’s speech at Wednesday’s town hall meeting in Berea was eloquent and bold, if slow to start. While a packed gymnasium of supporters sweated the heat and the anticipation, the senator arrived half an hour late. The crowd remained patient with surprise appearances by Governor Ted Strickland and Senator Sherrod Brown, both of whom exuberantly entered the stage and exalted their praises for the Democratic nominee. Obama then greeted the room, the crowd on its feet, and remarked, “I can tell this is a feisty crowd.” And with that understatement, a man at the back of the gym (later identified by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as John Quinn, a free-lance photographer from Parma) shouted over Obama, who had begun by speaking about energy, and demanded that he recite the Pledge of Allegiance. More gracefully than most could proceed after being so impertinently interrupted, the senator apologized for his hastiness and invited the man to join him in leading the Pledge...

“Finally! The end of camp!” Was heard several times on August 8th. All LSA travel soccer players were excited about the end of camp pool party later that day at Madison Pool. We had a great time! There was pop, pizza and (of course) swimming! The water was freezing, but we still had fun. Most of my friends came but some had other plans. We didn’t swim a lot because of the temperature .We talked about...

Pillars of Lakewood, the young professional arm of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, recently announced they will be hosting a 5K race and a Wing Crawl on Saturday, August 23, 2008. The two events were established with economic development and community building in mind. Funds garnered from the Green Lakewood 5K will go to support Help to Others (H2O), a service learning program for middle and high school students, to provide the bins and containers needed to implement a recycling program at Lakewood high school. Future events will extend this project to reach the elementary and middle schools...

The challenge is simple: Listen, review, and change. So, here goes...

Financial professionals will tell you there are three primary sources you can look to as sources for your retirement income: employer-sponsored plan, social security benefits and personal savings. They often refer to this as the “three-legged stool.” However, these days, it’s looking more like a single legged stool. More and more, your own personal savings is becoming the most critical and controllable source of your retirement income...

Cox Communications announced today it’s taking further steps to limit the spread of child pornography online by signing on to a historic agreement among cable Internet providers. Cox is one of 18 members of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) which will partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to limit the distribution of child pornography...

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...

I have always been a news junkie. And now I am also a citizen journalist. Imagine my curiosity when I learned (from a newspaper article) that there was a new museum in Washington D.C. devoted to those two passions appropriately called the Newseum.

 

I travel to our capital several times a year and each time I try to focus on one museum or historical site. Most of the museums in D.C. are under the Smithsonian umbrella and admission is free. They range from the arts and history, to junk and technology. Many of the government departments have their own museums. History buffs would probably find the National Archives the most relevant of these museums.

 

I generally enter a museum with no preconceptions and let the curator’s intentions and plan chart the path for my visit...

The descent into Baghdad was unremarkable. One hundred thirty-three of us, squeezed into the back of an Air Force C-17, sweating beneath our body armor and helmets, while we craned our necks to see what we could of Iraq from either of the two small portholes in the plane's fuselage. As the pilot banked we could catch a glimpse of trees or houses, but most of what we saw was sky. The pilot lowered the landing gear with a gasping tear and minutes later we were on the ground...

Traveling with the family is not easy! There's planning, packing, stressing over which liquids are allowed on board, in the luggage, or on your person; getting to the airport, checking luggage and ultimately going through security. And all this with time constraints. We decided to make it a fun event and got ExpressJet Airlines to organize it for our Playdate on May 13th, 2008...

On Saturday, May 17th, Lakewood Lodge #601, Free and Accepted Masons, celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Ceremony of Reconsecration at the Lakewood Masonic Temple on Detroit Avenue at Andrews...

Lakewood residents are nothing if not experts on summertime. The moment the first ray of sunshine slices through the clouds after a long winter, Lakewood-ites take to the sidewalks in shorts and flip-flops. This summer, Lakewood residents will be encouraged to hit the pavement hassle-free when two miles of Lakewood streets are blocked off for Walk & Roll Lakewood...

Mr. Matt Fish,

We would like to start by stating that all actions taken are intended to be respectful to you and your business. Melt has been a staple of our cuisine for some time, we do not wish to convey any dissatisfaction with Melt or its management. We hope that this exercise serves to show you our level of adoration for your business and, in particular, the Purple Parma sandwich...

The streets of Narragansett, Lakewood Heights, Niagara and Riverside will hold their annual neighborhood sale this Saturday, May 17 starting at 9 a.m...

I was nineteen when I got my first waitressing job, on a break from college and needing extra money. It was an Italian restaurant that served loyal customers and hosted weddings and banquets. Serving can be a great job for young adults. It is fast cash and great exercise running around, and it really sharpens the mind when you have to remember the decaf coffee on table 43, that the meat isn’t cooked to medium-well on table 21 and needs to be returned, that table 13 wants an entire round of new beers, that table 18 is waiting for crayons for their children, and that eight dinners are ready and must be served immediately...

SAFTEY TIP: With spring here already, it is easy to get caught up in the atmosphere of warm sunny days. We let the kids out, the pets run and everyone is out planting, walking, playing, and driving about. Along with all these good things can come some dangers if precautions are not taken. For example, pets and children need to be watched and prevented from straying into the street where motorists, includiing postal delivery vehicles, are traveling...

The Lakewood Observer is looking for energetic, community conscious individuals of all ages who are interested in supporting the volunteer creation of news, views, opinions, human interest and other contributions which illuminate the many facets of culture, arts, business, education, religion, and lifestyle this diverse city has to offer...

First Federal of Lakewood donated $3,800 to the Cleveland Foodbank and $200 to Community Resource Services in Lorain County, as a result of its annual branch-wide checking account promotion. First Federal donated $5 for each checking account opened Sept. 1 – Dec. 31, 2007. First Federal presented the donation to the Cleveland Foodbank, March 6, 2008, at the Savings & Loan’s Lakewood headquarters...

The Financial Executives International (FEI) Northeast Ohio chapter is pleased to recognize Lakewood native and Baldwin Wallace student Elva Coadari for achieving outstanding academic excellence. The FEI Northeast Ohio Chapter continues to build a partnership with the academic community, particularly those who teach in our region’s business schools, many of whom we count among our members. This award, presented to college business students who are studying finance or accounting, recognizes outstanding scholastic achievement, career objective, proven leadership traits and community service...

The Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District is looking for up to six high school students, with an avid interest in the natural sciences, especially earth science, biology, botany, and environmental studies, who would like to spend a week at the fun and educational Ohio Forestry Association’s Forestry Camp from June 15-20, 2008...

I was inspired to write about the Phoenix Project, when, on Maundy Thursday, the anniversary of the day Jesus held his last Passover, the Project held a Seder to honor that event. Being the only Jew in a new church development of the Presbytery of the Western Reserve, I had a great time seeing my friends enjoy a ritual I had experienced growing up. I learned things about Passover and Judaism and spirituality I had not known, or experienced in quite the same way before...

The Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University was home to the 2008 Democratic Presidential debate last Tuesday, February 28. Issues ranging from economy, war and health care as well as other issues of national significance we covered during the debate. With my press pass in hand, amid LO photographers capturing presidential images at a rapid pace, I sought to bring LO readers clarity on our foggy economic situation...