Celebrating The Land’s Lakewood Community Journalism program

In 2025, we launched our first Lakewood Community Journalism program. We gave Lakewood residents the tools, mentorship and platform to report on their own neighborhoods. Over two separate sessions, we educated more than 30 students and launched a dedicated Lakewood community page on our website.

Now that we’re officially in 2026, we’re looking back at some of the best stories our Lakewood Community Journalists wrote in 2025.

In November, Kevin McLauglin (a Community Journalist from one of our 2024 sessions) profiled Mikey Klein and his incredible success early in life with music. Klein’s virtuoso piano skills have already carried him to Oxford, England, the Charleston International Piano Competition, and Carnegie Hall. The story is below.

Throughout the summer, Lakewood residents worried about rolling blackouts and power outages. The concerns reached a fever pitch and FirstEnergy held a series of public sessions to discuss the plans to reduce grid interruptions. Community Journalist John Chacona was there to chronicle the event.

Speaking of summer stories, Community Journalist Matt Bixenstine dug into Lakewood’s block parties — and what they’ve meant culturally and historically for the city. It’s a fun and fascinating read.

New businesses are also the heartbeat of Lakewood. Community Journalist Jennifer Schlosser has been following the opening of local bookstores, including the Wandering Lantern, a family bookstore near Wagar Park.

Those weren’t the only business developments that our Community Journalists tracked in Lakewood. Eva Strazek looked at the Westline development on Detroit Avenue and what it means for the neighborhood.

The Lakewood Skate Park is another gem. Recently expanded, at the time of the article, Mary Casey Walsh explored what the park has meant to skaters of all ages.

Skating isn’t the only way Lakewood residents get around. Community Journalist Gail Davis looked at how the Active Transportation Plan has been implemented and how the city can be made even safer for pedestrians.

Community Journalist Sharyn Arai covered a variety of stories throughout the year, including building a voter’s guide for voters ahead of the 2025 city council and school board election. Her guide also became the place to watch for election results on election night.

There were more stories covered by Lakewood Community Journalists throughout the year and you can track all of the local news from The Land by clicking here.