You may notice a few changes around Beachwood Patch starting next week. I’m not going anywhere, but after a switcheroo behind the scenes here at Patch, I am getting some help from a coworker. Brandon Baker, who’s worked in journalism for seven years and at Patch for the past several months, will step in as the two of us team up to cover Beachwood, Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights. I will still have a heavy hand in Beachwood — I’ve spent the last two years getting to know the city and building Beachwood Patch from the ground up. Believe me, it would not be easy to leave you guys behind. …

When it comes down to it, behind just about every small business is an entrepreneur hoping to turn their passion into a paycheck. But, as many wise business advisers have noted: Hope is not a strategy. Business owners need support to turn dreams into reality. That's why Patch is pleased to announce a new partnership with SCORE, a nonprofit organization with 12,000 business experts nationwide who provide free mentoring to small business owners. The partnership makes sense because we believe that when local commerce grows, the whole community gets stronger. Patch already provides free listings …

Today Beachwood's little ones grabbed their new school supplies and headed back to class. Are you caught up on the latest school news? Our newsletter subscribers get a custom-built email every morning with the top headlines from Beachwood Patch. This summer, subscribers found out first about the new Beachwood City Schools arrival and dismissal times, got links to the district's back-to-school page and heard helpful tips for preparing kids for that first day — all right in their inbox, likely before they finished their morning coffee! This week, we're keeping up with renovations at Beachwood …

The City of Beachwood is working to improve Richmond Road for the 100,000 drivers who come to the city every day, but that means that for the next several weeks, traffic snarls are commonplace. It can be tempting to text a friend, make a call or check your email or Facebook while you're waiting for the bottleneck to clear. But not only is distracted driving dangerous, soon, police will begin ticketing drivers for using phones with their hands. So, in an effort to help you out, we brainstormed a few suggestions to keep your fingers off those touch screens during the worst rush hours. Add your …

Memorial Day is the mark of the start of summer and the beginning of cookouts, swimming and vacations. But it's also an important time to remember those who have given their lives serving our country. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as of May 21, 6,442 soldiers have died during the Global War on Terror and 48,253 have been wounded in action. Those numbers are hard to quantify. 6,442 is just over half the population of Beachwood. It's about four Beachwood City School districts. 5,000 people fit in Jacobs Pavillion in Cleveland's Flats. But how can you draw meaning from a …

This morning, I learned two lessons about cats. One, if you leave your window open, and you live in a third-floor apartment, there's a good chance you'll wake up to her chilling on your roof. You might frantically call your landlord and consider dialing 9-1-1. Your neighbors might wonder why you've pulled your car around and are standing on top of it, cooing and holding out cat treats. Your cat might sniff the treats, and, before you have a chance to grab her, pull away, laughing at you, and then, finally, she might find her own way down, making you feel like a fool. You might be late for a …

Let’s say you’ve already signed up for our newsletter, you like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and you obviously check the site for the latest updates. So what else can you do on Beachwood Patch? So much more! Beachwood Patch is more than just a news site — we’re a community conversation online. But we need you to make that conversation as rich and complete as it can be. Here are just a few ways you can get involved: Post an event or an announcement If it’s happening in or near Beachwood, we want to hear about it. Just remember: they can’t be used for advertising purposes. Businesses…

Have you ever sent a press release to the editor of your Patch site and wondered when it was going to post? How about sent him or her a birth announcement or perhaps an obit (which are published free on Patch sites) or school award only to wonder if it was ever going to be published? Well, our Patch sites are designed in a way that is easy for users to post their own announcement without having to wait for the editor to post it for you. It really is the best way to post your announcement or press release if you are a nonprofit agency, for profit agency, government body or other group to get …

Blogging is really picking up on Beachwood Patch, and we don't want you to miss one. But we are all busy, and we don't have time to look at everything that comes through the top spot on Beachwood Patch. So, to make it easier for you, we will start featuring a blog every Saturday that you may have missed, that has garnered a lot of discussion, or that just makes for some great weekend reading. This week, we tip our cyber-hat to Kelly Blazek, who offers her job search knowledge to Beachwood Patch readers. This week, she tackles a task we all know and hate: the cover letter. Read her six tips to…

Blogging is really picking up on Beachwood Patch, and we don't want you to miss one. But we are all busy, and we don't have time to look at everything that comes through the top spot on Beachwood Patch. So, to make it easier for you, we will start featuring a blog every Saturday that you may have missed, that has garnered a lot of discussion, or that just makes for some great weekend reading. This week's blog comes from Dr. Barbara Berkeley, who tries to explain a recent study that indicated that obesity is contagious. Can you catch it, like a common cold — or is there something more to the …

You’ve heard about blogging on Patch before, but in the last few weeks, bloggers have really been coming out of the woodwork on Beachwood Patch. Our neighbors have written about Beachwood schools, weight loss, and the Browns. One blogger produces podcasts featuring his teachers at Beachwood High School. We don’t want you to miss a single one, so we’ve rounded up all our bloggers in one spot. Read a little about each one and click through to see their latest work — and, of course, we want to hear your voice, too! A senior at Beachwood High School, Jon Sender is Beachwood Patch’s youngest …

If you like seeing Beachwood news and features, but don't always remember to check Beachwood Patch every day, may we suggest signing up for the Patch Newsletter? That way, the day's headlines will be delivered — free of charge — to your inbox every morning. See a story that catches your eye? It's a simple click to Beachwood Patch for all the news, features, photos and videos, as well as a directory of local events, business listings and feedback from your neighbors. We'll only send one email a day — we promise. We won't try to get you to buy anything. And we won't sell your email address to …

Football fans, Beachwood Patch is looking for you.  Whether your favorite team is the Browns or the Steelers, Ohio State or Michigan, or the Beachwood Bison, we want to know what you think.   What do you think about Friday night lights? What’s your opinion on the controversial call everyone’s yelling about? Where’s the best seat in the stadium? Who do you think will be meeting up in the Super Bowl this year – and why? We know you have opinions, so sign up and share them on Beachwood Patch with a sports blog. You can break down what went wrong in recent games, share the best recipes for …

There are two great ways to help your college student stay in touch with hometown news. Sign your student up for a Patch newsletter, and let them know about adding the Patch apps for iPhone and Android phones.  Did we mention it's all free? Your family scholar can keep up with local news, including the wide variety of events going on at their high schools and in their communities back home. Besides, we want to stay connected to some of our most loyal readers. Simply look at the top of this page to find the green button "Get the Patch Newsletter" and sign up college-bound students for the …

Six months. 182 days. 662 posts on Beachwood Patch. 665 Tweets. 174 Facebook friends (thanks, guys!).  I'm celebrating this milestone with a nod to you. Beachwood Patch cannot be a community website without its community, and you, Beachwood, have really stepped up to the plate. Readers are sharing Patch stories on Facebook, weighing in on issues that matter (the good, the bad, and the constructive criticism – I like to hear it!), Tweeting, re-Tweeting and tittering about the site. The best engine of our growth has been you telling your friends, emailing articles and sharing your thoughts and …

You can post all sorts of stuff in the announcements section, including honoring a graduate, local kids winning awards, promotions, engagements, weddings and more. Here are some of the things that are posted now: 1. Beachwood's Summer Concert Series starts Tuesday. Don't miss Revolution Pie (the sounds of the Beatles) from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Beachwood Family Aquatic Center. The concert is free. 2. Family Connections is hosting its Dad's Day Run on June 19. The 5-mile race is open to runners and there's a 1-mile course open to walkers and strollers. 3. Laurel School junior Sarah Litt …

Don't think no one wants to hear your voice – we do. Beachwood Patch launched its blogging tool almost a month ago, and so far only one blog has been posted! The U.S. Census tells that there are 11,952 more Beachwood residents with something to say. Beachwood Patch is looking for bloggers, and strong community voices like yours are needed. Are you passionate about something in Beachwood? Contact us. Whether it's food, family, schools, government, business, social issues, shopping, running or hamster training techniques — if it's your thing, we'd like you to consider blogging for Patch. Share …

Our crack technology team has been in the back room, banging on the pipes and flipping the switches that make the lights go on here at Beachwood Patch. You may have noticed their handiwork lately, with a new blogging function, a bold new design for our home page and, now, a user-friendly way to check out the hundreds of businesses in your neighborhood. It's called Places, and if you have a business in Beachwood, chances are you're already listed here. In Places, business owners can enhance their business listings with video and other media, and patrons can rate their experience at a …

You may have noticed a small change to the Beachwood Patch homepage today: under the news stories, a green button has popped up inviting you to blog on Patch. If you missed our first column announcing this, don't worry – it's super easy. Do you want to share your views on Patch? Maybe you've got Beachwood's greenest thumb – or greenest habits – and you want to give tips and advice. Maybe you're an avid reader and want to offer us your thoughts on the latest best-seller. Maybe you just want to give your thoughts on our city, our goverment or schools. Whatever you like, there's space for it on …

National Teacher Day prompted me to reflect on the teachers who made a difference in my own education. The first who comes to mind is Mr. Mamer (his friends call him by his first name, I imagine – Jim) who gave me my very first school discipline on the very first day of middle school: I stuck my fingers out the window (everyone was doing it!) and I had to write a letter to my parents apologizing for acting up in school.   My tear-soaked letter burned in my memory for weeks and I was determined to show him how smart and well-behaved I was. He was famous around school for handing out Jolly …