Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Lakewood To Consider Changes To $156.5M Municipal Budget Thursday

And check out Avoid Elder Exploitation and Elder Trafficking on the Lakewood Patch calendar

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Thursday September 17th Patch AM
Thursday September 17th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Coffee in hand, Lakewood? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Lakewood weighs major shifts in its $156.5M 2026 budget
  • Should Lakewood still get real-time updates on local ICE activity?
  • Will Newark's attendance probe bring new scrutiny to Lakewood schools?

Also on today's calendar: Avoid Elder Exploitation and Elder Trafficking and 7 more events.

Today's riddle: When geese fly, one side is longer than the other. do you know why that is ? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Humid with clouds and sun, with a high of 84 and low of 67 degrees.
  • Friday: Periods of clouds and sun, temps: high: 83, low: 60.
  • Saturday: Periods of sun; not as warm, with a high of 73 and low of 63 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Lakewood To Consider Changes To $156.5M Municipal Budget Thursday (patch.com) — Lakewood residents are being asked to tune in Thursday as township officials consider amendments to the 2026 municipal budget, trimming total appropriations to about $156.5 million and reshuffling key line items. Changes include a sharp drop in surplus, new state operating aid, and big boosts for street lighting and fuel costs, with another special Township Committee meeting set for Sept. 23.
   

• Should TLS Continue Reporting On ICE Activity In the Lakewood Area? (thelakewoodscoop.com) — TLS is asking Lakewood readers whether it should keep reporting on ICE activity in and around town, after some employers said such coverage scared workers from coming in. Other residents argue these reports are important local law-enforcement news. The outlet wants your view on whether these updates inform or unnecessarily alarm the community.
   

• NJ legislator calls for review of Newark Schools after APP report (app.com) — A state legislator is urging New Jersey's Education Department to investigate Newark's dramatic drop in chronic absenteeism, citing concerns about how attendance is reported. For Lakewood residents, the call comes on the heels of prior findings that Lakewood schools in Ocean County altered attendance records, putting Lakewood's own data practices squarely in the spotlight as the state weighs broader oversight.
   

📸 Around Lakewood

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • If you went for your regularly scheduled appointment with your chiropractor and another chiropractor came in to treat you, would you be upset?
    I asked where my doctor was & I was told that he left the practice. Do you think I should have been notified? I had finally gotten through to the… (Nextdoor Lions Head Woods)
  • LongHorn Steakhouse posted a job opening for Line Cook in Lakewood. Apply here.
  • Aramark posted a job opening for Student Worker - Food Service or Catering - Georgian Court University in Lakewood. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Lakewood here.

🗞 Nearby News

Toms River

  • Made in New Jersey: Toms River couple turns family guacamole recipe into thriving business (news12.com)

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: because there are more geese on that side (Thank you jo L. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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