Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Fire heavily damages Mordy’s Shtiebel near Lakewood-Jackson border

And check out Matt Stone's Elvis on the Lakewood Patch calendar

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Thursday August 27th Patch AM
Thursday August 27th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Greetings Lakewood! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Fire heavily damages Mordy's Shtiebel near Lakewood-Jackson border
  • How much more will Lakewood parents pay for courtesy busing?
  • What ending courtesy busing could mean for your child's Lakewood commute

Also on today's calendar: 10th Anniversary Ocean County Irish Festival and 3 more events.

Today's riddle: What is the difference between a jeweler and a jailer? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms, with a high of 83 and low of 69 degrees.
  • Friday: Humid with a thunderstorm, temps: high: 85, low: 65.
  • Saturday: Partly sunny and less humid, with a high of 80 and low of 63 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Major Fire Damages Mordy's Shtiebel Near Lakewood-Jackson Border (5townscentral.com) — A major early-morning fire badly damaged Mordy's Shtiebel near the Lakewood–Jackson border, drawing a large emergency response and rattling nearby residents. Thankfully, volunteers safely removed all Sifrei Torah and no injuries were reported, though the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
   

2. Daily Clips 8/26/2026 (njsba.org) — Families in Lakewood's private and religious schools face sharply higher courtesy busing bills after the Lakewood Student Transportation Authority said fees will more than double for 2026–27. A statewide roundup also highlights other New Jersey school issues, but the biggest pocketbook jolt locally is this subsidy cut and what it may mean for transportation planning before September.
   

3. BREAKING: Lakewood BOE Moving To Eliminate Courtesy Busing For Public School Students Amid Transportation Funding Crisis (lakewoodalerts.com) — Lakewood's Board of Education is moving to end courtesy busing for public-school students who live within state mileage limits, just days before school starts. The change follows a wider transportation funding crisis, steep fee hikes for many nonpublic-school families, and the loss of millions in municipal support, leaving thousands of Lakewood parents scrambling for long-term solutions.
   

4. He Never Took No for an Answer – Except From Daas Torah: A Tribute to Reb Yankie Meyer zt'l on His Yahrzeit, 13 Elul (thelakewoodscoop.com) — Lakewood readers will recognize how deeply Reb Yankie Meyer shaped Misaskim's work in the town, from tailoring support for local yesomim to building a strong Lakewood and Central Jersey branch. The tribute recalls his weekly drives from Lakewood to Brooklyn for Torah, his COVID-era advocacy for shuls and yeshivos, and the way local askanim still invoke his legacy in New Jersey policy discussions on kavod hameis.
   

5. PHOTOS: Full-Scale Emergency Response Exercise Held at Community Medical Center (thelakewoodscoop.com) — Lakewood EMS crews joined Manchester and Jackson responders for a full-scale mass-casualty and infectious-disease drill at Community Medical Center in Toms River, sharpening coordination for real crises. The exercise stressed hospital surge capacity, inter-agency communication, and responder safety so Ocean County, including Lakewood residents, is better prepared for large-scale emergencies.
   

📸 Around Lakewood

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Lakewood

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Lakewood Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

    Thursday August 27
  • Middle School Device Distribution
    Middle School North Farmingdale, NJ 07727
    7:30 am
  • Farmers Market →
    Wall Township, NJ Calendar, 2700 Allaire Road, Wall
    2:00 pm
  • Asbury Park Board of Education Meeting
    Asbury Park School District Bradley Elementary School (1100 Third Avenue)
    5:30 pm
  • Library Board →
    City of Asbury Park Asbury Park Public Library - 500 First Avenue Asbury Park NJ 0771
    5:30 pm
  • Lake Como Board of Education meeting
    Lake Como School District Belmar, NJ 07719
    6:00 pm
  • Board of Education - Closed Session →
    Sea Girt Borough School District Sea Girt, NJ 08750
    6:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Lakewood PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Thimble Alterations posted a job opening for Evening Gown & Cocktail Dress Seamstress – Alterations – Lakewood, NJ in Lakewood. Apply here.
  • Safe Fleet For Law Enforcement posted a job opening for Manufacturing Planner Scheduler in Lakewood. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Lakewood here.

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: A jeweler sells watches and a jailer watches cells. (Thank you Jean D. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Lakewood