All of us behind the mics and behind the scenes are wishing you and yours a happy, healthy New Year. Keep checking in, because our spring 2009 schedule launches on January 11th, and you’ll find all the info right here! Things to look for early in 2009 include more live studio and small hall concerts from local artists on NEO Rocks, more website improvements and features, new days/times for Wordplay, and several new shows joining the lineup.

So stay tuned and on line with us as we head into our 40th straight year of radio!

The 2008 Cleveland Heights Community Improvement Award recipients have been announced recognizing those who have helped make Cleveland Heights a better place to live in the last year.

Community development is important in every neighborhood and to recognize and thank the people of Cleveland Heights who go above and beyond the call of duty, this award celebrates their work. Improvement projects are done by both residents and business owners and no matter what the project includes, makes a huge difference in continuing to make the city a nice place to call home.

Amongst some of the notable contributions this award has recognized includes exterior home repair and improvement, lawn and garden creativity and coming to the assistance of neighbors who find themselves in dire times of need.

Check out the latest edition of Heights Now below. And keep up with the news and read all about what’s going on in our neighborhood with our news partner the Heights Observer.

Congratulations and thank you to all of this year’s recipients!

 Heights Now - Cleveland Heights Community Improvement Awards [2:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The local Cleveland production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol is now playing!

Christmas will be here before you know it so make a point to stop by the Great Lakes Theatre Festival at the Ohio Theatre in Cleveland’s beautiful Playhouse Square district to see this fantastic play.

The latest episode of WJCU’s Arts on the Heights gives the Cleveland-based production two thumbs up for sure! Get into the spirit and support local theatre productions and enjoy a night on the town getting ready for the Christmas season.

For more information or tickets please visit the Great Lakes Theatre Festival online or call 1-216- 241-6000

 Arts on the Heights - Episode 44 (A Christmas Carol) [1:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Make sure you tune in to SportsTime Ohio to catch some great hockey this Sunday, December 14th at 12:00 noon as the John Carroll Blue Streaks take on the Bowling Green Falcons.

Not only will you get a great game, but the airing will mark our Sports Director Sean Fagan’s premiere role at calling play-by-play action for a televised sporting event. Sean will call all the action on the ice from the Gilmour Academy Ice Arena.

Sports announcing is nothing new to Sean, who has taken to the mic for John Carroll games on WJCU since his freshman year. Sean’s ability to jump between broadcast media not only shows off his talent, but it gives sports fans a glimpse of the next announcer they are certain to hear from in the future.

Sunday’s game is also unique in that many of the behind-the-scenes crew positions will be taken up by JCU students. Applying skills learned in the classroom, this group of students is gaining real-world experience to produce athletic events like Sunday’s hockey game on SportsTime Ohio.

If you’re looking for a way to get into the holiday spirit, look no further than the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Home in Akron. Our own Uncle Fred of Arts on the Heights recently took the drive down south and was very impressed by the beautiful Christmas decorations and displays.

Christmas is almost here and running now through December 28th, you can see the beautiful Art of the Nativity display inside the Hall. This arrangement of some of the most decorative and cherished nativity sets, many on loan from the Marian Library of The University of Dayton, is sure to remind you of the real meaning of this special holiday.

Art of the Nativity is a collection of sets depicting Jesus’ birth from all corners of the world including Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Italy, Germany, Madagascar, Russia, Togo, Taiwan, and Iceland, just to name a few! To find out more information about this memorable display call 1-888-836-5533 or visit Art of the Nativity at Stan Hywet Hall online.

 Arts on the Heights - Episode 43 (Art of the Nativity) [1:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Join The Heights Parent Center gently used toy sale to help give children in our community have a nice holiday. You can help by donating used or like new toys, games, accessories, and other gifts to the Parent Center located at 14780 Superior Road in Cleveland Heights. Some exceptions do apply.

The sale runs on Monday December 8th from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday December 9th from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Wednesday December 10th from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For all the information you need, log on to the Nifty Thrifty Toy Sale page on the Parent Center’s web site, or call 1-216-321-0079.

Thank you for helping our community’s kids!

 Heights Now (Heights Parent Center) [2:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Make sure you grab a copy of the latest edition of The Carroll News for an in-depth feature story on the student leaders in our Sports Department, Director Sean Fagan and Announcer Sam Pitts.

Now in their senior year, this two-man team has become well known to loyal listeners of Blue Streak Sports games both on the airwaves with 88.7FM and online with our two webstreams at wjcu.org. Always willing to get involved, both Sean Fagan and Sam Pitts have been very active with other facets of our station outside of sports since their freshman year. Over their on-air careers, both have hosted genre music programs on WJCU. You can listen to Sean in our primetime Monday evening slot on WJCU from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with Off the Deep End.

Learn more about The Carroll News, John Carroll University’s award-winning weekly newspaper by visiting their online edition or by grabbing a free copy at newsstands across campus and in the immediate University Heights community.