Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center recently turned the spotlight on its volunteers, celebrating their service and commitment at a luncheon at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute.

The eight area YMCA Buffalo Niagara locations will be collecting old worn and tattered flags ready for retirement from June 3-7. Flags will be taken to Forest Lawn Cemetery on Saturday, June 8, for proper retirement.

The Health Association of Niagara County Inc. will present six awards at its annual meeting and luncheon at noon on June 6 at the Niagara Falls Country Club, 505 Mountain View Drive, Lewiston. The nonprofit agency will also conduct elections for its board of directors.

Dr. Stuart Weinstein recently presented a check from Advanced Dental to Niagara Falls Air Base Capt. Gina Pizziconi-Cupples.

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, wants its neighbors to grill safely as Memorial Day rings in the unofficial start of the summer cook-out season.

A public hearing on Niagara County Community College's proposed $49 million budget will be held at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at the county courthouse in Lockport.

Niagara Hospice and the Schoellkopf Health Center on May 10 announced a new partnership that will lead to the opening of a dedicated hospice unit on the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center campus.

Investigation of workers' compensation claims by Niagara Active Hose Volunteer Fire Co. members has sparked some heated discussion in the Town of Niagara.

Pizazz Hair Design, 8962 Porter Road, Town of Niagara, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a customer appreciation day from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 20, with product sales, prizes, food and beverages, a special discount and various vendors on site.

Das Haus German Heritage Museum will open at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19, for its 39th season.

Lorna Tilley-Peltier, Lori Pittman and Amy Deull had the opportunity to share their visions of school board membership and visions for the district during a candidate's forum prior to the budget hearing last week.

Voters in the Niagara-Wheatfield School District are being urged by the Board of Education and candidates to get out and vote.

Some 274 senior citizens enjoyed a free breakfast, prize drawings and each received a geranium to take home on Saturday thanks to the efforts of the Niagara County Central Rotary Club.

Wheatfield residents Dick and Eileen Britton start to arrange new and used items for the North Tonawanda Meals on Wheels Gigantic Garage Sale.

Applications for the Ruth and William O. Sass Scholarship to encourage excellence in the field of nursing are being accepted through June 1.

Approximately 360 employees of the 914th Airlift Wing are scheduled to be furloughed one day a week for 11 weeks starting July 8.

Slender Inspirations celebrated its opening with the Chamber of Commerce and elected officials. Owner Margaret Mokhiber (center, holding scissors) shared the day with family and friends.

Members of the Niagara County Central Rotary Club met at the Olympia Restaurant this week to finalize plans for the 30th annual Roger W. Andrews Senior Citizen Breakfast.

Peregrine's Landing Senior Community and The Clubhouse Bro's Family Restaurant have partnered to bring "Memory Lane Café" to Niagara County, to assist those affected by Alzheimer's and dementia-related diseases and their families.

Police agencies from Western New York and Southern Ontario will honor the memories of law enforcement personnel who gave their lives in the line of duty during the 16th annual Niagara County Police Appreciation Day Interfaith Memorial Service on Thursday, May 16. The service will begin at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 400 Ridge St., Lewiston.

The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission has announced upcoming summer construction activity that will result in a series of lane closures within the Queenston Plaza at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.

Speeders on Hoover Road and problems with Ryan Homes development plans highlighted Monday's Wheatfield Town Board meeting.

It was a special night at the Bergholz firehall Tuesday as First Assistant Chief Mark Stevens received the 100 Club of Buffalo Hero Award for his involvement in the rescue of a Wheatfield bicyclist struck by a car last June.

A special high tea was held at Holy Ghost Lutheran Church last Sunday to help defray medical costs for Bergholz resident Judi Jagow, who has cancer.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center announced plans Monday to meet the area's growing need for specialized wound treatment by implementing a comprehensive wound care program on its downtown campus.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center will hold "Time Lost is Brain Lost - Preventing and Treating Stroke," its fourth annual National Stroke Awareness Month health fair, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the John Duke Senior Center, 1201 Hyde Park Blvd.

The St. Jude Shrine, 975 Ridge Road, Lewiston will hold its annual "Pasta Italiano Dinner" from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 19.

The Sanborn Business & Professional Association has chosen Wendt's Propane & Oil as the 2013 Sanborn Business of the Year. Wendt's Propane & Oil takes immense pride in serving its community, providing outstanding customer service and creating a unique relationship with all of its customers.

The fifth annual Niagara Falls Relay For Life, a signature fund raising event for the American Cancer Society, will take place on Saturday, May 18, from noon to midnight on Old Falls Street in Niagara Falls.

The United Way of Greater Niagara recently elected officers and members of its board of directors for 2013 at its annual meeting.

Hope United Methodist Church at 2914 Upper Mountain Road, Pekin, will hold its spring rummage and baked goods sale, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 4.

The Niagara County-Central Rotary Club will host the 30th annual Roger W. Andrews Senior Citizen Breakfast on Saturday, May 11, in the Niagara-Wheatfield Senior High School cafeteria.

The Coalition of Agencies in Service to the Elderly will hold its 24th annual spring networking conference, "Navigating Transitions: Preparing for the Next Phase of Life," from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at the American Legion Post 1451 at 6525 Ward Road, Sanborn.

Niagara-Wheatfield High School held a safety day showcasing careers in law enforcement, military branches and first responder fields.

On the sunny Saturday last month, Project Future held its annual Kick-A-Thon Against Drugs and Violence at Niagara Catholic High School.

Lindsay Pass of Sanborn was recently awarded the Dr. Glen Jones Radiology Award for 2013 in the radiologic technology program at Niagara County Community College.

The Twin City Quilters Guild will present "Kaleidoscope Of Quilts - A Quilt Show" from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 4, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at the Wheatfield Community Center 2800 Church Road.

The New York State Humane Association, headquartered in Kingston, is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for discarding an 8-week-old battered puppy with a broken jaw near a garbage pick-up site in the 600 block of 30th Street in Niagara Falls.

Niagara-Wheatfield School District voters will be presented with a balanced budget that features a $2.3 million increase and a 5.91 percent tax levy increase, but they will have full-day kindergarten, if the budget passes. The proposed budget is set at $62,753,100 for 2013-14.

This Friday will be better than Christmas for 17-year-old Zach Nash.

The Town of Niagara teenager practically hums with excitement as he talks about his debut race in his own car at Ransomville Speedway.