Niagara Frontier Publications is hosting its third annual "Your Favorite Fish Fry" contest. From Feb. 25 through April 19, an entry ballot will be included in our "Fishy Deals" special section and online at www.wnypapers.com. Use it to vote for the restaurants that serve delicious fish dishes.

Permit distribution for the remaining waterfowl hunting season, which runs from March 1-10 at Beaver Island, West River Parkway and Motor and Strawberry islands, will be done by call in.

Cancer has been a part of Casey Dahlstrom's life since he was 3 years old, but rather than run from the memory, he embraces it.

Dahlstrom will describe his life with cancer at the Grand Island Relay For Life Kickoff Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Connor Middle School cafeteria. The event was postponed exactly three weeks due to bad weather. Relay For Life itself, the largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, will have its 12th edition on the Island at 2 p.m. May 31 and runs to 2 a.m. June 1.

New recycling carts will soon turn up on Island roadsides.

Republic Services will soon provide 95-gallong recycling carts to every home on the Island at no cost to taxpayers.

On Feb. 10, the Grand Island Board of Education worked through a varied agenda, including information on Grand Island's 2014-15 budget and a report on the three-year capital improvement project. All board members were present, including Donna Tomkins and Paul Krull via Skype.

Regarding the New York state budget, the board unanimously approved a resolution to get rid of the Gap Elimination Adjustment, GEA. Each year since 2009-10, foundation aid to school districts has been frozen at 2008-09 levels. In addition, aid may be taken from school districts and applied to the New York state budget to close deficits.

Saturday, Feb. 8, dozens of walkers, skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers braved the elements to take part in the fourth annual Robert G. Hoch Winter Memory Walk on West River Parkway

March 1 is the deadline for all Basic STAR, Enhanced/Senior STAR and veterans property tax exemptions to be added to the assessment roll for school tax year 2014-15 and town/county tax year 2015.

The LaSalle Yacht Club has turned its Pasta Sauce Off benefit over to two successful fundraisers who are all of 11 years old.

A 17-year-old girl from Grand Island is the recipient of a bedroom makeover thanks to a team of local volunteers.

Rehearsals continue for the St. Stephen's Parish Players performances of "Bye Bye Birdie" in the St. Stephen School cafetorium.

Scout Sunday (for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts) was celebrated at the 9 a.m. Mass Sunday, Feb. 2, at St. Stephen R.C. Church, 2100 Baseline Road.

Students in the fourth-grade class of Kaegebein Elementary School teacher Katherine Chadwick presented three performances Jan. 31 of a musical play called "Make a Difference."

The Grand Island Dance Center's Dance Ensemble had a very full performance season. The last performance of the season was at Niagara University for the halftime show.

Judith Ann Zygmunt (née Castanza) died Feb. 10, 2014, at her Grand Island home. She is survived by her husband, Richard; daughters, Dana Rae and Kaylee Ann; and sons, Ryan and Noah.

Florence C. (Pullano) Costantino, age 96, formerly of Grand Island, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, in Elderwood Health Care at Oakwood in Amherst.

Locating a new cell tower got a little easier with the passage of an amendment to town code.

The Grand Island Town Board changed its regulations on setbacks required for towers, reducing the minimum radius needed within the tower's fall zone.

The move followed a public hearing on the matter that took place last month.

Section 407-169 (C) of town code was amended to read: "The tower must be set back a minimum from any residentially zoned property or any front yard line, and from any residential dwelling, school or historic structure, by a minimum of the lesser of one and a half times its height and any antenna attached thereto, or one and a half times the tower's highest pre-engineered breaking point, as certified by a licensed engineer in a manner acceptable to the town engineer."

Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick has announced the Island Dispatch was named an official newspaper of the Erie County Legislature for the year 2014. The designation was confirmed at the Jan. 23 session of the legislature.

George H. Rowe, 84, of Grand Island entered into rest Feb. 1, 2014.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business & Food Expo at Byblos Niagara, 100 Whitehaven Road, on March 22 and 23.

Shortly after 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, Grand Island Fire Co. rescue personnel responded to a motor vehicle accident involving a car and school bus on East River Road and Edgewater Drive.

The Village Inn and SATO, Serene Gardens' new restaurant in Buffalo, were winners again this past Sunday at the fourth annual Buffalo Soup-Fest, held at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

The Grand Island Central School District took the uncommon step Wednesday of delaying the start of the school day two hours to deal with a spell of frigid weather.

Grand Island High School art students Ali Price and Jason Carroll volunteered their artistic talents to spruce up the Reality Café.

New York State Sen. Mark Grisanti today recognized National Women and Girls in Sport Day, which marks the importance of sports participation in the lives of girls and women.

Niagara Frontier Publications Publisher Skip Mazenauer was presented the Niagara University Family Business Center Vision Award on Jan. 29. The award recognizes businesspeople who are successful, lead a family- or privately owned Western New York business, are committed to benefiting the community, and who have created something when others did not foresee an opportunity.

High jinks on the high seas is the setting for Grand Island High School's annual musical.

"The Pirates of Penzance" will be presented Thursday, Feb. 6; Friday, Feb. 7; and Saturday, Feb. 8, on the high school stage. This ambitious production is one of Gilbert and Sullivan's best known comic operettas.

The 2014 Grand Island Relay For Life will hold its kickoff event Feb. 5, and those who attend should go ready to rock.

Organizers of the GI Relay have adopted "Rock-Out Cancer" as the 2014 theme for the fund drive to support the American Cancer Society. The kickoff for 2014 will take place at Veronica Connor Middle School's cafeteria, 1100 Ransom Road, on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m.

At the kickoff, awards recognizing achievement from the 2013 Relay will be handed out as well.

James Wynne, a resident of Grand Island, died Friday, Jan. 24, of complications of cancer. He was born July 24, 1937, and was 76.

Lily Kay O'Connor passed away unexpectedly on the morning of Jan. 22, 2014.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard has announced the Civil Enforcement Division reached a four-year high in revenue, topping $1 million for the county's 2013 General Fund account.

As the sheriff is the state-mandated enforcement officer for all courts in New York State; the C.E.D. performs service and enforcement functions for its civil courts, including the service of summonses and subpoenas, collection of money judgments, and enforcement of court orders, including warrants of eviction. Service/enforcement and mileage fees, plus a "poundage" fee of 5 percent on all money collected are forwarded monthly to the county comptroller.

George K. Minton, a resident of Grand Island, entered into rest Jan. 20, 2014.

A proposed law to require public assembly permits had another hearing at Town Hall.

Local Law Intro No. 3 of 2013 - Public Assembly Permit would regulate parades and special events having more than 200 persons in attendance.

Express your affection this Valentine's Day and you could win dinner for two at a local restaurant.

New York State Fire Training Instructor Mark Butler administered the oath of office to newly elected Grand Island Fire Co. officers on Saturday, Jan. 11, at fire headquarters, 2275 Baseline Road.

Members of the Grand Island Fire Co. took their oaths of office to newly elected officer positions during ceremonies at fire headquarters Saturday, Jan. 11. Both firematic and administrative officers were sworn-in.

Kathleen R. Hardman Jeffries entered into rest Jan. 9, 2014, of natural causes. She was a resident of Grand Island.

The Grand Island Board of Education held its monthly meeting on Monday evening, Jan. 13, in the new Professional Development room in Grand Island High School. Part of the district's three-year multimillion dollar project, the former senior cafeteria has a new ceiling and lighting, three SMART boards, which are used for teacher and staff training, and some new furniture. The public premiere of the room is one of the many visible changes to the high school, including the STEM addition on Ransom Road where, despite last week's blizzard, work has progressed and is "on schedule," according to Vaughn Maracle of Campus Construction Management.

Dawn Webb Trivette, age 76, of Guy Ford Road, Sugar Grove, N.C., passed away Wednesday morning, Jan. 15, 2014, at home.

Assemblyman John Ceretto's office will hold mobile office hours at the Grand Island Town Hall, located at 2255 Baseline Road, from 2-5 p.m. Jan. 22. Grand Island constituents are encouraged to come and discuss issues of importance to them and their community.

Earlier this month, State Assemblyman John Ceretto joined with friends and supporters in mid-winter salute to the Niagara Wine Trail.