The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will honor Dr. Kevin Backus, pastor of Bible Presbyterian Church, and Grand Island High School music teacher Martin Allen at the annual Citizen of the Year Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 25.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce has expressed its thanks to the local businesses that have given their support to the annual Citizen of the Year Awards event.

Three Island service clubs got together to share information about their goals and talk about working more closely together.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce has expressed its thanks to the local businesses that have given their support to the annual Citizen of the Year Awards event.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce has named Linda Tufillaro and Wavelengths Hair Design as recipients of the Citizen of the Year Award.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has released two separate requests for proposals for food, beverage and catering operations, as well as operation of the golf course and food and beverage, for the golf course at Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island.

The Beach House has won Niagara Frontier Publications' second annual Best Fish Fry contest. Following a record number of entries, the Grand Island restaurant netted 13.1 percent of the 268 votes - more than double the tally of the second-place winners.

Founders of Grand Island's Robert G. Hoch Winter Memory Walk donated a check for $10,114 to the Hospice Foundation of Western New York.

Since 1973, the Grand Island Neighbors Foundation has been providing emergency assistance to Grand Island residents who find themselves in temporary need.

Niagara Cerebral Palsy received the proceeds from the recent Grand Island Moose Lodge 180 annual chili cook-off. The event raised funds to support the non-profit agency's many services for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will honor Beverly Kinney and Jim Watz on Thursday, April 25, as Citizens of the Year.

Bennie and the Jets will divide $2,000 in scholarship money following the 15th annual Grand Island School and Business Corporate Bowl, held Tuesday night at the Grand Island High School auditorium.

State Sen. Mark Grisanti was successful in his fight to increase CHIPS funding for the 60th Senate District. On Wednesday, the New York State Senate concluded its passage of the 2013-14 state budget, which delivers an on-time budget with Consolidated Highway Improvement Projects increases throughout Grisanti's district. The increase is more than $1.162 million from the previous year.

The Zonta Club of Grand Island celebrated Zonta Rose Day at the club's March 12 meeting at the Buffalo Launch Club.

A fundraiser for the Relay For Life is in full swing. A Relay quilt, generously and beautifully handcrafted by Sue Miles and Colleen Eddy of Grand Island, was donated to Grand Island's Relay For Life, to be raffled off to support Relay and its ongoing fundraising for the American Cancer Society.

The annual Catholic Charities Drive is ongoing through Palm Sunday.

"Striking Gold" was the theme as 56 Grand Island High School DECA students traveled to Rochester last week in search of success in the business world.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will honor six individuals and one business on Thursday, April 25, as Citizens of the Year.

In announcing the winners, the chamber said award recipients "have given much of their time and talents in making Grand Island the wonderful community it is today."

Here is the list.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard has announced that the Narcotics Unit, after a several months-long investigation, arrested three individuals at a Carl Road duplex (left side) on Grand Island mid-morning Friday, March 8, after executing a search warrant signed by Grand Island Town Justice Mark Frentzel.

Eileen K. O'Brien entered into rest March 11, 2013. She was a resident of Grand Island.

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-I-C-Lewiston, met earlier this week with James Tomkins, Grand Island highway superintendent, in the Assembly chamber. They discussed the importance of increasing state support for the region's roads and bridges.

The Kelly family of Grand Island received the Grand Island Rotary Club's Vocational Service Award at a meeting Feb. 27 at the Buffalo Launch Club.

The Kellys' own Kelly's Country Store celebrated a 50th anniversary last year.

February break came and went, and for many students it was refreshing and invigorating. In the spirit of re-energizing, Veronica E. Connor Middle School recently hosted a Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support week.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce has recognized Michael Keating, Grand Island KeyBank branch manager, and Yvonne Michaels, KeyBank's client service manager for their generosity and support of the chamber's Citizen of the Year community event.

Administrators at the Grand Island School District are working toward resolving an estimated shortfall of $1,499.344 by the second week in April.

At the Feb. 25 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent for School Business Services Joe Giarrizzo told trustees that even though the district is able to recoup 72.1 percent of school expenses from the state and that revenues are up a bit, "Expenses are skyrocketing. We are falling behind." While the district does have money in a reserve savings account, expenses are such that more and more reserve is used each year to close budget gaps.

Assemblyman John D. Ceretto helped celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday over the weekend by reading "The Cat in the Hat" to children at the Grand Island Memorial Library. The event, also a part of "Read Across America," was intended to spur imagination and a love of reading in children.

Grand Island resident Leah E. (Boyd) Gollwitzer entered into rest Feb. 25, 2013.

Janet E. (Snyder) Hobba, 80, of Grand Island, went to be with her Lord and Savior in eternal rest on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, following a long illness.

The Conservative Committee of Grand Island invites the public to attend round 2 of "The Right to Bear Arms Debate" at the Holiday Inn Grand Island on Thursday, March 7, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Grand Island at its meeting on Wednesday at the Buffalo Launch Club and received a presentation from Heather Maras, social worker at Kaegebein and Huth Road elementary schools, on the Grand Island Central School District's efforts to combat bullying behavior in students.

R.J. Wynne, right, president of The Miracle League of Grand Island and Western New York, accepted a check for $1,000 from Josh Heim, from M&T Bank Charitable Foundation.

The Grand Island Memorial Library, 1715 Bedell Road, has library hours of operation on Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 1 to 9 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library is closed on Sundays.

Lynn Alan Konovitz, director of the Grand Island Memorial Library, reports that a digital collection of the Island Dispatch is now available online.

Kimberly Yaeger isn't avoiding hard work in her senior year of high school.

Yaeger is among the first group of Grand Island High School students enrolled in the new International Baccalaureate program at the school that has raised the workload for participating students. That's OK with Yaeger.

Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick has announced his third annual Valentines for Veterans program generated thousands of cards as a result of the hard work of schools located within the district he represents.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce has recognized Life Technologies for once again showing their support for one of the largest community events held on Grand Island, the Citizen of the Year Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

The new 2013 Grand Island Community Directory has been successfully delivered to more than 7,100 homes, businesses, schools and churches on Grand Island.

The New York State Department of Health will hold a public meeting to discuss a health outcomes review for Tonawanda and surrounding areas in Erie County, including Grand Island.

On Feb. 18, Sam's Club in Niagara Falls held its 20th year of operation celebration event.

On Saturday, Feb. 23, the third annual Robert G. Hoch Winter Memory Walk 2013 to benefit Hospice Foundation of Western New York will take place on the West River Road Parkway beginning with registration at 10 a.m. An after-party will take place at Riverstone Grill from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.