Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson will comment on his team's hiring of former Syracuse University coach Doug Marrone live on Monday night. "The Fred Jackson Show" tapes and airs at 6:30 p.m. on WBBZ-TV.

On Saturday, Jan. 19, visitors to Old Fort Niagara will have the opportunity to snowshoe back in time and find themselves engaged in a woods battle between British and French forces.

On Saturday, Jan. 26, the Pfc. Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 9249 is sponsoring a benefit at the Grand Island Knights of Columbus Hall, 1841 Whitehaven Road, for the Briggs family. Ray Briggs has been battling various health issues for the past few years. Now Donna Briggs has recently been diagnosed with stage-4 lung cancer.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is now accepting submissions for the annual Arbor Day poster contest. Fifth-grade students, especially in science and art, are encouraged to design an original poster depicting the 2013 contest theme, "Trees Are Terrific in All Shapes and Sizes."

His eyes wide with panic, he darted from person to person in the room trying to find someone, anyone, who could take him away from this scary, noisy place. His raggedy, overgrown black coat was dull, and he obviously hadn't been eating - his frame was little more than skin and bone.

Like a proud parent, I can't help but brag about my success with adopting a pet at the SPCA. Finnegan, of course, is taken, but there are many more dogs and cats waiting to be your new best friend.

At the November board meeting of the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, elections were held to fill open positions and appoint a new chairman of the board.

PHOTOS: The village's newest wine bar is opening its doors to the community.

After a string of successful walk-throughs for small groups of people, the Lewiston Stone House is now ready to welcome the general public.

The Town of Lewiston Town Board saw a relatively quiet December, with a work session and final audit being the meetings of note for the month.

The Lewiston Town Board will meet Monday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m. in Town Hall for its 2013 reorganization session. That evening, the board will approve a number of procedural adoptions, including setting the 2013 holiday schedule, naming the official town newspaper and town depositories, as well as setting the 2013 Town Board work session and regular meeting schedules.

State Sen. George Maziarz was joined Friday by representatives of the Niagara Aerospace Museum and local leaders to announce the museum's re-location to the old terminal building at the Niagara Falls International Airport.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center greeted its first baby of 2013 at 8:46 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2, when Kelly Freiermuth, right, of Niagara Falls gave birth to daughter Brystol Lynn Freiermuth.

The Bee Hive Ceramic Studio in Lewiston recently donated $250 to Niagara Cerebral Palsy to assist its many programs that support children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Statement from Congressman Chris Collins regarding Friday's vote in the House of Representatives regarding "Superstorm" Sandy relief:

The Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association will present "Know the 10 Signs: Early Detection Matters," at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, in the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Auditorium, 621 10th St.

Richard Lang will present a program and book signing on "Behind the Badge" at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Niagara County History Center, 215 Niagara St., Lockport.

With snowmobile season approaching, the New York State Snowmobile Association is reminding snowmobilers that local trails are not considered officially open until the local club has inspected and cleared trails for the 2012-13 season.

Grand Islander Dr. Adrienne Cassata, an optometrist with Fichte Endl & Elmer Eyecare, will take her skills and experience to benefit the less fortunate when she travels on a medical mission to the Dominican Republic in January.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has announced that his office has posted information online detailing charitable donations raised for Hurricane Sandy relief. To date, 88 charities have responded to surveys sent by the attorney general's charities bureau requesting information on amounts raised and spent for Hurricane Sandy relief in New York, the services and grants provided and plans for any surplus funds.

For the sixth year in a row, Dunkin' Donuts and the American Red Cross are teaming up for the "Give a Pint, Get a Pound" campaign, which provides a coupon for a free pound of Dunkin' Donuts coffee* to all presenting donors at Red Cross blood drives in the greater Buffalo area during the month of January.

Staff and volunteers from the Niagara Hospice Alliance are gearing up for the 2013 spring bouquet sale. The sale will run March 4-10 with pre-sale bouquets being ordered now and throughout the month of February.

The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission has granted an accreditation to Mount St. Mary's Hospital nuclear cardiology medicine program. This three-year accreditation recognizes that the hospital's program has undergone a thorough review of its operational and technical components by a panel of experts.

Niagara County Community College is the recipient of four grants that will aid it in expanding community-based partnerships and programming, according to President James P. Klyczek. The grants will help NCCC develop community, school-based or professional development programs in suicide prevention, working with at-risk youth, Landmarks in American History and career and technical education.

"This series of grants will to greatly enhance NCCC's connection to the community and our outreach to schoolchildren, young adults and educators alike," said Klyczek.

Adopting healthy skin habits in 2013 could save your life. Thousands of people in the United States die each year from skin cancer, a highly preventable and treatable disease. Skin cancer can affect anyone, regardless of age or skin color, which is why making skin health a priority should be on everyone's list of New Year's resolutions.

With an easy to remember acronym, S.K.I.N., The Skin Cancer Foundation is proposing four simple steps for keeping skin cancer prevention and skin health top of mind in 2013 and beyond: Skip the tanning bed, keep up with skin exams, ignore the myths, and never skimp on sun protection.

When you hear the words "first responder," you probably think of someone like a firefighter, police officer or an EMT, or even the Red Cross. But there is another type of first responder who helps people affected by disaster try to put their lives back together.

"The action in Washington to keep the nation from heading over the 'Fiscal Cliff' is welcome news. With many areas of New York still struggling to recover from the Great Recession, the state's economy would have suffered a crushing blow had an agreement not been reached to avert onerous tax hikes and spending cuts."

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, NY-28, slammed House Republican leadership Wednesday for refusing to pass legislation that would provide assistance to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The 213th anniversary of the birth of Millard Fillmore, the University at Buffalo's first chancellor and 13th president of the U.S., will be celebrated at a ceremony to be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 7 at Fillmore's gravesite in Buffalo's Forest Lawn Cemetery.

"Suneel's Celebrity Gala" will feature local celebrities competing against each other in various ballroom dance disciplines.

The Canisius College Institute for the Study of Human-Animal Relations will host a symposium, titled "Cats in Context," on Sunday, Jan. 20, from 4:15-6:15 p.m., and Monday, Jan. 21, from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Regis Room located in the Richard E. Winter '42 Student Center.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Niagara River Greenway Fund Standing Committee will hold a meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 11, to vote on funding for projects being proposed to the Standing Committee by State Parks.

A new seasonal celebration came to Niagara County last year, and it was a major hit - so much so, that the Kenan Center is bringing back its Niagara Wine and Beer Fest for a second year.

The Historic Riviera Theatre & Performing Arts Center presents the musical, "I Do, I Do" on Friday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m.

The St. Francis Guild, the auxiliary of Mount St. Mary's Hospital, recently presented hospital President and CEO Judith Maness, left, with a check in the amount of $60,000 from its 2012 fundraising efforts.

Surrounded by his family, Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, was sworn in to office Dec. 31 by Grand Island Town Justice Mark Frentzel at the Grand Island Town Hall.

The Rev. Jimmy Rowe, the academic/community coordinator and co-founder of the NU applied urban ministry program, announces the start of the spring 2013 cohort of classes of the successful applied urban ministry professional development certificate program.

AccuWeather reports the weather will be significantly colder this year when compared to last year at Times Square New Year's Eve, as temperatures hovered near the 50-degree mark.

Well, the world didn't end.

We figured it wouldn't. Yet that didn't stop residents in the River Region from seizing each day and living life to the fullest this year.